Wizard of Oz Blu-ray box set on Sept. 29

[George Kincaid]

http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-W ... Disc.shtml

The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition on Blu-ray: Review By Chris Chiarella

The Movie

Wow, it really is as good as I remember.

Like most people my age, I grew up with annual airings of The Wizard of Oz, and like most of my blue-collar pals, the family box was black-and-white, and so I simply did not know about the movie's transition to color ("What's that?") at Reel Two until years later. No matter, director Victor Fleming (for the most part), working from an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's wildly popular first book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, crafted a musical adventure sufficiently titillating for the kids yet smart and funny enough for their parents. Every frame, every note resonates with the innocence of youth and the longing of the heart, and the results are irresistible.

After all this time, we might take for granted the exceptional performance of young Judy Garland as displaced farm girl Dorothy, or the three friends she meets on her magical journey home: a brainless Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a heartless Tin Man (Jack Haley) and a spineless Lion (Bert Lahr). But try to watch The Wizard of Oz with new eyes, and with modern sensibilities, and you'll see that even with seven decades of experience to guide them, no one in Hollywood is making family films as broadly appealing and impossibly enduring as this.

The Picture

For entry into the high-definition domain, The Wizard of Oz has been remastered from the original three-strip Technicolor camera negatives (one each for Cyan, Yellow and Magenta), each scanned at 8K resolution, to produce a 4K 4:3 master with twice the resolution of the 2005 "Ultra-Resolution" DVD. It shows: I was struck by the richness of the blacks, the warmth of the sepia tones before we arrive in the candy-colored utopia of Oz, where familiar shades of yellow, emerald and ruby have never looked quite so vibrant before.

At this level of precision, tiny imperfections of focus are captured, and as happens to older movies in the modern age, the secrets of the special effects are exposed, sometimes miniatures but more obviously the matte paintings. The small checks of Dorothy's famous blue gingham dress are a challenge, but they just pass the HD test without significant breakdown. Backgrounds do show the faintest twitch and, I suppose there's no way around this with a 70-year-old movie, textures are acceptable but not quite as exceptional as I'd hoped for. But there's nothing here to take away from the unbridled joy onscreen.


Sound

The clarity and fidelity of the soundtrack, delivered in high-resolution Dolby TrueHD 5.1, is breathtaking. There's a newfound fullness yet a definite restraint, a deliberate avoidance of gaudy rechanneling for its own sake. This mix establishes a credible presence around the extended soundfield, displaying a particularly welcome depth to the orchestra. The chirping of a bluebird during "Over the Rainbow" is unmistakable, and we're even given a healthy bass thump as Dorothy's house touches down. It's not "spectacular," but the quality is so high, you'd think it was recorded yesterday.

The Extras

Much of the bonus material here is ported over from the 2005 DVD, which in turn was borrowed from previous discs. Where appropriate, it has been converted to a high-definition format, but I must stress that it doesn't all look like true HD. But with 70 years to prepare, Warner has given us quite the smorgasbord to pick at. The audio commentary is chaired by historian John Fricke and hosted by the late director Sydney Pollack, with archival cast/crew and family member interviews. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic" (51 minutes) is Jack Haley, Jr.'s definitive documentary on the subject, while the trifecta of "The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz" (30 minutes), "Because of the Wonderful Things It Does: The Legacy of Oz" (25 minutes) and "Memories of Oz" (27-and-a-half minutes) provide further context, with recollections from insiders and admirers.

