what is it about children and insane asylums that warms my heart? Walter Murch is a marvelously reknown film technician, who has attached his name and considerable talents to films ranging from Apocalypse Now, The Unbearable Lightness of Being and The English Patient (let's throw in The Godfather: Part 3 in for good measure). as Director, his name can be applied to only one: Return to Oz (1985). this curiously strange, enchanting work is clearly a labor of love, and - to say the least - the most literal and authentic adaptation of the original Oz stories by Frank L. Baum to date. but beware: this is not the candy slice you were ever allowed to keep from your halloween beggings as a child. nonetheless it is a sweet and savory find indeed - though definitely of a distinctly dark confection. Pumpkin heads, knome kings, evil witches, homesick girls, friends made in far-off off land. enjoy this rich and rare ride, you will find few that compare to it. fyi: here's an excellent unabridged audio book of Baum's original tale available at Audible.com, if you're interested.