Wizard of Oz

L. Frank Baum, had said that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was written "solely to pleasure the children”.  If he in fact said this, we must believe him.  There is no question though that everything he had experienced and read prior to writing Oz seeped out through his consciousness and into the literature, providing adult readers with much more than an average children’s book’s text.  The fact that Baum chose to cast Dorothy, as a strong, young, female, lead character is probably the most important entity in this work.  Dorothy a little girl helped to free the Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow of their own self-consciousness and pity, growing herself as a young female.  The male characters in Oz are notably sillier and smaller minded then Dorothy herself.  This is now seen in almost every sitcom on television today, from Homer Simpson to Ray Romano, to Joey from Friends. 

From the beginning Dorothy possesses this kind of power and invincibility.  The men need help, the men are dim witted and helpless, even doomed without her.  This is still interesting today but especially the time period of the 1900’s when L. Frank Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  The great Oz himself turns out to be a pathetic man hiding behind a curtain.  His does prove his magic, but only with the help of their believes.  Baum was clearly using his power as the author to mold the reader’s minds maybe without them even knowing it.  Baum used the classic children’s book setup of pushing morals onto the kids but brings it into a more important dynamic of role reversal and identity, all done while still playing off a common adventure story archetype. 

Eyes Wide Shut Directors Review

After reading Stanley Kubriks screenplay for Eyes Wide Shut the theme seems to be the powers of sex.   In more detail, the narrative deals with right and wrong or wrong and wronger, the truth and its consequences, and most importantly, escape into alternate lifestyles and worlds.  I think this movie examines a contemporary marriage and the boredoms and impulses that arise between the couple.  An interesting element in this film is tension in the characters marriage beginning immediately with the film, opposed to slowly rising and then erupting near the end.  There is a climax to come but Bill also begins flirting with models as Alice flirts with an older man minutes after arriving at the party.  It is clear right away that they are both unable to stay entirely faithful and sets up a tone for whats to come.  A very interesting aspect of this movie is when Alice continues to admit to always thinking of Bill each time she daydreamed and fantasized about another lover.  Alice once explains feelings of sadness and tenderness towards Bill as she views the Naval Officer from the balcony.  Even saying she loved him most that very moment.  Another is that until almost the very end while they neither one of them actually did anything physical with someone else throughout the film the idea that they would have acted upon it given different circumstances and timing is the issue. The characters certainly wanted too.  At the very end Bill caves in at the and tells Alice he will confess everything he's done.  The next morning comes and Alice addresses the night before.  Initially I thought they somehow tried to give the reader a happy ending and act as if they had resolved their marriage even after all Bill had done.  In fact though the script ends with you realizing Bill never told Alice about his love affair at all.

Lolita

Lolita is a true romantic novel.  The obvious questions arise about age of consent and of course morality versus immorality but the most interesting and important question to be asked of Nobakovs work is if this is in fact love.  Humbert’s displays of affection and lyrical description could be read as lust and it is often times still confusing to pinpoint whether or not this is in fact just lust.  This lust displayed is a product of Humbert’s fetish.  Young prepubescent girls specifically enchant him, and nothing more.  He tries marrying off with woman nearer his age but the marriages undoubtedly fall apart.  I recently read an article about a now infamous ex Penn State football coach named Jerry Sandusky now charged in prison for molesting numerous numbers of boys.  The doctor being interviewed makes the point that he believes after studying pedophiles, that pedophilia it self is a sexual orientation and is not decided upon at some point in life.  Lolita is certainly to young for Humbert, no matter how smart, perceptive or seemingly willing she could ever be towards him, Humbert’s love is tragically wrong.  Morally wrong.  The impressive thing is that Nobakov took something so disgusting and off putting and created a love story. 

“I would be a knave to say, and the reader a fool to believe, that the shock of losing Lolita cured me of pederosis. My accursed nature could not change, no matter how my love for her did. On playgrounds and beaches, my sullen and stealthy eye, against my will, still sought out the flash of a nymphet's limbs, the sly tokens of Lolita's handmaids and rosegirls. But one essential vision in me had withered: never did I dwell now on possibilities of bliss with a little maiden, specific or synthetic, in some out-of-the-way place; never did my fancy sink its fangs into Lolita's sisters, far far away, in the coves of evoked islands.”

In this passage Humbert very interestingly outright addresses his pedophilia, and inability to change.  This passage in particular makes me sympathize with the narrator who is just simply unable to deal with his circumstances.  With Lolita gone he still finds like he has his entire life himself completely consumed with lust over young girls.  This is not far off the way most males minds behave regularly the sole problem of course is the target age of the girls he happens to be attracted too.  It is simply just not right.  I think Humbert knows this.  The viewer in this passage can understand the sickness that Humbert possesses and hopefully his helplessness.  Humbert’s love can never be accepted, appreciated, moral and so it seems reciprocated.  In reference to the article I read and sexual orientations of heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bi-sexuality, Humbert’s orientation seems to fall under pedophia-lity and he is forever trapped in his position.