The Wizard of Oz turns 80 and remains a cinema classic

It's noticeable that Oz is far from a perfectly made film. The special effects are, inevitably, dated: wires are visible, matte paintings are obvious.

Worse, the editing is often crude: cutting it down for length and to excise some of the Wicked Witch's scary bits was responsible for many continuity and story problems.

One of the best known is the Witch saying she's "sent a little insect to take the fight out of them": this reference to the deleted Jitterbug number is confusing.

There are occasions when it's obvious that something the Wicked Witch has said, or is about to say, that has been deleted. The positions of actors sometimes change between shots, objects disappear, Dorothy's hair keeps changing length.

If you're a nitpicker watching carefully, it's a bonanza.

And, of course, an important incident - Miss Gulch's pursuit of Toto - is not addressed in the final scene. There are a few possibilities to rationalise this - for example, Miss Gulch was killed in the tornado (as the Wicked Witch of the East was killed by the house); Professor Marvel is a replacement visitor for Miss Gulch; Dorothy will cope with the loss with the help of her family.

But it's certainly a curious omission, presumably overlooked during the film's protracted and difficult production, with its multiple writers and directors, arduous shooting process and serious cast injuries (Wicked Witch Margaret Hamilton and her stunt double were both badly burned; Buddy Ebsen as the Tin Man inhaled the aluminium dust used in his makeup and had to be put in an iron lung and his replacement, Jack Haley, developed an eye infection from the replacement, a paste).

One of the discarded scenes from the film was found many years later: an extended dance by the Scarecrow when Dorothy first meets him, presumably removed for pacing.

If only the rest of the deleted footage could be found: the historical value would be immense and would help plug a hole or two, like Hickory's Kansas scene with Dorothy that foreshadows his Oz persona as the Tin Man.

You could argue the core message of the film is simplistic ("There's no place like home" ) though it's not the only worthwhile lesson in the film (you don't need symbols to tell you what you're worth - believe in yourself) and there are plenty of other flaws and cuts.

Regardless of all this, The Wizard of Oz remains iconic.

It has a quality very few movies have: magic. Somehow, all its elements came together in a way that has made it more than the sum of its parts.

What might have been just another movie was transformed into a deeply embedded part of the culture, even the collective psyche.

The Wizard of Oz has retained its appeal for 80 years; it doesn't require a brain, a heart or courage to predict that it will last many more.