Oz (1976)

"Fame and fortune fuck you up." - Dorothy

aka: 20th Century Oz
The Australians made their own version of The Wizard of Oz, with bikers and rock 'n roll.
Starring: Joy Dunstan, Bruce Spence, Michael Carman, Gary Waddell, Graham Matters

Link to IMDB

Eager for some excitement in her life, a young lady named Dorothy decides to be a groupie for a rock band that passes through her town. But when the tour van careens off the road and Dorothy bumps her head, she awakens all alone out in the countryside.
She stumbles upon a boutique shop called The Good Fairy, where a flamboyant man gives her a pair of red high-heels and points her in the direction of The City. Dorothy starts hitchhiking down the dusty highway, longing to get to The City and see the famous glam superstar, The Wizard, perform a rock concert.

The first guy Dorothy meets is Surfie. He seems a bit dim-witted but he promises to take Dorothy to the city in his bright yellow el camino, and so the road trip begins! As you can tell, this re-imagining is not very subtle.


Following them is a wicked truck driver that wants revenge, because apparently the band's van crashed into his brother and he thinks that Dorothy's responsible for this accident.
The next stop is at a roadside garage, where they meet an oily mechanic and a cranky motorcyclist. The mechanic is a heartless slob and the biker's tough attitude is only skin deep, so it's clear which roles they'll be filling.

"We're off to see the fuckin' Wizard!" - Bikie

 Surfie                                       Mechanic                                                  Bikie
(Scarecrow)                               (Tin Man)                                                  (Lion)

A large bulk of the movie consists of dull driving montages, but at least the music is a fitting selection of foot-stomping jams and trippy pop. The wicked trucker never does anything when he sporadically catches up with Dorothy, so most of the "drama" comes from the three guys taking turns trying to impress Dorothy and ditch the other two blokes.

The Wizard

Things get more lively in the third act when the Wizard gets involved, and the evil trucker finally decides to get his revenge, but the story remains simple, dumb amusement.

There are no fantasy elements, but the colourful characters and slightly exploitative style makes it a weird novelty of the 70s. The story often exists in a hazy, sloppy medley that focuses on celebrating the free spirit of the road trip, while also a rather bleak and gritty journey of being an adventurous youth in a bygone era.

The mix doesn't always work, but it makes for a peculiar, albeit basic, re-telling of the classic tale.




Be sure not to miss:
- The Wizard's testicles escaping from his thong.
- Where's Toto?
- Dorothy is supposed to be 16 but she clearly looks 25, the age of the actress.

Internet review:
"Eeehhh. I laughed I cried." - Pig Vomit

Should I watch it?
Depends on how many brain cells you're willing to lose.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Oz gets...