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook" (ten-and-a-half minutes) is a simplified version of the tale, read by Angela Lansbury, who narrates much of the material in this set, with illustrations and rudimentary animation. "Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz" (eleven-and-a-half minutes) details the efforts taken to rejuvenate the film for that 2005 DVD. "We Haven't Really Met Properly" profiles members of the supporting cast, eight in all, plus Toto (21 minutes)." Oz behind-the-scenes footage was fortuitously included in the curious short subject of the era, "Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power" (ten-and-a-half minutes) as well as "Texas Contest Winners" (one-and-a-half minutes) a promotional short which yielded a great "candid" moment during a studio tour with Buddy Ebsen, the original actor portraying the Tin Man. In the two-minute "Cavalcade of the Academy Awards Excerpt," Judy Garland's statue is presented by pal and frequent co-star Mickey Rooney. And the "Off to See the Wizard Excerpts" collect four minutes of rare Chuck Jones cartoons as shown during ABC TV family film broadcasts.

Composer "Harold Arlen's Home Movies" from the set run about five minutes, fourteen minutes of outtakes and deleted scenes are reconstructed, and the curtain blows back for "'It's a Twister! It's a Twister!' The Tornado Tests" (eight minutes). More vintage rarities include the original music-and-effects track, created so that foreign-language dialogue can be dropped in overseas, the movie's original mono soundtrack, radio programs plus a promotional spot, as well as a "Jukebox" feature loaded with 18 obscure original cuts, rehearsals, aborted takes, etc., in mono. Back in the present day, the Sing-Along Audio Feature serves up karaoke-style on-screen lyrics, but no microphone. Pity.

Moving on to Disc Two, "Victor Fleming, Master Craftsman" (34 minutes) is a fascinating biography of the underappreciated director extraordinaire, also credited with helming the massive Gone with the Wind... the same year as Wizard. "L.Frank Baum: The Man Behind the Curtain" (28 minutes) is another bio, this time about the original Oz author, his challenges and inspirations. And in "Hollywood Celebrates Its Biggest Little Stars" (ten minutes), The Munchkins finally receive their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, complete with individual interviews with the surviving actors.

The Dreamer of Oz is the 93-minute 1990 telefilm starring John Ritter as L. Frank Baum, which then segues to several silent film adaptations of his work, some written, produced or directed by Baum himself. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910, 13 minutes), His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz (1914, 59 minutes), The Magic Cloak of Oz (1914, 43 minutes), The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914, 51) and the feature-length The Wizard of Oz (1925, 72 minutes) are all accompanied by a stereo musical score. The Wizard of Oz (1933) is an eight-minute Technicolor cartoon in a four-corner windowboxed "postage stamp" presentation. Watching them all, we can see the different influences that helped to shape the most famous version of this story.

The Dreamer of Oz, "Victor Fleming, Master Craftsman," "Hollywood Celebrates Its Biggest Little Stars," The Magic Cloak of Oz, The Patchwork Girl of Oz and the Sing-Along Track are all making their first home video appearance in the Ultimate Collector's Edition. Also exclusive to this numbered boxed set are a host of premium chatchkes: a Wizard of Oz wristwatch in a matching tin; Behind the Curtain, a hardbound book of photos, memos and script pages, some never before seen; and reproductions of archival materials, namely a master copy of the film's budget and the legendary "Campaign Book." Only on Blu-ray is a high-def remastered version of the extended "If I Only Had a Brain" performance by Ray Bolger, and only in the Blu-ray set (not in the DVD edition) is the six-hour-and-six-minute When the Lion Roars documentary hosted by Patrick Stewart, all about the rise and fall of MGM. It's presented on Disc Three, a two-sided standard-def DVD.

Disc Four is a Digital Copy of The Wizard of Oz for iTunes and Windows Media, so we never have to be far from Dot and her posse. Disc One is also BD-Live-enabled.

Final Thoughts

Certain movies never go out of style, charming when we were kids and a treasure we want to share with our own children and beyond, generations later. I could try and explain why The Wizard of Oz is a near-perfect film, but better that you watch it--ideally on Blu-ray--to reacquaint yourself.

