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Product Description
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When it was released during Hollywood's golden year of 1939, The Wizard of Oz didn't start out as the perennial classic it has since become. The film did respectable business, but it wasn't until its debut on television that this family favorite saw its popularity soar. And while Oz's TV broadcasts are now controlled by media mogul Ted Turner (who owns the rights), the advent of home video has made this lively musical a mainstay in the staple diet of great American films. Young Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), her dog, Toto, and her three companions on the yellow brick road to Oz--the Tin Man (Jack Haley), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), and the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger)--have become pop-culture icons and central figures in the legacy of fantasy for children. As the Wicked Witch who covets Dorothy's enchanted ruby slippers, Margaret Hamilton has had the singular honor of scaring the wits out of children for more than six decades. The film's still as fresh, frightening, and funny as it was when first released. It may take some liberal detours from the original story by L. Frank Baum, but it's loyal to the Baum legacy while charting its own course as a spectacular film. Shot in glorious Technicolor, befitting its dynamic production design (Munchkinland alone is a psychedelic explosion of color and decor), The Wizard of Oz may not appeal to every taste as the years go by, but it's required viewing for kids of all ages. --Jeff Shannon
Additional Features
The 2009 Wizard of Oz Two-Disc Special Edition DVD has the sharp 2005 restoration using Warner's Ultra Resolution process and an accompanying featurette on how it's done. The technicians also discuss how the sound was remixed, though that would have been more effective had it included surround-sound demonstrations (the featurette is in 2.0). Other features include a commentary track by critic John Fricke supplemented by vintage cast interviews (he offers a lot of trivia, and debunks the myth that Shirley Temple was ever close to getting the Dorothy role); profiles of nine cast members and clips of other movies they appeared in (including Toto); a lightly animated 10-minute storybook narrated by Angela Lansbury; and the original mono track and a music-and-effects track. New for 2009 is a sing-along track that you can turn on as you watch the movie or you can select from 10 numbers to sing along with karaoke-style subtitles. The second disc has the Lansbury-hosted documentary The Making of a Movie Classic; outtakes and deleted scenes, including Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow" reprise and the home-movie recording of "The Jitterbug"; sketches and stills and composer Harold Arlen's home movies; audio underscores and radio programs; 1979 interviews with Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, and Jack Haley; 2001 and 2005 behind-the-scenes featurettes; a 1950 Lux Radio Theater broadcast; and other items too numerous to mention. --David Horiuchi
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE SUCCESS OF OZ,
By Sera Elisabeth (East Providence, RI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Wizard of Oz (DVD)
102 years ago, The Wizard of Oz was first part of American Literature, written by the talented Lyman Frank Baum. Nearly 40 years later this timely fairytale was altered onto the big screen under Metro Goldwyn Meyer for a 1939 release, Starring Judy Garland as Dorothy who skips down the yellow road paved of brick that will lead Dorothy to her destiny, Frank Morgan, the founding father of the Screen Actor's Guild,as Oz, Ray Bolger the Scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, and Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion.The Wizard of Oz, by 1939's standard was first considered a B rated success, mostly because of Gone With The Wind's strong push of Hollywood style. Nevertheless, In 1956, along came television with the very FIRST movie picked up for a national televised premiere was ultimately, The Wizard of Oz. Little by little, year by year, this became a story not only for the small child but, the child in all of us; as the beginning of the 1939 movie does quote. Generations after the 1956 premiere, fell in love with its ingenuity. Now in the year of 2002 The Wizard of OZ has become the most watched and beloved film ever made. You know, it's amazing how you can a watch a bad movie, and one tine is enough ! But, in the case of the Wizard of Oz, One hundred times may NOT be enough !
5.0 out of 5 stars
Toto, I Have A Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore?,
By
This review is from: The Wizard of Oz (DVD)
No matter how many times you've seen this film, once you pop it into your DVD player, you're transformed into a little kid again traveling down the yellow brick road to Oz with Dorothy, Toto, The Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow. Even though you know the songs and the dialogue by heart (well I do since I played the Tin Woodman in a college production), it really doesn't matter. You'll still have a ball. On DVD, the "Oz" story shimmers with vivid rainbow colors and sepia tones that have been remastered from the original print in the MGM vault. Despite it's 62-year-old age, the film looks like it was shot only yesterday. Garland is great as Dorothy. "Over the Rainbow" is a classic. Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch is exactly right. The munchkins are still over the top. And that tornado that carries Dorothy from her Kansas farm over the rainbow still looks pretty good given the technology that existed in 1939. Those in Kansas may think otherwise (they've seen the real thing). But for those of us who haven't, why be critical.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
great blu-ray package,
By
This review is from: The Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
I'm unsure about the product description here, so will try to offer more. I bought a limited (numbered) collector's edition box set package which in addition to the 3 discs includes: a lovely watch, replicas of the publicity campaign book and production report, as well as a 52pg. hardcover commemorative book. I love the movie and now own it in several formats, but this blu-ray version shows the film in it's original aspect ratio (which means black bars along the sides of widescreen tvs). Though it's gorgeous, I found myself temporarily distracted from time to time due to grainy close-up images (oh well). On the discs, my favourite bonus feature is the 3rd double-sided disc which includes the entire MGM: When the Lion Roars documentary (6hrs). Also new to this set are a documentary on Victor Fleming and a made-for-tv bio on Frank Baum (starring John Ritter). There is alot to this package and it's definitely worth the price to me, but then again, I'm just a huge fan of the film.
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