Wizard of Oz

Ballantyne Village Theater here in Charlotte is playing Wizard of Oz this week as part of their ongoing retro series. Obviously, we had to go see it.

The down sides:
The print is old and scratched.
The focus faded in and out, not because of the projectionist, but because of a lackluster transfer.
The print is cropped at the sides, revealing the whole picture only through pan and scan.
It looks a lot like the trailer embedded below in terms of quality.

The up sides:
It’s only $5 a ticket if you go to the 5:20 show.
It’s the freakin’ WIZARD OF OZ on the BIG SCREEN.
I’m going with a nine-year-old, not a film appreciation class, so there’s a limit to how much I should really complain.

We talked about our favorite characters in the car on the way home. Mr. Tvini likes the Cowardly Lion because he likes Bert Lahr. I like the Scarecrow because I like the way he moves and dances (Ray Bolger is awesome). Em likes Dorothy “because she’s a really good singer.” My kid’s got good taste.

Em had a blast and wants to go again. And so we will. And we will share popcorn and bottled water and lo, it will be good.