The problem with the Las Vegas Sphere's new take on ‘The Wizard of Oz'
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
The 17,600-seat, 366-foot-tall, 516-foot-wide Sphere is the largest spherical structure on Earth and features an Exosphere with a 580,000-square-foot display, the largest LED screen in the world.Advertisement
So, why is all hell breaking loose in online cinephile circles? Because, as the CBS This Morning feature reported, 'The Wizard of Oz' is being modified by AI to create images and performances that were not present in the original film. Characters who were not originally in the frame now appear onscreen, as does scenery that was originally offscreen. All of this is generated by AI.
'Our standard on this was not to modify the film at all,' says Dolan in the CBS interview, 'but to try and bring you into the film, as if you were in the studio when it was shot.' Then, CBS showed a scene where AI created onscreen actions that one of the actors, who was offscreen in the original film, did not perform.
Advertisement
Sounds like a modification!
This alteration brings to mind that commercial where
Actress Margaret Hamilton is shown in character as the infamous Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz."
AP
Adding to the online fury, the CBS reporting cited here was done by Ben Mankiewicz, the primetime host and the face of Turner Classic Movies. In the interview, Mankiewicz seemed unfazed by a billionaire sanctioning the artistic butchery that changed director Victor Fleming's original vision. For fans of the network, this is akin to the world's most famous vegan interviewing Colonel Sanders and raving about his chicken.
The entire interview clearly hit a nerve, especially for folks who remembered how TCM's founder, Ted Turner, originally had
This is what Mankiewicz tweeted:
'[T]he concerns over AI are real. But it is here. We must accept that. But this is not what our concern should be. The actors are gone. All they're doing now is extending performances to fit a large screen – completing work Fleming and LeRoy would have if it had been possible.'
Advertisement
Frank Morgan, Jack Haley, Ray Bolger, Judy Garland and Bert Lahr in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz."
Warner Home Vide
How do we know what Fleming or LeRoy (who also directed some scenes) would have done? We can't ask them. And no, we don't have to accept AI chicanery, no matter how hard tech bros and websites are trying to cram that technology down our throats.
These assumptions are infuriating. Remember that the excuse for colorizing movies was a billionaire's assumption that contemporary audiences would only watch black and white films if they were in color. This reasoning failed to take into account that Technicolor existed when those films were made, and also ignored that shooting in black-and-white was a stylistic choice that required different lighting and color schemes.
Keep in mind that this alteration of 'The Wizard of Oz' is different from George Lucas updating the special effects in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, or Steven Spielberg replacing guns with walkie-talkies in a re-release of 'E.T.'. For better or worse, those instances were a case of the director modifying his own vision. We can argue that these alterations are also wrong, but at least we know the filmmaker's intent wasn't violated.
Regardless of the quality of a film, each shot, scene, and camera movement represents what the filmmaker wanted to convey to the consumer. Without that knowledge, adding or removing something from the frame, or changing angles or aspect ratios, may very likely alter or distort that intention.
For example, when Orson Welles's 'The Other Side of the Wind' was finished by others in 2018, 48 years after Welles shot the footage, the editing job didn't always feel Wellesian. Everyone involved did their best to mimic the director, but the 'happy accidents' Welles always said influenced his decisions will never be known.
Advertisement
Margaret Hamilton as The Wicked Witch, arms extended towards Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz."
Turner Entertainment
That violation of a filmmaker's original intent is the major issue those cinephiles arguing with Mankiewicz have with the Sphere version of 'The Wizard of Oz.' (Which will cost you between $150 and $350 to see, by the way.) The idea forces the question: 'what next?'
Will some billionaire bankroll an immersive 'Gone With the Wind' where Prissy is seen learning something about birthing babies, and audiences can feel the heat of Atlanta burning? A reimagining of the lost footage of 'The Magnificent Ambersons' featuring AI-generated performances? A version of 'Titanic' where the door is big enough for Rose and Jack?
'The Wizard of Oz' is only the beginning. And to think, this nightmare started with Fred Astaire being forced to dance with a vacuum cleaner.
Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
27 minutes ago
- New York Post
Flaco Jimenez, Texas accordionist who expanded popularity of Tejano music, dies at 86
Flaco Jimenez, the legendary accordionist from San Antonio who won multiple Grammys and helped expand the popularity of conjunto, Tejano, and Tex-Mex music, died Thursday. He was 86. Jimenez's death was announced Thursday evening by his family on social media. He was surrounded by family members when he died in the San Antonio home of his son Arturo Jimenez. 6 Flaco Jimenez, the legendary accordionist from San Antonio who won multiple Grammys and helped expand the popularity of conjunto, Tejano, and Tex-Mex music, died Thursday. AP 'Dad was in peace when he left. He started saying his goodbyes several days before. He said he was proud of himself for what he had done, and he just leaves memories for the public to enjoy. He said he was ready to go,' Arturo Jimenez told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Friday. Arturo Jimenez said a cause of death has not yet been determined. His father had been hospitalized in January after getting a blood clot in his leg. Doctors then discovered he had some vascular issues. Born Leonardo Jimenez in 1939, he was known to his fans by his nickname of Flaco, which means skinny in Spanish. He was the son of conjunto pioneer Santiago Jimenez. Conjunto is a musical genre that originated in South Texas and blends different genres and cultural influences. According to the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, the development of conjunto 'began more than a century ago when Texans of Mexican heritage (Tejanos) took an interest in the accordion music of German, Polish, and Czech immigrants. 6 Flaco Jimenez accepts the Lifetime Achievement for Instrumentalist Award during the Americana Music Honors and Awards show Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. AP The ensuing Tejano accordion music, accompanied by the bajo sexto (replacing the European tuba), soon came to represent the Tejano way of life, which was closely associated with working in the agricultural fields. The music remains unchanged and serves as a symbol that binds many Tejano communities in South and Central Texas.' Jimenez refined his conjunto musical skills by playing in San Antonio saloons and dance halls. He began performing in the 1960s with fellow San Antonio native Douglas Sahm, the founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet. Jimenez would later play with Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Ry Cooder, and the Rolling Stones. Throughout his career, Jimenez added other influences to conjunto music, including country, rock, and jazz. 6 Jimenez (pictured) was surrounded by family members when he died in the San Antonio home of his son Arturo Jimenez. / MEGA 'He always wanted to try to incorporate the accordion into all sorts of different genres and how to make the accordion blend in. That was always a fascination of his, and he was able to,' Arturo Jimenez said. In the 1990s, Jimenez was part of the Tejano supergroup the Texas Tornados, which included Sahm, Augie Meyers, and Freddy Fender. The group won a Grammy in 1991 for the song 'Soy de San Luis.' Jimenez also won another Grammy in 1999 as part of another supergroup, Los Super Seven. 6 Throughout his career, Jimenez added other influences to conjunto music, including country, rock, and jazz. AP Jimenez earned five Grammys and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He was also inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and the NYC International Latin Music Hall of Fame and was named a Texas State Musician in 2014. Arturo Jimenez said his father was a humble man who never wanted to be a showman and was focused on playing music for his fans. 6 Jimenez earned five Grammys and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. AP 'I've seen where fans come up to him and they literally cry and they thank my dad for all the good music and how dad's music has been there for them in multiple situations, either happiness or sadness,' Arturo Jimenez said. When Jimenez was named a 2022 National Medal of Arts recipient, the White House said he was being honored for 'harnessing heritage to enrich American music' and that by 'blending Norteño, Tex Mex, and Tejano music with the Blues, Rock n' Roll, and Pop Music, he sings the soul of America's Southwest.' 'We appreciate the gift of your musical talent, which brought joy to countless fans. Your passing leaves a void in our hearts,' the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum said in a post on social media. 6 Jimenez was also inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and the NYC International Latin Music Hall of Fame and was named a Texas State Musician in 2014. / MEGA Kyle Young, the CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, said Jimenez 'was a paragon of Tejano conjunto music' who 'drew millions of listeners into a rich musical world they might not have discovered on their own.' Jimenez lived all his life in San Antonio, a city that was 'very close to his heart,' his son said. 'They call him 'el hijo de San Antonio' and my dad always was proud of that,' Arturo Jimenez said, quoting a Spanish phrase that means the son of San Antonio. His family plans to have a private funeral service followed by a celebration of his life with the public.
Associated Press
28 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Photos from Kyrgyzstan show traditional hunters with eagles at the Salbuurun festival
ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — Hundreds gathered Saturday on the southern shore of Kyrgyzstan's Lake Issyk-Kul for the annual Salbuurun Festival. Held in the village of Bokonbaevo, the festival showcased nomadic traditions including archery, horseback acrobatics and traditional wrestling. As well as more athletic pursuits, visitors watched performances of throat singing, epic poetry and lute music, along with demonstrations of falconry and exhibitions of sculptures and handmade crafts. The festival takes its name from a traditional kind of hunting, involving eagles, archery and taigan dogs. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
San Fransisco street named for Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia during celebration of legendary band
A few hundred people gathered Friday to name a tiny San Francisco street after legendary Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia on what would have been his 83rd birthday and as part of a citywide celebration to mark the band's 60th anniversary. Harrington Street, which is one block long, will also be called 'Jerry Garcia Street.' He died in 1995, but the band's popularity has only grown as younger generations discover the Dead's improvisational music, which blended rock, blues, folk, and other styles. Garcia spent part of his childhood in a modest home in the city's diverse Excelsior neighborhood. 5 Harrington Street, which is one block long, will also be called 'Jerry Garcia Street.' AP He lived with his grandparents after the death of his father, Jose Ramon 'Joe' Garcia. 'I hope that you all get a chance to enjoy the music, dance, hug, smile,' said daughter Trixie Garcia, growing emotional during her brief remarks. 'Cherish what's valuable, what's significant in life.' Tens of thousands of fans are in San Francisco to commemorate the Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary with concerts and other activities throughout the city. The latest iteration of the band, Dead & Company, with original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, will play Golden Gate Park's Polo Field for three days starting Friday. An estimated 60,000 attendees are expected each day. Formed in 1965, the Grateful Dead often played for free in their early years while living in a cheap Victorian home in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. The band later became a significant part of 1967's Summer of Love, and the Grateful Dead has become synonymous with San Francisco and its bohemian counterculture. 5 A few hundred people gathered Friday to name a tiny San Francisco street after legendary Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia on what would have been his 83rd birthday. AP 5 Garcia died in 1995, but the band's popularity has only grown as younger generations discover the Dead's improvisational music, which blended rock, blues, folk, and other styles. AP On Friday, fans in rainbow tie-dye and Grateful Dead T-shirts whooped and cheered as the sign was unveiled. Nonfans with shopping bags and some using walking canes maneuvered around the crowd on what was for them just another foggy day in the working-class neighborhood. Afterward, devotees peeled off to pose for photos in front of Garcia's childhood home. 5 Formed in 1965, the Grateful Dead often played for free in their early years while living in a cheap Victorian home in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. AP 5 On Friday, fans in rainbow tie-dye and Grateful Dead T-shirts whooped and cheered as the sign was unveiled. AP Jared Yankee, 23, got the crowd to join him in singing 'Happy Birthday.' Yankee said he flew in from Rhode Island for the shows. He got into music about a decade ago. 'It's a human thing,' he said of his impromptu singing. 'I figure everyone knows the words to 'Happy Birthday.''