Product Details

Actors: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin, Pat Walshe, Clara Blandick, The Singer Midgets a.k.a. The Munchkins, Terry (the dog)
Director: Victor Fleming
Audio Format/Languages: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 1.0 (French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German, Italian, Italian SDH, Spanish, Castilian Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 4
Rating: G
Studio: Warner
Release Date: September 29, 2009
Run Time: 102 minutes
List Price: $84.99
Extras:
Audio commentary by John Fricke, Sydney Pollack, Barbara Freed-Saltzman, Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, John Lahr, Jane Lahr, Hamilton Meserve, Dona Massin, William Tuttle, Buddy Ebsen, Mervyn Leroy and Jerry Maren
"Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman"
"L.Frank Baum: The Man Behind the Curtain"
"Hollywood Celebrates Its Biggest Little Stars!"
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic"
"The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz"
"Because of the Wonderful Things It Does: The Legacy of Oz"
"Memories of Oz"
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook"
"Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz"
"We Haven't Really Met Properly"
"Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power"
"Cavalcade of the Academy Awards Excerpt"
"Texas Contest Winners"
"Off to See the Wizard Excerpts"
"Harold Arlen's Home Movies"
"'It's a Twister! It's a Twister!' The Tornado Tests"
Jukebox
Radio Programs and Promo
Outtakes and Deleted Scenes
Isolated Music and Effects Track
Sing-Along Feature
Still galleries
The Dreamer of Oz TV movie
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910)13 HD silent movie
His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz (1914) silent movie
The Magic Cloak of Oz (1914) silent movie
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914) silent movie
The Wizard of Oz (1925) silent movie
The Wizard of Oz (1933) cartoon short
Digital Copy
BD-Live
Where to Buy:

The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition on Blu-ray (Amazon.com)

[LouieD]

This makes how many releases of this film?

[Christopher Jacobs]

Now are the silent Oz films and shorts also in HD, or are they presented on a standard DVD, or are they in standard definition but on a BluRay disc to squeeze more features onto one disc?

In any case, I expect I'll be buying the BluRay set soon, pending sales and discounts. The more classics on BluRay that sell copies, the more likely that more will be released.

--Christopher Jacobs
http://hpr1.com/film
http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs

[silentfilm]

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ne ... 9267.story

The world of 'Wizard of Oz'
The 1939 MGM classic with Judy Garland has a rich back story and a new digital restoration.

Judy Garland (with her character's dog, Toto) in a film whose new restoration arrives on DVD on Tuesday. (Turner Entertainment / Warner Bros. Entertainment)

September 23, 2009

Numerous myths and legends have sprouted over the last seven decades regarding MGM's production No. 1060 -- better known as the beloved musical fantasy "The Wizard of Oz" -- like the tall tale that the studio wanted to cast Shirley Temple, not Judy Garland, as Dorothy.

"That's one of those legends that have gotten so blown up," says "Oz" historian John Fricke ("The Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated Companion to a Timeless Movie Classic"). "The Temple thing . . . never entered the 'maybe' stage.' "

"The Wizard of Oz," based on the L. Frank Baum children's classic, is celebrating its 70th birthday. Warner Bros. has done a beautiful new digital restoration that will be screened tonight in theaters around the country. On Tuesday, Warner Home Video is releasing a lavish collector's edition of this restoration in DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def.

"The magic doesn't dissipate," says Fricke. "I have been asked about how many times I have seen the movie, and it must be over 125 times. But I know 4-year-olds who have seen it more because they have seen it every day."

Dorothy, the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Tin Man (Jack Haley), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), the Wizard (Frank Morgan) and Toto (Terry), says Fricke, "get to be your friends. . . . You want to go down the yellow brick road with Judy and those buddies of hers because they would take care of you."



The two things that made "The Wizard of Oz" a reality were the success in December 1937 of Walt Disney's first feature-length animated film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," which proved audiences were clamoring for musical fantasies, and Garland's hitting it big that year with her valentine to Clark Gable, the tune "Dear Mr. Gable."

"Arthur Freed wanted to graduate from lyricist to producer and wanted to find a vehicle for Judy," says Fricke. "Mervyn LeRoy is the producer of credit on 'Wizard' . . . but the more one looks at any of the production paperwork that survives, so much of the film in terms of creative was Arthur Freed."

