Soundtrack: Return to Oz
Composer/Artist(s): David Shire
Year: 1985
Genre(s): 80's British Score

DOWNLOAD -- Return to Oz

Following up on the 'Ledger posts about Will Vinton, I thought I would keep the wonderfreak week alive with a soundtrack posting of the undeniable 80's cult classic Return to Oz.

Without a doubt one of those standout 80's fantasy flicks. Unlike its 1939 predecessor, this Oz was hardly a land of painted cardboard sets, dancing midgets and upbeat sing-along tunes, and was, in fact, much closer to L. Frank Baum's haunting, disturbing books. Return to Oz is a beautifully crafted film, both visually and psychologically. Clearly, parallels exist between this film and the Wizard of Oz - both involve a dream in which people in the "real" world manifest themselves as characters in the dream. The characters themselves are echoes of the original movie - the mechanical metal man who longs to feel, the clumsy but loveable beast, the evil witch and her inhuman minions. This reflects either an extreme predictability in Baum's style, or an amazingly successful use of archetypes on the part of both Baum and the film's creators. And Walter Murch was NOT one known for his directing. Return to Oz is the only film he ever directed. Murch is much better known for his post-work with Coppola and his hollywood collaborations with Jim Henson and Disney.

Watch these special documentaries, deleted scenes and more on THIS website or buy the latest special edition DVD.

The score is amazing in the film and really holds a majority of the film's intensity and drama together. David Shire builds scary & sweet moments into one intense score!

FRIDAY UPDATE... Look what Andrew brought in for me to borrow this weekend!