Movies

The man behind the curtain won't be the only wizard when The Wizard of Oz plays the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center this weekend. Thanks to other behind-the-scenes wizardry, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will play live accompaniments to big-screen presentations of the restored 1939 film.

The original dialogue and singing voices have been preserved, but the film's orchestral accompaniments have been digitally filtered out. So you can hear Judy Garland sing "Over the Rainbow" to live orchestral accompaniment – and a lot of other orchestral music as well.

"I'd like to say there was a button you push," producer John Goberman says, "but it's a pretty painstaking archaeological effort.

"It's really looking at the sound wave on the monitor and deciding what goes, and what's not going to affect the voices. Sometimes you clip it by volume, sometimes by frequency, sometimes bit by bit."

The Wizard of Oz has tunes and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg. Herbert Stothart's orchestral underscoring, which runs almost throughout the film, won an Oscar.

"There's a lot of music that you don't realize is there," says Mr. Goberman, whose credits include producing Great Performances and Live From Lincoln Center telecasts. "The Wizard of Oz is virtually through-composed. The idea that you can hear the dialogue spoken with this underscoring makes the music an important part of the performance."

DSO pops conductor Richard Kaufman will use an analog clock and timings in the score to coordinate the orchestra's live performance with the film.

"He's a very knowledgeable film person," Mr. Goberman says. "He really knows his stuff."

Plan your life Today and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora. Sold out. 214-692-0203, www.dallassymphony.com.

Today at AFI

•Resolved –Documentary about high school debate featuring two students from Highland Park. 7:15 p.m., Magnolia

•California Dreamin' (Endless) – Drama about a NATO munitions train from the late Romanian filmmaker Cristian Nemescu. 7 p.m., NorthPark

•Sonic Youth: Sleeping Nights Awake – Seven high school students shot this doc about the indie-rock icons. 7:15 p.m., Angelika

The festival runs through Sunday. For a complete schedule and ticket information, go to afidallas.com or call 214-720-0555.