Even before MGM head Louis B. Mayer brought LeRoy over from Warner Bros. to replace the late producer Irving Thalberg, Freed had sought suggestions for casting, composers and other creative talent. Practically every actor he recommended is in the film. Bolger was originally cast as the Tin Man; Buddy Ebsen was the Scarecrow. Those roles were eventually switched, but Ebsen dropped out because he was allergic to the Tin Man's makeup.

Freed pushed for composers Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, who were the perfect choice, creating such standards as "If I Only Had a Brain" and Oscar winner "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

At first glance, Victor Fleming may have seemed an odd choice to direct a musical because of his reputation as a burly man's man. He directed such movies as "Red Dust" and "Captains Courageous." "Victor Fleming was not against the idea of doing 'Oz' because at that point he had become a father for a second time and he wanted to do 'Oz' in honor of his kids," says Fricke.



"Wizard," which was running behind in pre-production, had been a revolving door for directors. "Norman Taurog did some tests and then was taken off the picture. Richard Thorpe was on it for two weeks and was released," says Fricke. "George Cukor came in and changed the makeup and costumes for Judy, the Wicked Witch and Scarecrow."

Fleming was on the film for about four months, shooting all of the Technicolor sequences before he went off to direct "Gone With the Wind."

"King Vidor came in and shot on it for three weeks," says Fricke. "He shot virtually all of the Kansas scenes, and he did some Technicolor retakes."

When the film opened in August 1939, it was uniformly praised, save for the New Republic, the New Yorker and McCall's. "MGM trade-screened the movie on Aug. 9 in Los Angeles and New York, and the Hollywood Citizen News reported that critics were still crying when the lights went up," says Fricke.

susan.king(at)latimes.com.


Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

[silentfilm]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/60442247.html

'The Wizard of Oz' still resonates

By Deborah Martin - Express-News "The Wizard of Oz" looks pretty good for 70.

The film's pretty spry, too, still popping up all over pop culture. "Wizard" references — not to mention any number of adaptations and spin-offs — can be found in films, on television, on stage and in music.

Part of that can be traced back to annual viewings. In the days before VCRs and cable TV, the film was shown only once a year, frequently during the holidays, making it an event.

"The sheer repetition has ingrained it into our collective subconscious," said Heather Pinson, who teaches about art and music at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania.

The music, she said, is also a big part of the film's continuing appeal: At the time, she said, "Everybody was buying the sheet music, and that's one reason why 'Over the Rainbow' was such an instant success; everybody could buy the sheet music and start to sing it. Even when I was growing up, that was what almost every little girl sang at auditions."

The story also translates around the globe: Howard Kurtz, associate professor of design at George Mason University, which has a lot of foreign students, said, "Many will raise their hands and say, 'I just came to this country a year ago; I don't know American culture,' but they know 'The Wizard of Oz.' Which amazes me."

The film will be beamed in high-def this evening to movie theaters across the country; the screening will be hosted by TCM host Robert Osborne. In San Antonio, it's showing at 7 p.m. at McCreless Market, Cielo Vista 18 and the Fiesta 16. More info can be found at www.ncm.com/Fathom.

In honor of the anniversary, here are 70 bits of trivia.

BOOKS

L. Frank Baum's novel, originally titled "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," was published in 1900. (It lost the "Wonderful" in later editions.)

It was the first in a series of books Baum set in Oz, including "The Land of Oz" and "Ozma in Oz."

After Baum's death in 1919, Ruth Plumly Johnson took over the franchise, writing more than a dozen Oz books.

The adaptations continue: Sherwood Smith was commissioned by the L. Frank Baum Family Trust to add to the Oz cannon; "Emerald Wand of Oz" was published in 2005.

A '90s comic book series had a group swept into Oz in a tornado. The tales are being collected in a series of graphic novels — the first, "Dark Oz: Of Courage and Witchcraft, was published last summer.

