Australia gave L. Frank Baum a rock-and-roll update in 20th Century Oz, a 1976 Australian film, also known simply as Oz (which is, of course, a nickname for Australia itself). A young woman (played by Joy Dunstan) leaves her small-town and travel across the country to meet the rock superstar the Wizard. A dimwit surfer, a heartless mechanic and a cowardly biker protect her from a murderous trucker who blames Dorothy for killing his brother.
This movie, with its modern setting and rock score, was widely panned by critics.
Japanese Anime Oz
Japan has adapted Oz for several different cartoons. These include 1982 Wizard of Oz film that adapts Baum quite faithfully; a 1984 TV series that was broadcast on HBO in America; a Hello Kitty adaptation, The Wizard of Paws; two episodes of Oz, in which “Oz” is supposedly the one safe place in a war -avaged future USA; and Galactic Adventures of Space Oz, a science fiction version.
The Turkish Wizard of Oz
Actress Zeynep Degirmencioglu had a successful series of children’s films in Turkey in which her character, Aysecik, wound up in several classic fairytales. In this 1977 film, Aysecik has the Dorothy role, helped out by the Seven Dwarves (the previous Aysecik film had been a popular Snow White adaptation). This low-budget, poorly done movie is also known as Aysecik and the Bewitched Dwarves in Dreamland.
Os Trapalhoes and the Wizard of Oroz
The Trapalhoes, a Brazilian slapstick comic team, are caught in a terrible drought (a real life problem for Brazil at the time of this 1984 film) that forces them to go to the city of Oroz seeking water. All water in Oroz is controlled by an oppressive landowner, so the Trapalhoes turn to the Wizard of Oroz to help them find a new source. They succeed when they realize that if they have brains, heart and courage, they must also be able to make it rain (yes, it makes that little sense).
The Brazilian kids’ show host, Xuxa, has a supporting role in this film.
Russian Oz: Volkov’s Magic Land
Alexander Volkov, a Soviet author, translated and rewrote The Wizard of Oz into The Wizard of the Emerald City. Several sequels, by Volkov and others, followed, and so did a television adaptation or two.
Spanish Oz: Fantasia III
This 1966 anthology adapted two Hans Christian Anderson stories as well as a short version of The Wizard of Oz.
The Israeli Wizard of Oz: Hakosem!
This 1994 stage musical has Dorothy, a young Israeli, seeking the Great Wizard Sam after a cyclone deposits her in a land of magic. Hakosem! was phenomenally successful in Israel and was revived for another stage run in 2000.
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