Oz the Great and Powerful

Originally published in the UMass, Amherst Daily Collegian

James Franco is a weird dude. He started his career as a too-cool teen on Freaks and Geeks, then played reluctant villain Harry Osborn in the mid-2000s Spider-Man trilogy. The final push towards conventional leading man status seemed to be Tristan + Isolde, a sappy, medieval-set romance that practically guaranteed Franco’s face would be plastered on the walls of many a pre-teen’s bedroom.

At that point it became clear that Franco had developed what I refer to as “Johnny Depp Syndrome.” Wanting to be taken seriously as more than just a pretty face, he began signing on to perpetually stranger films, as well as remaking his public image through a set of ever more eccentric ploys: playing a gonzo version of himself on General Hospital; appearing to be high while hosting the Oscars; commenting multiple times on his fascination with gay sex and culture; making a lot of very weird modern art. The list goes on and on … and on.

The latest stop on Franco’s journey toward self-mythification is Oz the Great and Powerful, Sam Raimi’s prequel to the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Franco plays Oz (full name: Oscar Diggs), an old-timey circus magician and all-around Kansan con man. Oz’s tricks get him in trouble with the ladies, as well as with their husbands. While running from the circus’s strong man, Oz climbs into a hot-air balloon and manages to float away from his pursuer … directly into the path of a tornado. He’s whirled around and around before finally crash landing in a fantastical, unknown land. Sound familiar?

Oz is enthralled with his new surroundings, which like the original film burst from black and white into color upon leaving Kansas. Raimi (who also directed Franco in the Spider-Man movies) is also clearly overexcited by the possibilities CGI has brought to modern film. Everything—wondrous flowering plants, tiny river fairies—looks a bit plastic, too smooth and neon to be believed. While Oz is exploring his landing site, he’s quickly discovered by Theodora (Mila Kunis), a self-described Good Witch. The Land of Oz is under siege by the Wicked Witch of the West, Theodora explains. A wizard who comes from the sky has been prophesied to save them all. Again, is any of this ringing a bell?

Theodora (Mila Kunis) has some pretty fucked up gender politics … but a cool hat.

Oz, then, is both the famed Wizard of Oz, and also a male Dorothy plunked down in the story some time before Ms. Gale and her house blew into town. L. Frank Baum, the author of the 1900 children’s novel on which the original film was based, actually wrote 14 books set within the Oz universe, many of which provide the back-story of the Land itself as well as of its most famous inhabitants. Though the Wizard doesn’t get an entire book to himself, his past is mentioned in several of the sequels.

Baum’s novels are in the public domain (as are all books published before 1923), but rights to the original film are owned by MGM, so Raimi had to tread carefully. There are no ruby slippers in this remake, and the skin tone of one Wicked Witch had to be carefully monitored so as not to come too close to the shade Margaret Hamilton was painted in 1939.

Speaking of witches, just who is this Theodora? She and her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) are witches of the Emerald City, and the pair quickly fills Oz in on the prophecy. Oz is more than happy to continue pretending to be a true wizard, as it means he gets to be king of Emerald City and owner of all its many riches. That is, until Evanora points out that to claim the throne he must first slay the Wicked Witch, Glinda (Michelle Williams). Wait, what? This is not how the original story plays out.

In fact, the only genuinely interesting part of Oz the Great and Powerful is the anticipation of finding out which of the three witches—Theodora, Evanora or Glinda—is actually destined to go green. Once the answer is revealed, about halfway through the film, there aren’t many other reasons to continue caring about the plot, which concerns Oz’s attempts to vanquish whichever witch is actually the evil one. Oh, and the explanation for why the Wicked Witch turns to the dark side? Being jilted by Oz. Oh, Dorothy, how I miss your girl-power message and strong leadership skills.

Glinda (Michelle Williams) and Oz plot together.

Franco, too, often seems unable to carry the weight of a full-length feature. In nearly all his previous work he’s played sidekicks or smaller parts, and these seem to be the roles at which he most excels (127 Hours being an excellent exception). Franco has decidedly modern cadences and mannerisms, and often appears unsuited to playing a turn-of-the-century character. The fact that Oz’s greatest motivations are acquiring wealth and sleeping with as many of the witches as possible also doesn’t make him a particularly appealing protagonist.

In the end, Raimi is preoccupied less with retelling The Wizard of Oz than with making an homage to film itself. Oz’s most brilliant trick involves creating a film (remember, he’s the Man Behind the Curtain). He also name-checks Thomas Edison, the inventor of the motion picture camera and of the first movie theaters.

Hollywood has always loved producing films that show off the its own wonders, and this trend has only grown in recent years, spurred on by the critical success of films like The Artist, Hugo and this year’s Best Picture winner Argo. Oz the Great and Powerful is the latest release to capitalize on Disney’s strategy of remaking classic, well-loved films. Remember 2010’s Alice in Wonderland? Another Disney release, it was the second-highest grossing film of the year. Oz the Great and Powerful has a similar $200 million budget. Clearly, the House of Mouse knows what it’s doing. Turning classic film nostalgia into big profits seems to be the greatest trick of all.

My Week with Marilyn

Originally published in the Brandeis University Justice

Nov. 22, 2011

The life of Marilyn Monroe is the quintessential American Hollywood fairytale: a story of a down-on-her-luck kid who is chosen by fate to become a movie star.

