Article
'That Man Behind the Curtain': Atheism and Belief in The Wizard of Oz
Film-Philosophy
(2013)
Abstract
While The Wizard of Oz (1939) constructs an elaborate mythic world filled with witches, wizards, and magic, this essay argues that Victor Fleming's classic film also carries with it a message that is profoundly atheistic. The film persistently deconstructs ostensibly supernatural experiences by revealing their materialist underpinnings. Further, this essay interrogates Oz's epistemology by connecting it with Slavoj Žižek's concept of decaffeinated belief, as well as Daniel Dennett's notion of belief in belief.
Keywords
- The Wizard of Oz,
- Victor Fleming,
- atheism,
- materialism,
- belief,
- Daniel Dennett,
- Slavoj Žižek
Disciplines
Publication Date
2013
Publisher Statement
Copyright Justin Remes 2013
Citation Information
Justin Remes. "'That Man Behind the Curtain': Atheism and Belief in The Wizard of Oz" Film-Philosophy Vol. 17 Iss. 1 (2013) p. 84 - 95 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/justin-remes/1/
Creative Commons license
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC_BY-NC International License.