The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910 film)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
	13-minute film clip
Directed by	Otis Turner (unconfirmed)
Written by	Otis Turner (unconfirmed)
Based on	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; 1900 novel; by L. Frank Baum
Produced by	William Selig
Starring	Bebe Daniels
Distributed by	Selig Polyscope Company
Release date	March 24, 1910;
Running time	13 mins.
Country	United States
Languages	Silent film; English intertitles

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, also known as The Wizard of Oz,^[1] is a 1910 American silent fantasy film and the earliest surviving film version of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The film was made by the Selig Polyscope Company without Baum's direct input. It was created to fulfill a contractual obligation associated with Baum's personal bankruptcy caused by the failure of his theatrical production The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays.^[2] It was partly based on the 1902 stage musical The Wizard of Oz,^[3] though much of the film deals with the Wicked Witch of the West, who does not appear in the musical.

It was the beginning of a series of film sequels, also released in 1910 and based on Baum's books, but the sequels are thought to be lost films.

^ Cite error: The named reference Hogan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Berman, Ruth (November 2003). "Review: The Wizardry of Oz". Science Fiction Studies. 30 (3): 504, 508. JSTOR 4241209.
^ Swartz, Mark Evan (2000). Oz Before the Rainbow: L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz on Stage and Screen to 1939. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 175, 184. ISBN 0801864771. In many ways the film went directly back to the novel for its inspiration and bypassed the narrative changes made for the 1902 stage adaptation. Still, the influence of the 1902 show could not be escaped.... Elements of the 1902 play are also apparent.... The marching guards and dancing courtiers of the Wizard's court almost seem to duplicate the choruses that surrounded the Wizard in the 1902 play.