A girl, Dorothy (Garland), and her dog, Toto, are swept by a hurricane from Kansas to a magical land. In the company of Scarecrow (Bolger), Tin Man (Haley) and Cowardly Lion (Lar), she sets out in search of a wizard who can surely bring her home. The film has changed two dozen screenwriters and six directors (only Victor Fleming remains on the credits)-it’s even odd that a world cinema classic was born out of this.

At the heart of the film is an unsettling idea: a child who is not paid enough attention by adults strikes out on a fantasy of another world, one that is wondrous and colorful. In Dorothy’s imagination, the workers from her grandfather’s farm become the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, and the witch is the wicked neighbor. It’s a tale of escape from black and white reality into a candy-colored world colored with Technicolor technology.

True, it turns out that there are prohibitions and dangers of their own: do not step off the yellow brick path, do not take off your red shoes. Otherwise it will be bad. In addition, some of the details of Oz suspiciously resemble real life: the stuffed animals with straw instead of brains are very chatty, the authoritative wizard can be a charlatan. But aside from the sweet voice of 17-year-old Judy Garland and the songs and dances, it was the idealistic formula popular in the 20th century that made the film a cult movie: all necessary qualities are innately given to man. All you have to do is believe that you can do it. The Cowardly Lion is brave, the Scarecrow is clever, the Tin Man has always had a heart – they just didn’t know it.