The Wizard of Aaahs

During the past 76 years, people have spent a lot of time trying to get inside Dorothy's pigtailed head in The Wizard of Oz. Scholars have pored over every frame of the 1939 film. Following the horrific 1985 sequel, Return to Oz—in which Dorothy is placed under the care of psychiatrists—fans began to see a more sinister side to the little girl from Kansas. 

Killjoys love to peel apart the layers of Dorothy's visions. She heads for Oz to wipe out the bloodline of the woman who tried to take away her dog. She has Inception-style dreams-within-dreams. In Kansas, she's sleep-deprived and under stress. But is she a twisted mind?

She's got a pretty good point, too. For so long, we've read so much into dreams and what they mean. We have films like Flatliners and What Dreams May Come that layer meaning and depth into dreams. History has been changed by powerful men who foresaw things in dreams. That shit's ridiculous—just as ridiculous as imagining a sweet teenager as a genocidal maniac because she smoked a witch in a movie. 

The other night, I had a dream. In it, I was part of a buddy-cop duo. I was the level-headed one. He was a loose cannon. Also, he was a goat. Does this mean anything about my psychology, other than the fact that I had just read a story about mutton before watching Lethal Weapon? 

“Dreams usually have a plot, and how we get the content isn’t really that well understood. It’s generally accepted that dreams can be your messages from your deepest desires and anxieties, often having to do with childhood,” says Hutchison, giving me pause. “The parts of the brain that are active include the ‘old brain,’ where our emotional centers are and fear and anxiety live. Dream conscience can send messages from your deepest desires and anxieties.” 

So maybe Dorothy does want to smoke Miss Gulch. Or maybe she's just stressed, and her old brain's giving her some catharsis. And maybe I love goats. Point is—stop being a killjoy and cut the dreamers some slack. Because dreams are our imaginations flexing their muscles. Whether that means going over the rainbow or killing the hag who wants to kill your dog, we have no right to judge. 

"The thing that's so fun is, dreams are involuntary. They are what they are," says Hutchison. "You can't tell someone they're right or wrong or criticize them. They're yours. They're your story. Enjoy them."

ALSO SHOWING:

1. Movies in Black & White returns, using Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles as a springboard for a talk about race that might last four weeks, given this movie. Hollywood Theatre. 7 pm Wednesday, July 8. 
2. The NW Film Center kicks off a series of films by Swedish absurdist humanist director Roy Andersson, including A Swedish Love Story (7 pm Friday, 9 pm Saturday), Songs from the Second Floor (7 pm Saturday, 5 pm Sunday) and You, the Living (7 pm Sunday and Monday). Whitsell Auditorium. July 10-20. 
3. With Harper Lee’s sophomore novel (!!!) dropping next week, now’s a great time to revisit the masterful adaptation of her classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. Clinton Street Theater. 2 and 7 pm Friday, July 10. 
4. Seriously though, Raiders of the Lost Ark should just never leave Portland theaters. Hollywood Theatre. 2 and 7 pm Saturday-Sunday, July 11-12. 
5. Brian De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise shows us what would happen if Phantom of the Opera had less whiny balladry and more gigantic mounds of cocaine in the writers’ room. Hollywood Theatre. 9 pm Friday and 9:40 pm Saturday, July 10-11. 
6. For its 40th anniversary, Jaws is getting a barrage of screenings. But Laurelhurst Theater wins out as the most essential, since it’s shipped in Quint’s beer of choice, Narrangansett. Laurelhurst Theater. July 10-16. 
7. The NeverEnding Story is here to get its theme song stuck in your head. Academy Theater. July 10-16.
8. Footrace drama Chariots of Fire is still impressive in its ability to make the least cinematic sport since competitive standing look incredible. Clinton Street Theater. 7:30 pm Saturday, July 11. 
9. E.T. returns to Portland, this time under the stars where it belongs. Cartopia. Dusk Sunday, July 12. 
10. Kung Fu Theater unleashes the chaotic Shaw Brothers classic Invincible Shaolin. Hollywood Theatre. 7:30 pm Tuesday, July 14. 

WWeek 2015