The film My Week with Marilyn is based on filmmaker Colin Clark’s 2000 book of the same name. The book relates Clark’s experiences working as the third assistant director and Laurence Olivier’s personal assistant on The Prince and the Showgirl, a 1957 film directed by Olivier and produced by both him and Monroe. My Week with Marilyn—both the film and the book—focus on the weeklong affair between Clark (Eddie Redmayne) and Monroe (Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine and Brokeback Mountain) that occurred during the film’s production.

Born Norma Jeane Baker, Monroe spent her childhood in foster homes. Her mother was psychotic and she never knew her father. As a teenager, a series of guardians shuffled her around.

It was when Monroe was 19, working in a munitions factory, that she got her first lucky break. The young woman was photographed by an army photographer who sold the picture to Yank, the Army’s weekly magazine, and encouraged Monroe to pursue modeling. She dyed her hair blonde and her career took off.

This random encounter with the photographer led Monroe eventually to a contract with Columbia Pictures. Her popularity—and infamy—grew with the American public. She began dating famous baseball player Joe DiMaggio (he later became the second of her three husbands) and became the first Playboy centerfold in 1953. Her risqué behavior on- and off-screen led some to consider her work inappropriate, while others saw her as a symbol of the emerging liberated American woman.

Monroe both enjoyed and was troubled by all of this attention. She traveled to England in 1956, where she began filming The Prince and the Showgirl alongside the famed British Shakespearean actor-director Olivier, hoping to establish herself as a serious actress. This moment is where the film My Week with Marilyn begins.

Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe.

Monroe was married to acclaimed playwright Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott), her third husband, during the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl. It was only after Miller returned to America a week before the production ended that Clark and Monroe were free to begin their affair.

The film closely follows the narrative Clark describes in his book. During the filming, Monroe felt personally attacked by Olivier (the smugly wonderful Kenneth Branagh) and sought out Clark for moral support. Clark was, of course, immediately enamored with Monroe and could not refuse any of her demands. Redmayne, as Clark, gives a compelling performance as a naïve young man unable to see that Monroe is ultimately taking advantage of him. His boyish, freckled face lights up whenever he is in her presence, and Redmayne’s transformation from a shy boy into a confident young man is one of the highlights of the film. Scenes of the two frolicking in the English countryside and devolving into fits of laughter showcase the best moments in their relationship.

Williams’ performance, like Monroe herself, is more difficult to fully grasp. Unlike other actresses who have portrayed the icon of feminine beauty, Williams focuses on Monroe’s childlike wonder rather than her irresistible sexiness. My Week with Marilyn depicts Monroe as a troubled woman not fully in control of her own actions. She has moments of crippling self-doubt as well as scenes in which she flourishes under the public eye, though it is clear that the rift between her public persona and her private life causes her emotional pain. Williams does a good job of creating this image, but ultimately, the character is unsatisfying. Throughout the film, it never really feels as though the audience is watching Monroe. Rather, we watch an actress play her.

Part of the problem is that Williams, despite her blond tresses, looks little like Monroe. Monroe was famous for her full figure and brash attitude, whereas Williams is a waifish pixie with a thin face who often looks uncomfortable on the red carpet. Williams does manage to capture Monroe’s girlish voice and trained walk, but she doesn’t give a convincing performance overall.

Branagh, on the other hand, is the clear standout of the film. He shares several uncanny similarities with his character, Olivier. Both men are highly regarded Shakespearean actors, and both have directed and starred in film versions of Hamlet, Othello, Henry V and Richard III.

Branagh shares several uncanny similarities with his character, Olivier. Both men are highly regarded Shakespearean actors, and both have directed and starred in film versions of Hamlet, Othello, Henry V and Richard III

In the film, Olivier is unable to cope with Monroe’s unprofessional attitude. The actress is often several hours late and cannot remember her lines. Olivier ends up screaming slews of curses at her or to his cast and crew. These furious monologues are some of the funniest moments in the film. Branagh performs just as well in My Week‘s more subtle moments, such as his interactions with Olivier’s then-wife, actress Vivien Leigh (Julia Ormond). It is also lovely to see the character, in one of the film’s final scenes, come at last to acknowledge Monroe’s acting talent.

My Week with Marilyn attempts to be a dramatic story of one man’s fling with the most famous sex bomb of all time. However, it never manages to live up to the drama of this premise. The relationship occurs when Miller is out of the country, so there is no chance of him discovering Clark and Monroe’s affair. Furthermore, the film includes a scene implying that Miller doesn’t even love Monroe, so the audience can’t fault Monroe or Clark for committing adultery.

Many characters warn Clark not to get involved with Monroe, that she will break his heart. He ignores them but comes out unscathed anyway. Despite disapproval from the rest of the cast and crew, Clark suffers no professional consequences for his affair. When it is time for Monroe to return to America, the two have one final, amicable conversation. When his former girlfriend, Lucy (a small role by Emma Watson), asks if Monroe broke his heart, Clark responds, “a little.” There is no passionate fight, no breakdown or emotional hardship. The relationship is never even consummated. The two kiss twice, briefly. I had to wonder if the week Clark spent with Marilyn was more of an ephemeral friendship than an affair to remember.

My Week with Marilyn gives a glimpse into Marilyn Monroe’s life just before her demons began to get the best of her. It is a light-hearted film without a huge amount of substance. However, it does provide an interesting look into the life of one of the most famous, but ultimately enigmatic, stars of the twentieth century.