Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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The Wizard of Oz (Victor
Fleming, 1939), produced
by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Inscribed 2007
What is it
The original Technicolor 3-strip nitrate negatives and the
black-and-white sequences preservation negatives and
soundtrack of the film The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Why was it inscribed
The Wizard of Oz is a classic of world cinema and one
of the most widely seen and influential films in cinema
history. Its message is timeless: that love, the courage
of one’s convictions and the bonds of friendship when
united in a single cause can overcome adversity and
foster peace. This message resonates not just today
but also in 1939 when the film was released, on the
eve of war.
Where is it
George Eastman House, Rochester, USA
The Wizard of Oz is one of the best-known films in the
history of cinema. Few other films have been seen by so
many people in so many countries over so long a time.
The film evokes Hollywood at the peak of its creative,
cultural and economic influence as the world’s dominant
film industry.
The search for a better, trouble-free world is a perennial
human aspiration that is often expressed through myth
and fantasy. In the 20th century, cinema became one
of the foremost means of expressing such myths and
aspirations, and The Wizard of Oz depicts this perhaps
more enduringly than any other film. Its pervasive imagery,
its imaginative use of Technicolor, its memorable music
and its universal messages have become synonymous
with the best of human aspirations and striving for a
trouble-free world.
The film is in Technicolor with a black-and-white
beginning and ending. The colour portion, accounting
for most of the film’s length, is set in the Land of Oz while
the black-and-white portions are set on Dorothy’s farm in
Kansas. The Technicolor camera simultaneously created
three camera negatives, each representing a primary
466 The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939), produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer