American Oz

American Oz looks at the wizard behind the curtain of the beloved children’s book The Wizard of Oz. When L. Frank Baum published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900, he was 44 and had spent most of his adult life chasing the American dream. After failing one endeavor after another – from growing roosters to sales – Baum took his family out West. His journey to the American frontier, offered a rare insight into a nation on the verge of financial and social change. Baum kept reinventing himself and reflected principles of self-confidence, imagination, and innovation, all the while never losing his childlike sense of wonder. His experiences and dreams alongside these characterizations came together to create the wonderous world of Oz. A world that continues to influence artists over a hundred years since its creation and whose inspiration is revealed throughout the film through excerpts from its most well-known film adaptation from 1939 and the original illustrations that accompanied the book.