Novelist Gregory Maguire gave the Wicked Witch's side of the story in his 1995 novel, "Wicked." It was also turned into a mega-hit musical.

Maguire gave the Witch something Baum never did: A name. It's Elphaba, a tip of the hat to her original creator.

Maguire continued the tale with "Son of a Witch," the story of Elphaba's son, and "A Lion Among Men," which tells the tale from the perspective of the Cowardly Lion.

THE MOVIE

M-G-M studio chief Louis B. Mayer didn't want Judy Garland to play Dorothy, but couldn't work a deal to get his original choice, Shirley Temple.

Gale Sondergaard was offered the role of the Wicked Witch of the West, but passed because she didn't want to play an ugly character.

Four directors worked on it, though Victor Fleming did most of the work and is the only one credited. He left near the end to take over "Gone with the Wind" (for which he won an Oscar); King Vidor wrapped things up, finishing up the Kansas scenes.

The original director, Roger Thorpe, gave Dorothy a more glam look, including a curly blonde wig.

The studio tried to talk George Cukor into taking over after Thorpe left; he wasn't able to step in, but did take a look at what Thorpe had done and gave Dorothy a simpler look.

Among the scenes cut from the film: The "Jitterbug" dance number, restored years later; and a second, gut-rending "Over the Rainbow," sung by a sobbing Dorothy while imprisoned by the Witch.

A total of 124 little people were cast as Munchkins.

It's been a tough year for the aging Munchkins: Clarence Swensen died in February and Mickey Carroll died in May.

Rumors that a dead body can be seen hanging from a tree during one scene have been disproved repeatedly — it's an optical illusion — but still pop up.

That's not to say the set wasn't dangerous: Buddy Ebsen, the original Tin Man, had to leave when the aluminum-based makeup proved toxic; and Margaret Hamilton was seriously burned while filming the Witch's exit from Munchkinland.

In addition, Terry, the Cairn terrier who played Toto, suffered a broken foot when someone stepped on her. Another dog filled in while she recovered.

The Witch's death scene was named the 13th best movie death of all time in a 2004 poll by Total Film magazine.

Costing nearly $3 million, it was one of the most expensive films M-G-M had ever made at the time.

Judy Garland did win an Oscar for the film, but it was a Juvenile Award for "Oz" and her other work that year. It was the only Oscar she ever received.

Several artifacts from the film are in the collection of the Smithsonian, including a pair of ruby slippers and the Scarecrow costume.

QUOTES

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." — Dorothy

"I'll get you, my pretty! And your little dog, too!" — the Wicked Witch of the West to Dorothy.

"Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?" Glinda to Dorothy

"You have no power here! Be gone before somebody drops a house on you!" — Glinda to the Witch.

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain." — The Wizard, revealed to be a fraud.

"Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!" — Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion

"Let the joyous news be spread! The Wicked Old Witch at last is dead!" — Mayor of Munchkin City

"A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others." — The Wizard

"I'm melting!" — The Witch

"There's no place like home." — Dorothy

SOUNDTRACK

Harold Arlen and E. Y. "Yip" Harburg were paid a flat fee of $25,000 to write the film's songs, including "Over the Rainbow."

"Over the Rainbow" won an Oscar for best original song.

A Glenn Miller recording of the song was a hit before the movie was released.

"Over the Rainbow" would become Judy Garland's first hit and signature song.

The song tops the "Songs of the Century" list released by the Recording Industry of American and the National Endowment for the Arts in 2001.

It has been covered by dozens of singers, including Tony Bennett, Placido Domingo, Willie Nelson, Jewel and the Sun Ra Arkkestra.

And then there's this: The film's producers didn't want "Over the Rainbow" in the movie.

An official original soundtrack recording wasn't available until 1995, 56 years after the movie's release, according to an Entertainment Weekly story. That was when Ted Turner opened the MGM vaults to Rhino Records.

