Anybody seen The Dark Side of Oz?

LilCerberus · June 22, 2006, 01:18:41 AM

For a while now, I've been meaning to check out the Saturday night Midnight Movies at a local theater. http://www.byrdtheatre.com

This is the first time I've been able to find their full schedule.
The problem is, as a budding young connoisseur of the bad, the cheesey & the unwatchable, the only one I haven't already seen is The Dark Side of Oz.

I couldn't find it on the IMDB, so I Googled it, and from what I gather, it sounds like some sort of party game where somebody plays the Wizard of Oz movie while playing Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon in the background.

I think another name for this is Dark Side of the Rainbow.

Anybody ever been to one of these, or think it's worth checking out?

Jim H · June 22, 2006, 02:33:13 AM

Here:

http://members.cox.net/stegokitty/dsotr_pages/dsotr.htm

LH-C · June 22, 2006, 10:50:39 AM

I've heard of it by 'Dark Side Of The Rainbow'. I haven't seen it, but have been wanting to since I was in HS. I've also wondered if there is a way to watch this set up at home.

Just Plain Horse · June 22, 2006, 12:49:07 PM

The whole concept is you basically choose an alternate soundtrack for your favorite movie. People usually choose something from Pink Floyd because their songs are long and relaxing. You turn down the volume, start the movie the same time you start the soundtrack- having two arms makes this a little easier- and sit back with your favorite mind altering substance and watch the pretty pictures go by... wow, man.

LilCerberus · July 02, 2006, 02:05:20 AM

Women... They can never have enough shoes.

It's a good thing I decided to take my medication before leaving... Good thing I brought that xtra pack of snuff too. I would've been in fidget city.

Somehow, I can't help thinking I would've gone with Neil Young, but I guess "Evertbody knows this is Oz" wouldn't have had the same ring to it.

zombie-jeff · July 10, 2006, 12:46:26 PM

Not seen it, but apparently the film and movie have concurrent themes that are synchronous if you play them at the same time. You have to start the album (CD of course) on the 3rd lion's roar on the MGM logo, and then pay attention to the lyrics and what's going on in the movie, and it's quite spooky, allegedly...

Scottie · July 10, 2006, 03:03:03 PM

I did it my freshman year of college because I had been hearing a lot of other people do it and talk about it. It was, at best coincidental, and even then, only at times. I've had stronger feelings of connection between a cat crossing my path the morning after I ate some suspicious Chinese food than this combination.

In my opinion, the people who rationalize the album to coincide with Wizard of Oz are way too spaced out. Their connections are abstract and very very hard to catch unless you, like them, have been watching it over and over again. It's not like the song is singing "and in this scene, Dorothy witnesses Auntie Em blah blah blah." It's a click in the song and Dorothy looks up that those people say "OH! In this scene Dorothy is responding to it!" I bet there are people out there who even think Pink Floyd is the reason the Wizard of Oz is the way it is and that Pink Floyd just waited until 1973 to make the album just to trick people.

LilCerberus · July 11, 2006, 12:30:04 AM

(Pardon my rambling.)

Some folks hate MST3K because it's "just about three guys talking over the movie" when they'ed rather just see the movie. Other folks prefer MST3K because it serves as a running commentary on a film that would otherwise be unwatchable.

I'm the kinda fellow who likes to compare both versions of the same thing.

Of course, for years, I've heard the rumors about The Dark Side of the Moon being in sync with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, & whether or not Pink Floyd did this intentionally.

After seeing it, I think I can safely say that it's just a fluke, and really only works during the black & white scenes in Kansas, but it's still cool.

With as few spoilers as possible, it seems to me that the first time they play Money is when the synchronicity starts to unravel. (Setting aside, Money is the one Pink Floyd song I can't stand.) Also, the first time the album starts over (it plays three times), I felt this sense of dread, and some people started leaving the theatre, but things started to pick up again after they got to the Emerald City, and although it didn't really sync up after that, it remained interesting, even after another playing of Money & another restarting of the album.

Albeit, as I mentioned before, taking my psych meds before seeing the movie, & having that extra pack of snuff in my pocket helped.

Deffinately make for a cool curio.

Mofo Rising · July 11, 2006, 01:14:13 AM

Yeah, it's pretty much a willingness to be able to make connections where there is none. As long as the movie and album have compatible themes you should be set, but even that's not required.

For a goof one day, I watched ALADDIN while listening to Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced?" There were certainly gems of "synchronicity". For instance, the first refrain of "'Scuse me while I kiss the sky" was accompanied by the opening cityscape of Agrabah. Later the words "drops from my fingers" from "Manic Depression" plays when Jafar drops the amulet in the desert. Still, for the most part it didn't work. I eventually got bored and did something else.

Interesting side note, Philip Glass actually did create an opera to go along with Jean Cocteau's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The opera singers would sing whenever one of the character would open their mouths. I watched it for a while, and then I got bored and did something else.

dean · July 11, 2006, 04:45:46 AM

My Criterion Collection copy of Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast has the operatic version on it. I'm sure it's interesting if you like that music, but so far I've been unable to sit through it.

odinn7 · July 11, 2006, 07:31:48 AM

Years ago at a party, a number of us decided to play Johnny Got His Gun with the soundtrack from Slayer- Seasons in the Abyss. Many of you probably know that scenes from this film were used in the Metallica video 'One' so using any Metallica soundtrack was out of the question for us. Anyway, there were parts that were really amazing in how they seemed to match up. Do I think Slayer made this album to match the movie? Nope. We tried it again a different time with White Zombie- Astro Creep 2000...surprise, surprise...this also matched up quite well.

Overall, I think it's all coincidence but it does add something new to a movie that you've seen many times. I'm currently looking for something to play as a soundtrack for Road Warrior...perhaps my daughters Laurie Berkner CD? Or would Laurie Berkner go better with Kill Bill or even Dead Alive?

RCMerchant · July 11, 2006, 11:34:12 AM

When I was a teenager,the first time I smoked pot, I was watching a Porky Pig cartoon and listening to Black Sabbath, and LO!, it was in synch!

The Burgomaster · July 11, 2006, 01:32:27 PM

I have synched THE WIZARD OF OZ with Pink Floyd's DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, and you would be amazed at how certain lyrics and instrumentals match up with what is happening on the screen. I can't remember the exact synchronization, but I believe that if you start the CD exactly at the point where the MGM lion roars for the 3rd time, the music and the movie will be in synch. The best part is when Dorothy opens the door and the movie changes from black & white to color. The accompanying music matches up nicely.

LilCerberus · July 14, 2006, 11:29:54 PM

I just got finished watching Nosferatu: The First Vampier (Thanks Andrew!), & it was a real trip!
The Type O Negative soundtrack against this silent classic really blew my mind.

The score behind the closing credits sequence in Manos: The Hands of Fate really caught me off guard & had me laughing.

It makes me wonder how Mad Max would sound if I cot out the audio & replaced it with Everybody Knows This is Nowhere by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, or if I tried to line up A Tree Grows in Brooklyn with Paranoid by Black Sabbath.

I should probably start a different thread for this, but after years of searching, I finally found the Dudes Soundtrack. I can't help wondering what I could do with this one.

What are some of y'alls favorite soundtracks?

kriegerg69 · July 17, 2006, 11:42:45 PM

Never saw this (although I've heard about it), but I've read that awhile back when TCM showed WIZARD OF OZ, on the SAP/second audio program, they were broadcasting the Pink Floyd album for the sound. Never checked it out the last time TCM showed the movie, so I don't know if they still broadcast it that way.