SXSW Review: The Slippers (Canada, 2016)

There’s no memorabilia like the ruby slippers. Ever since The Wizard of Oz came into the world in 1938, the iconic ruby slippers continue to draw us in to the point that the pair has its own history. The Slippers (directed by Morgan White) is a film documenting the ruby slippers throughout the years and how there are, surprisingly, an unknown number of other pairs which were made during the film’s production. That’s the mystery, making the slippers to remain in the spotlight.

The structure of the film is straightforward as it goes through a chronological order and there are significant figures closely associated with the slippers whose interviews guide you along. The amount of people bidding and hunting for the slippers, despite its staggering price, astounds me. Why would you pay so much for them? And you’re most likely not going to wear them. But that’s the power of memorabilia and the powerful need to touch and have something famous.

Image credit: EW
Image credit: EW

The Slippers has footages of behind-the-scenes of The Wizard of Oz and auctions that keep you engage as well as the background music which has a 1930s-40s feel, transporting you into the past. Not to mention the recurring close-up of the slippers that hypnotise you.

Yet despite these great features, the film does drag a bit. There were times when my attention almost turned off because of the interviews seemed to go on forever before giving an adrenaline dose of the mysterious whereabouts of the shoes and its clones.

There were details and some interviewers that the film could’ve do without as there’s already a lot of information to absorb and words from these irrelevant interviewers aren’t detailed enough to engage or give light on the mystery anyway.

Besides the downsides, The Slippers is an intriguing film and a must-see for those who are into history, film production and of course fans of Wizard of Oz.

Review score: FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

The Slippers screened at SXSW. To find our more about the film, and to see if there are any more SXSW screenings, head here.

———-

This content has recently been ported from its original home on The Iris and may have formatting errors – images may not be showing up, or duplicated, and galleries may not be working. We are slowly fixing these issue. If you spot any major malfunctions making it impossible to read the content, however, please let us know at editor AT theaureview.com.