The Demensions, a doo-wop group, hit No. 16 on the pop charts with "Over the Rainbow" in 1960.

For reasons only he knows, Prince stuck the castle guards' chant into his song "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night."

Also from the "who knows why" file: Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" syncs up with many scenes in the film.

Aside from "Over the Rainbow," "Oz" songs don't get covered much, but here are a couple to check out: "Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead," Harry Connick Jr.; and "If I Only Had a Brain," the Flaming Lips.

ALTERNATE VERSIONS

Baum himself first adapted his story for the stage in 1902.

Several silent films were made based on the book, including a 1925 version featuring Oliver Hardy (before he hooked up with Stan Laurel) as the Tin Man.

The silver screen adaptations keep comin': Director John Boorman is preparing to shoot a big-budget animated version, currently scheduled to hit theaters in 2011.

And Baz Luhrmann is reportedly at work on a big-screen adaptation of "Wicked," the musical.

The story frequently pops up on TV, too. Ashanti played Dorothy in the 2005 small-screen flick "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz."

A futuristic version of the story, "Tin Man," unfolded in a 2007 mini-series on SciFi.

A touring production, drawing heavily from the film and including songs from it, is currently on a national tour.

POP CULTURE

Elton John's 1973 release "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" needs no further explanation.

Neither does America's "Tin Man" ("Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man/ That he didn't, didn't already have.")

Or R&B star Jazmine Sullivan's "Lions, Tigers and Bears," on her "Fearless" disc.

Then there's Ghostface Killah's forthcoming disc, "Ghostdini, The Wizard of Poetry," which features the Yellow Brick Road and the shimmering Oz skyline on the cover.

Legend (and the band's official Web site) has it that the band Toto took its name from Dorothy's scrappy little dog.

"The Wiz," an urban version of the tale, opened on Broadway in 1974, and won several Tonys, including Best Musical.

The 1978 film version of "The Wiz" — starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow — was nominated for four Oscars, but didn't win any.

The 1981 film "Under the Rainbow" deals, in part, with the supposedly wild exploits of the actors who played Munchkins during the shooting of the film.

HBO's gritty series "Oz" was set in an experimental prison unit dubbed "The Emerald City."

The music that plays under the chase through the Warner Bros. lot in "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" is similar to that played under the chase scenes in "Wizard."

"Lost" is swimming in all kinds of references, so it was no surprise when a man calling himself Henry Gale (later revealed to be the villainous Benjamin Linus) dropped in on the castaways in a hot air balloon.

In 1970's "Brewster McCloud," Margaret Hamilton plays an ill-tempered woman who is struck by a large birdhouse; at the time, she's wearing ruby slippers.

The original BBC version of "Life on Mars," in which a man lost in time is desperate to get home, includes lots of references to the Wizard and the Yellow Brick Road.

"Inglourious Basterds" includes scenes in which a gigantic head looms on a movie screen, referencing the Great and Powerful Oz.

David Lynch includes lots of "Oz" in "Wild at Heart," including Sheryl Lee in Glinda garb.

The "Scrubs" episode "My Way Home" has all kinds of "Wizard" references, right down to the Toto music that J.D.'s listening to in the opening scene and Janitor painting his sneakers red.

The time-traveling "X-Files" episode "Triangle," too, is stuffed with references, including a singer named Alma Gulch and a final scene that has Mulder awakening to find himself surrounded by people he encountered while either unconscious or back in 1939.

The "Simpsons" episode "Bart Gets Hit By a Car" also references that moment, with a hospitalized Bart awakening to find himself surrounded by loved ones. . . and attorney Lionel Hutz.

Arts writers Jim Kiest and Stefanie Arias contributed to this report.

dlmartin(at)express-news.net

[silentfilm]

Here's a review with screen shots. The image looks spectacular...

http://www.highdefdiscnews.com/?p=26649

[rollot24]

Funny thing about that review, the last time it had a theatrical release, what five years ago, you could see Judy's freckles/zits and the burlap make up on the scarecrow was quite noticable. It was almost too good a restoration, I really didn't want to see the creases in the Munchkinland cyclorama.

