Customer Reviews

The Wizard of Oz

5 star:		(262)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

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 !

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.

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.

When there is a version such as the MGM DVD why would anyone buy the WB DVD. I have watched both and there is no comparison. The detail and color in the MGM DVD is absolutely gorgeous. I will be selling the WB version that I bought. The WB version lacks much of the detail that is in the MGM DVD and the background is blurry. The colors on the WB are ok but are not in the same league with the MGM DVD. The WB DVD looks like it was copied off a VHS tape. It would be nice if we could see the film (any film) before we buy it. It is possible that I have a defective DVD, but I am not going to buy another WB DVD to find out. I am more than content with the MGM DVD that I have. The movie gets a 5 and WB got my money.

If I were a collector of boxes and watches and booklets Oh My!I would be extremely happy with this release of The Wizard Of Oz but,as it is, all I wanted is a single Blu-ray disc with the best picture and audio quality possible. My 5 star rating is for the quality of the first disc.It looks and sounds great.The rest of the package is a total waste of money and space.I will not buy "Gone With The Wind" or any other Warner release if it has the same sort of packaging.

I've seen this movie every year since I was three. I finally bought the DVD and was very disappointed to find the whole part after the Wicked Witch melts isn't on this version!! No Ding Dong the Witch is Dead!

This film showcases the american studio system of the past at it's best. They had the greatest craftsman, musicians, actors, singers, designers, costumers etc etc etc all working together to create magic and in this case it was a complete success.

All the elements work to make this a joyous spectacle that never fails to touch your heart.

It still succeeds because it is not too sweet - who can forget Margaret Hamilton's scary Witch, the terrifying flying Monkeys or even the scary Wizard. (well scary until he is unmasked)

Another reason this film holds up so well are that the supporting cast (Jack Haley, Ray Bolger & Bert Lahr) were just incredibly talented comedians. They really shine even the 100th time through.

Need I say anything about Judy Garland in this film? Her performance is spot on terrific. She is the one who makes this whole fantasy believable without being sickeningly sweet. If there is any doubt she was a great actress just rewatch the scene of her crying in the witch's castle. Heartbreaking. (and her singing voice was just incredible but you know that)

This is my favorite film - the one film I would take with me to a dessert island.

The ranting I've given is for the DVD, not the film which is five stars and one of the greatest of all time. If you've owned the previous DVD release of this film, and also have the magnificent "Ultimate Oz" laser disc set, I can guarantee you, you will be in for a disappointment with this new DVD release from Warners. The incredible deep color of the film's look in the "Ultimate Oz" set is shockingly gone from this transfer. Now instead of looking magical, Oz looks just....well, normal. John Fricke's wonderful audio commentary has been eliminated too (probably because it is technically licensed by MGM/UA video, which no longer owns the rights to the film), and while the rest of the supplements are duplicated there is one incredible goof that I can't believe no one else has caught on to before. For the "Jitterbug" deleted scene supplement Warners has erroneously used the stills/home movie segment and set them not to the finished song track (as laser disc supplement does) but instead to the choreography rehearsal track where we hear the flat monotone of Donna Massin standing in for Judy Garland with the rest of the cast to a piano track instead of the orchestrated version. It makes for a very unpleasant looking juxtaposition and left me feeling that I hadn't gained a thing with the DVD release. I plan on sticking to the laser disc set myself. And for a better picture that shows the magic of Oz as it *should* be seen snatch a copy of the out of print MGM DVD while you still can!

I have been enchanted as I now watch the movie as an adult. It is not just a story about a girl from Kansas trying to get back home - actually, that was added into the movie: "There's no place like home" wasn't in the book even. I think it was a story of things that we want, and that we imagine these things may be granted by the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The scarecrow wants a brain, the tinman a heart, and the lion courage. On their journey off to see the wizard, they encounter the wicked witch of the west - who is determined to get the ruby slippers off of Dorothy's feet. Now, the thing I am puzzled by is at the beginning, Glinda is the one who reminds the wicked witch about the shoes. Then she is the one who places them on Dorothy's feet: "There they are and there they'll stay." Had she not had the shoes, her journey to the wizard would not have been so troublesome. Not to mention that the "good witch" sent Dorothy on a journey to a phony wizard. I wonder now if there was some kind of irony in that - since she was also the one who in the end tells Dorothy that all she has to do is click her heels together and say "there 's no place like home." While the movie is totally a classic I love and will watch over and over again, I am wondering about the book: Were the "ruby slippers" (which were silver in the novel) as magical - and - if there was no "no place like home" in the novel then I am wondering how Dorothy got back to Kansas. I think that because each time I watch this film I realize something new, it will always remain one of my favorite movies ever.

I'm giving the DVD release three stars simply because they refuse to put the film out with an aspect ratio that matches the original release. All the other bells and whistles are great, but this omission is glaring in the studio's consistent refusal to take advantage of the technology that is out there. There is absolutely no reason to release this movie without the widescreen, and less reason to buy it, all the pretty packaging notwithstanding.