by Divya Kumar
News Editor

I can recall The Wizard of Oz being one of the first movies that I ever had the experience of watching. I have seen it so many times that I can proudly quote nearly every line of it and sing along to every song. So when I was told that the movie was coming out in theaters for a one-night showing in honor of its 17th anniversary encore, I bought my tickets immediately.

Finding someone to go with me was a bit more of a challenge, however. Due to the fact that the show aired for only one night, inconveniently, right in the middle of the evening on a Tuesday, it was a bit difficult to find someone to go along with. Most of my friends weren’t too excited by the prospect of going to watch the movie in theaters, stating that if they wanted, they could have the same experience right at home later that week for free.

But after having the opportunity to watch this well-loved classic on the big screen, I can surely say that an experience like this was a once in a lifetime chance that an old VHS tape on a home television screen definitely cannot provide.

For starters, the movie began with a special introduction by Robert Osborne, a film historian, followed by a look into how the classic novel by L. Frank Baum was transformed into the first techicolor film. But besides these aspects, the movie in theaters had a different quality to it that allowed me to view it in a way that I never before had.

The drastic change between the black-and-white life Dorothy led while in Kansas to the glittering colors of Oz were more strongly contrasted when flashed across the big screen than could have ever been portrayed on my small television at home. It seemed like the voices of the cast were more refined when played with a professional set of speakers and the quality of the movie as a whole seemed much clearer. Though I’m nearly sure certain technical aspects were tweaked in order to refine the movie for the big screen, just the fact that I was watching one of my all-time favorite movies in a theater served to make the experience all the more enjoyable.

Watching this movie across the big screen made me somehow feel a bit more connected to my childhood. I felt so old for having seen it such a long time ago, but at the same time I felt so young that I was able to relive these cherished memories before they dissapeared forever.

The theater was surprisingly empty due to the fact that not many people had were aware that this event was happening. While it was nice to be in a smaller theater with fewer distractions, I felt slightly bad that so many people had missed out on this experience. Watching things in the theater provides for a whole new scope on them, regardless of the amount of times the movie has been seen.

The fact that this was a one-time-only event at such a nondescript hour saddened me. Re-releases of old time children’s movies in theaters seem to be common now, what with that of Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2 only a month ago. I hope that if not The Wizard of Oz, another well-loved classic will be re-released into the theaters, so I can have the experience of reliving another part of my childhood once again across the big screens.