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63. Original matte painting from the opening scene of The Wizard of Oz. (MGM, 1939) This fantastic original matte painting, rendered by a talented (and unfortunately, unknown) studio artist for the film, is accomplished in aquatint on a 27 in. x 20 in sheet of artist's illustration board. The detail is absolutely incredible - a testament to the exceptionally high skill and craftsmanship that permeates every aspect of the film. The following studio production information is handwritten at the lower center, on the darkened area where the characters were to be framed-in during post-production: "259 - Fleming - Ext. Farm - Stand 2 - Hole 146" . [Of course, "Fleming" refers to director Victor Fleming].
This painting was created for the very first scene of The Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy and Toto are shown walking down a lonely farm road in rural Kansas. Perhaps most importantly, it serves as the backdrop to Dorothy's very first words in the film, when the adversarial relationship with Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West is established, carrying the plot through the entire length of the fanciful story. This key scene is written out in great detail in the script:
"LONG SHOT - COUNTRY ROAD - DAY
From the foreground, a long straight road leads to and past the farm. Into the shot, from past CAMERA, half running and half walking backward, comes DOROTHY, a little girl of twelve, and her dog, TOTO. She stops a moment, and looks down the road in the direction from which she came. She seems a little breathless and apprehensive.
MEDIUM SHOT - DOROTHY
DOROTHY
(To Toto)
She isn't coming yet, Toto?
(Kneeling down and examining him)
Did she hurt you?
She tried to, didn't she?
(Rising as she picks up books and starts along road toward home)
Come on, we'll go tell Uncle Henry and Auntie Em? Come on, Toto!"
Long relegated to a supporting role in Hollywood's many visual effects departments, the skill and creativity of Hollywood's talented matte painting artists are a vital part of the filmmaking process - one of the single most important aspects of a film's magical ability to suspend belief and transport the audience to far away places.
This gorgeous and exceedingly rare matte painting is a wonderful artifact from MGM's 1939 masterpiece - perhaps the most beloved film of all time - and perfectly captures the ominous mood of the opening scene of the film, setting the tone for the entire story that follows. Considering its prominent role as the Kansas landscape behind Dorothy's very first appearance, this fantastic matte painting is, without question, the single most important matte painting in private hands to ever come to auction.
Housed in a custom archival frame. $120,000 - $150,000

http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=52933&item=260004111114#

Posted by There's No Place Like Oz Webmaster on Saturday, July 15, 2006 at 4:14 PM | Permalink