5min chapter

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There's No Place Like Oz

Imaginary Worlds

CHAPTER

Cultural Reflections in Adaptations of The Wizard of Oz

This chapter explores the cultural impact of various adaptations of The Wizard of Oz, with a focus on Volkov's interpretation within the context of Soviet culture. It also teases a modern adaptation and introduces a new casual chat companion for the podcast, encouraging support through Patreon.

00:00
Speaker 3
Something about it, like, for instance, the dog, Toto, he can talk. He's cute and funny, and he has some of the best lines, and he's very helpful. And then, I mean, it's inevitable that growing up in the U.S., I think it is inevitable that he'll come across The Wizard of Oz, the real story, on his own. But I do think that there is room for this book. Olga
Speaker 1
says she still sees the world through the lens of having grown up in the Soviet Union. And Volkov's version of the story reminds her of home, even if she knows that her homeland was no Kansas.
Speaker 3
This book is my culture. It's a part of the culture that I have to give, which is Soviet culture. And I'm really grateful for Volkov for adapting it in the ways that he did that made it acceptable, you know, to the censors, to the editors, to the whole publishing structure.
Speaker 1
Volkov's version of the story is still popular in Russia today. In fact, in 2025, there's going going to be a big-budget movie with pretty good-looking special effects in which a modern-day version of Ellie Smith and her talking dog, Tatoška, go to the Emerald City and meet the lion, scarecrow, and tin man. It
Speaker 3
seems...
Speaker 1
In the same way that Olga didn't know about Baum's book when she was growing up, I wonder how many fans of Wicked, especially younger fans, know the 1939 movie. Even if they have seen it, maybe that's not their Oz. That's not their Glinda. That's not their Wizard. But that is the beauty of a world which captures people's imaginations. It doesn't matter where it came from, especially after the copyright has expired. What matters is that it's still here, after 124 years. That's a pretty good legacy for a man whose head was in the clouds. He brought the clouds down to Earth.
Speaker 2
But it wasn't a dream. It was a place. And you, and you, and you, and you were there. Oh, that's good. But you couldn't have been, could you? We dream lots of silly things when we... No, Aunt Em. This was a real, truly live place. And I remember that some of it wasn't very nice, but most of it was beautiful.
Speaker 1
That's it for this week. Thank you for listening. Special thanks to Michael Patrick Hearn, Robert Baum, and Olga Zilberberg. My assistant producer is Stephanie Billman. We have a new show called Between Imaginary Worlds. It's a more casual chat show that is only available to listeners who pledge on Patreon. Last week, I talked with Caro Murphy. I've had Caro on the show before. Last time we talked, they had just started running the Galactic Star Cruiser Experience at Disney World, which was a combination of a Star Wars themed LARP and a hotel. Now that it's over, Caro can tell me what happened behind the scenes, like how the pandemic disrupted their supply chain. And
Speaker 4
if
Speaker 3
those shipping lanes are stopped, you don't have a lightsaber because you don't have the parts to be able to replace that lightsaber. So if your prop breaks, you are, you know, hot gluing it together in the back room and hoping and praying it stays together. Between
Speaker 1
Imaginary Worlds comes included with the ad-free version of the show that you can get on Patreon. You can also buy an ad-free subscription on Apple Podcasts. If you donate to the show on Patreon, at different levels, you get either free Imaginary World stickers, a mug, a t-shirt, and a link to a Dropbox account, which has the full-length interviews of every guest in every episode. You can subscribe to the show's newsletter at imaginaryworldspodcast.org. Looking for an ideal place to start or scale your business? Come to Dubai, the new global powerhouse for innovation and business growth. With the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 accelerating success, entrepreneurs have easy access to flexible regulations, cutting-edge infrastructure, tax benefits, and 100% foreign ownership. Be a part of the future. Join the leaders of tomorrow in Dubai, where your innovation meets opportunity. Visit www.dubaibeyondpossible to know more.

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