Wizard of Oz and The Matrix

I was watching the Wizard of Oz today with my girlfriend while listening to the Pink Floyd album, "Dark Side of the Moon" and something occured to me. No, not the similarties of Wizard of Oz and Dark Side of the Moon [that's another thread, though pretty well known], but that the Wizard of Oz is similar to the Matrix. Go with me on this one, if you will:

Both the inside of the Matrix and Oz are green.

Neo and Dorothy always had the power to change, they just had to believe what they were shown.

The Matrix and Oz were both created by old, white haired men.

Kansas and earth are dark, bleak and offer little hope.

Agent Smith and the Wicked Witch wear black and show up always unexpectedly. They are also both looking for away out.

Neo and Dorothy hate their life in the real world and are looking for something better.

What does anyone think, worth investigating for more similarities...?

Are you Drunk?

Both the inside of the Matrix and Oz are green.

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uhhhhh....neither one of them is alot of green! matrix has green codes, Oz just has a green city

Neo and Dorothy always hadthe power to change, they just had to believe what they were shown .

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this concept of being able to do things if you beleive in yourself is not exclusive to these 2....there are PLENTY!!!! ever see ESB?

The Matrix and Oz were both created by old, white haired men.

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*shakes head*

Kansas and earth are dark, bleak and offer little hope.

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okay, that's not enough to go on to say that they are SIMILAR....coincidence (cough)RIP-OFF(/cough)

Agent Smith and the Wicked Witch wear black and show up always unexpectedly. They are also both looking for away out.

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black? how many villians DON'T dress in black?
unexpectedly? how many villians show up expectedly?
way out? mabey, smith didn't want a way out in matrix 1, and in 2...he just wanted to get someone into sion to help the robots

Neo and Dorothy hate their life in the real world and are looking for something better.

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uhhhh, no....Neo hates his world in THE MATRIX, if anything...........you see how he acts around trinity? you call that hating the real world?

What does anyone think, worth investigating for more similarities...?

umm, no

00Kevin said:

Agent Smith and the Wicked Witch wear black and show up always unexpectedly. They are also both looking for away out.

Click to expand...

black? how many villians DON'T dress in black?
unexpectedly? how many villians show up expectedly?
way out? mabey, smith didn't want a way out in matrix 1, and in 2...he just wanted to get someone into sion to help the robots

Click to expand...

As I recall, Smith wanted to work on Earth instead of the Matrix in the first one. Wasn't there like a whole speech about that when he was going to like kill Morpheous? (love that guy's shades )

In regards to the last post, I can't trust my own computer, so why would I believe anything a computer program that manifests itself as a human have to say about being human?

In regards to this whole post, there is merit to the thought.

Both films are a fantasy in which nothing is what one expects. One delves into an alternate dream reality to find oneself, the other delves out of it inot a dreamlike reality where the protagonist has to find his self is the One. Okay, that's a bit convoluted.

But as a fantasy-adventure self-quest, it follows a dramatic pattern of story telling (quest assigned, refusal of the truth, having to come to terms with self, etc,)as well as both are philosophically challenging and ultimately rewarding films. Although moreso Oz than Matrix.

It's movie making.

This is an interesting comparison. I've heard of Matrix/Dark City similiarities and many others, but this is an first for Oz.

Oz himself and the Architect share common goals, I can definitely see that, and I can even see how the city in OZ itself is green and the Matrix code is green and hence a striking aqauintence.

I would like to throw my own movie I seen recently in light of the Matrix: Vanilla Sky. Its thought provoking, and, like the Matrix, has a similiar scenario.

Fight Club is also worth seeing if your interested in this sort of thing...

[Edited by swords on 06-24-2003 at 09:18 pm]

Definately interesting and the directors of the Matrix certainly borrowed/paid homage to lots of sources.

However there is a certain immediate themeatic similarity i dont think it should be taken too far simply because Oz is from another age of a completely different genre and style and the book was written over 100 years ago; while the Matrix is ultimately a suave action movie in which the directors have gone out of their way to be thoughtful.

I think if we look at something like Tron, an comparison seems more sound. The plot evolves around an software designer who just so happens, has to boot into the computer system and shut down an evil program. The hero is even seen in code too, Im thinking something was ripped.

But interesting nonetheless, I think I'll keep the Oz similiarities in mind.

I admit, at first I thought there were only simplistic strings holding this together.

On the same side of the spoon, though, I know that there are only 36 plots, and self actualization is one of them. I guess I wanted to see if there was some way to find a multitude of similarities in these two films.

What about the fact that the Oracle tells Neo not to worry about the vase, because she already know it will break and Professor Marvel telling Dorothy about her home because he stole her picture while she was looking for a prophesy?