Wicked
Warning: this article contains spoilers forWickedIn a year filled with big film successes,Wickedhas come out as one of the biggest films of the year even in its initial stages of release.
The film is based on the 2003Broadway musical, also calledWicked, itself based on the classicWizard of Ozbooks and films, telling the origin of Elphaba, who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and her previous relationship with Glinda the Good Witch, though at the time of the film, she was only known as Galinda, whose transformation is just as important to the film as Elphaba’s.
Wicked’s record-breaking box officesuccess has been a result of many different aspects of the film, but one of the biggest reasons are the characters and the way the movie portrays them, specifically Glinda and Elphaba.Their fraught relationship is the cornerstone of the entire film, and the wayWicked’s star-studded castportrays them is central to the film’s success, especially when it comes to Galinda, as it shows exactly how she develops into the good witch that we know inThe Wizard of Oz.
Glinda Dancing With Elphaba Shows Her Good Side
Her First Truly Good Action In The Film
One of the most important moments inWickedis when Elphaba and Galindaattend a dance at school together, and up until this point, they had been very antagonistic towards each other, mostly showing disdain for the other.
Elphaba shows up in her classic Wicked Witch hat, given to her as a practical joke by Galinda herself, causing her to be mocked and ridiculed by the people in attendance.
However, instead of joining in with the laughter and leaving Elphaba to dance alone,Galinda has a change of heart and joins her on the dance floor.
She had a few “good” actions before this, but they were all self-serving in one way or another, while this moment is borne entirely out of Galinda’s empathy.
The scene is great in the movie in and of itself, but it is also the first time in the film that Galinda does something simply because it is truly a good thing to do, with no ulterior motive.She had a few “good” actions before this, but they were all self-serving in one way or another, while this moment is borne entirely out of Galinda’s empathy.
Obviously, the movie documents her transition fromGalinda into Glinda the Good Witch, andthis moment stands out as the first time she begins to truly earn her title.
Image via Universal Pictures
Glinda’s Compassion Allows For Her & Elphaba’s Friendship To Truly Begin
The Moment Signifies The Start Of Their Friendship
InWicked, Glinda and Elphaba start out as essentially enemies, forced to share a room together but constantly butting heads and being pitted against each other, either willingly or not.
However, their relationship develops throughout the film into a deep bond, and this scene is where that friendship begins.
If this moment had never occurred, the two characters might have grown more tolerant of each other to some degree, but it was specificallythe huge and public display of compassion that gave them something to both latch on to at the start of the friendship.
The Wicked movie brought all the songs from the Broadway musical’s first act to the screen, and though each is great, they weren’t created equal.
While the moment was brought on by Galinda, as she gave Elphaba the hat in the first place and told her to wear it as a practical joke, that aspect becomes a part of cementing their friendship as well, even outside the dance sequence.
The classic witch hat is an iconic part ofThe Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witchensemble, and it becomes an important aspect of Elphaba’s wardrobe by the time the film ends.Elphaba’s hat ends up becoming a physical symbol of their friendship, one that persists even when the characters are forced to become enemies once again.
Image via Universal Pictures
Glinda The Good’s Title Is More Heartbreaking After This Moment
She Is Good Because Of Her Actions, Not Her Title
Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship strengthens greatly throughout the film, which, despite being tested, turns into a near-unbreakable bond, but it eventually all comes crashing down during theending ofWicked.
Elphaba is forced to flee, branded as a traitor, and the Wicked Witch.Glinda is given the title of Glinda the Good, an obvious attempt to portray her to the public as the opposite of Elphaba, someone good to counteract the apparent evil that has arisen with the Wicked Witch.
The Wizard of OzProject
Glinda the Good Actor
The Wizard of Oz
Billie Burke
Wicked(Original Broadway Musical)
Kristin Chenoweth
Oz the Great and Powerful
Michelle Williams
Wicked(Film)
Ariana Grande
As the moment at the dance is when Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship starts, it becomes a much sadder scene with the knowledge of what is to come later.
Glinda is shown to truly have become a good person over the course of the film, and finally being given the title of “good,” but only in the name of disparaging and turning people against her best friend, is the tragic irony ofWicked.
As this moment is the one that solidifies her good nature, it is also the first indication of the heartbreak that awaits at the end of the film.
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Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz.
As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
