''Apocalypse Oz'' is a 2006 short film. It is based on the novels '' Heart of Darkness'' (1899) by Joseph Conrad and ''

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz afte ...

'' (1900) by

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

. The script is a hybrid of the two classic films ''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph ...

'' (1979) and '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939), and uses only dialogue from these films.

Plot

Dorothy Willard, an Amerasian product of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, is tired of living with her abusive foster parents in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

. Dorothy decides that "there's no horror like home" and accepts a dream mission that takes her deep into the desert to hunt down and "terminate with extreme prejudice" an insane, renegade US Army colonel - codenamed 'The Wizard'.

Cast

* M. C. Gainey as Kurtz, "The Wizard" * Alexandra Gizela as Dorothy Willard * Billy Briggs as Hunk, a stoner hitchhiker and version of The Scarecrow *

Brian Poth Brian Poth (born June 9, 1975) is an American actor. He got his start as a dancer on the show ''Kids Incorporated'' having to commute to Los Angeles every week. After his contract was up, he moved to LA to get a screen writing and film productio ...

as Doorman * Kevin Glikman as Kilgore, a cop and a version of the Wicked Witch * Tammy Garrett as Giang * Amy Lyndon as Em * Don Paul as Henry

Reception

The film received positive reviews. Film Threat's review said “Apocalypse Oz” had the ability to ruin it from the very beginning but Telford's direction, convincing performances and an original concept make this worth watching." Quiet Earth described it as a "kinetic punk-rock gem of a film... something entirely new

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

attempts to explore new ways of telling stories."

External links

*
Film Threat Review

Quiet Earth Review
2006 films 2006 short films 2000s adventure drama films Films based on The Wizard of Oz Films based on multiple works American coming-of-age films American short films American independent films Apocalypse Now The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) American black-and-white films Films based on works by Joseph Conrad 2006 drama films 2000s American films {{short-drama-film-stub