Author L. Frank Baum wrote 14 novels about the fantastic Land of Oz, which date back more than 100 years and have been adapted to film many times. Baum's 1900 novel “The Wizard of Oz” remains the best known, but many of Baum's other Oz tales have been adapted to film, with creators taking a variety of liberties in developing their Oz adventures.

One such is the hit Broadway musical and big-budget film “Wicked,” which opens this week. In “Wicked,” Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Ariana Grande as her friend and eventual rival, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, play sympathetically the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West.

If you plan to see “Wicked” this week, here are five films to check out to expand your Oz knowledge.

The 1939 musical adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz” is not only the most famous Oz movie, it is also one of the most famous movies of all time. Judy Garland plays Dorothy Gale, a young Kansas girl who is taken by Oz and must find the Wizard of Oz to get home. Along the way, she befriends the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Tin Man (Jack Haley), and the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) while being pursued by the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton).

The iconic songs are fun and catchy, the sets and costumes are phenomenally designed, and the vibrant colors are still stunning. The Wizard of Oz has permeated pop culture for decades, making it comfortably familiar to audiences who haven't seen it all the way through.

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Disney's 1985 quasi-sequel to The Wizard of Oz failed at the box office, but made an indelible impression on those who saw it, especially children who were terrified by the dark vision of director and co-writer Walter Murch. March, who later drew from two Oz books written by Baum, begins with Dorothy (Fairly the Bork in her first screen appearance) returning to Kansas and being committed to a mental hospital after she tells her family about her trip to Oz.

From there, things take a further twist, and Dorothy returns to a much-changed Oz, now a desolate wasteland. There is no singing, and the tone is often grim and nightmarish. Director March offers a visually stunning counterpart to the classic musical, and “Return to Oz” succeeds on its own terms as a fascinating achievement of hallucinatory fantasy.

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Director Sam Raimi brings his offbeat style to this 2013 prequel to the early days of The Wizard of Oz, starring James Franco. When the setting shifts from Kansas to Oz, he mimics the 1939 musical's switch from black and white to color.

Franco is a bit of a doofus as the future Wizard of Oz, but Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weisz balance him out as three witches with their own agendas who seek his help. Within the framework of a big blockbuster, Raimi maintains a vibrancy and individuality, putting his own stamp on a familiar subject.

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Sidney Lumet's 1978 adaptation of the popular Broadway musical was a bit of a mess, with Diana Ross playing a surprisingly acerbic and moody Dorothy. Diana Ross plays a surprisingly sullen and brooding Dorothy. Both the stage and the film move the story of “The Wizard of Oz” to Harlem, where Dorothy is a 20-something teacher.

Dorothy is still taken by Oz, where she meets three friends and must find the Wizard (Richard Pryor). Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow is especially charming, and most of the songs are memorable and fun. The sets, costumes, and artificial makeup are all excellent, and the film pops with the same vibrant colors as the 1939 version. It may be unwieldy, but it's always fun to watch.

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Baum himself co-founded the short-lived studio to adapt the Oz story. A maddening silent film that feels like a transference from another world, it is often baffling but consistently mesmerizing. Based on Baum's 1913 novel, the film stars Violet MacMillan as a young munchkin who must break free from the spell that has inadvertently turned her uncle to stone. [The title character, played by acrobat Pierre Kudeluk, is a creature alternately playful and frightening, brought to life by magician Dr. Pipto (Raymond Russell), who causes mayhem as often as she offers assistance. There are several ingenious examples of early special effects, as well as a horde of bizarre characters that rival later Oz films made with modern technology and resources.

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