Original artwork, not a still
Are you a good witch or a bad witch?
— The Wizard of Oz ‧ 1939
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the film's first kindness and first joke: Oz assumes anyone whose house flattens a witch must be a witch herself, and Glinda just wants to know which kind. The question sets out the story's moral map, good and bad witches, and fans reach for it as a playful way to ask anyone whose intentions are unclear.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Wizard of OzShow the scene
Dorothy's farmhouse has been blown into Oz by a Kansas tornado and has come down in Munchkinland. A good witch named Glinda drifts down in a bubble, played by Billie Burke, and tells Dorothy that the house has landed on the Wicked Witch of the East. Glinda opens with this question, working out what kind of witch the stranger must be. Dorothy has no idea what she means. Glinda's next remark is that only bad witches are ugly. The scene comes early in the 1939 MGM film, before Dorothy sets off down the yellow brick road.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)Glinda sectionReference checked
- Wikipedia: The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)Plot section and infoboxReference checked
Context reviewed
