The Wizard of Oz at BFI Southbank

This outing of the famous Oz story is just about recognisable as an adaptation of L Frank Baum’s book. It was essentially a vehicle for the comedian Larry Semon and rewrote the book’s plot, but it did include many of the favourite Oz characters, such as Dorothy, the Scarecrow (which Semon played himself) and the Tin Woodman (played by a young Oliver Hardy). The film is structured like a pantomime, playing with several levels of story within story, bookended with a toymaker reading 'The Wizard of Oz' to his granddaughter.