Thursday, May 22, 2008

Movie Moments VII: Haystacks don't get hungry.

This moment comes all the way from Kansas and a famous little song about rainbows and what might be over them, and if you’re thinking it’s from The Wizard of Oz, you’re right. Now, this isn’t about what might or might not be hanging in the forest. No, this is something that happens long before Dorothy crashes her house onto Oz. It begins right before she starts singing "Over the Rainbow," when Aunt Em gives her a piece of chicken. Now, for a while, Dorothy carries the chicken and signs the song. The moment happens when she leans against the haystack. After she steps away, the chicken has mysteriously disappeared. You might wonder where it’s gone, but if you watch closely, it really looks like she sticks it in the haystack before she steps away and continues singing as though nothing happened. I would have loved to be at that meeting during the filming of the movie, "What do I do with the chicken?" "Oh, just put it in the haystack. I’m sure no one will notice."
(Now, you may argue that it kind of looks like she might also toss it away as she’s walking from the stack, but after repeated viewings, I’m not seeing a little chicken wing flying from her hand, so I’m going to stick with saying that she put it in the haystack. But that’s merely my opinion, though I know of other people who agree with me.)

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