[Jack Theakston]

And therein lies the dilemma-- do you remove things like wires and seams and such that weren't originally visible? My understanding is that WB did remove some wires for this release with the justification that it was not evident in the original prints, and that it distracted from the story in the restored version.

[George Kincaid]

[This reviewer discusses the technical aspects of the DVDs]

http://www.soundtrack.net/movies/databa ... age=review

Movie Review: The Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary Blu-ray)
by Dan Goldwasser
on September 25th, 2009

To call The Wizard of Oz a "timeless classic" is a bit of an understatement. Based on the L. Frank Baum novel, this musical has entertained millions of people, both young and old, for 70 years. We all know the story: young Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) is swept by a tornado to the magical land of Oz with her dog Toto, where her house accidentally lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her. While proclaimed a hero by the Munchkins, she immediately gets on the bad side of the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) when the Good Witch of the North, Glinda (Billie Burke) gives her the coveted ruby slippers. Dorothy is advised to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, where the Wizard could help get her back to Kansas. Along the way she meets up with the brainless Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), heartless Tin Man (Jack Haley) and Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), who join her on her journey, since they all want something from the Wizard too. Along the way, the Wicked Witch of the West throws all manners of obstacles in their path, trying to get the ruby slippers back.

A classic MGM musical, The Wizard of Oz uses songs to progress the storyline, and features the now immortal Oscar-winning song, "Over the Rainbow", among many others. In 1980, The Wizard of Oz became the first VHS release from MGM/CBS Home Video, and over the next 30 years, received numerous re-issues on various home video formats. In 1991, a laserdisc box set called Ultimate Oz was released, with numerous extras, most which were carried over to the 1999 DVD release. Then in 2005, a new restoration effort was made on the film, and released as a special edition DVD set with additional extras.

Now, in time for the 70th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, Warner Brothers has done an extensive new restoration effort on the film, starting with a jaw-dropping 8K transfer of the original camera negatives. From that, cleanup was done, and a 4K master was made for meticulous color correction. The new Blu-ray (and DVD) release uses this new transfer, and it's truly a phenomenal result. Let's be fair - this film is 70 years old, and so it will never look like it was shot last year. The film grain is present, but never overwhelming. The clarity and sharpness of the image is what blows it all away. The sepia-toned Kansas sequences feel natural and crisp, and when the color appears in the film it is vibrant and deeply saturated. You can see the freckles on Judy Garland's face; you can see the mole and hair on the Wicked Witch's chin; you can see all sorts of details that you probably never saw before. The optical effects are a little dirtier than the rest of the film, but all in all, this is a spectacular transfer and restoration. I can't wait to see what Warner Home Video did with Victor Fleming's other 1939 classic, Gone With the Wind, which went through the same new 8k Technicolor restoration efforts and comes out in November.

In 2005, a new 5.1 surround sound mix was created from the original audio elements. We're presented now with a Dolby TrueHD encode of that surround mix, allowing for the best possible quality of the audio presentation. A Dolby Digital track of the original mono audio is included for purists, as well as mono tracks in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. The 5.1 track is not going to blow you away, and it's primarily front-heavy, but it sounds quite good, with limited but effective use of the surrounds and subwoofer during some of the more engaging sequences. And if that were all that was included on the Blu-ray, that would have been enough - but we've barely scratched the surface.

For the special features, we start with the previously released material. A feature-length audio commentary track, carried over from the Ultimate Oz laserdisc (and 2005 DVD) hosted by Oz historian John Fricke, this commentary features archival audio from twelve people, including some of the actors and crew members, and it's a great track to listen to - chock full of information.

The 1990 Angela Lansbury-hosted documentary "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic" (SD, 51-minutes) looks at the production of the film, as well as the lasting effects it had. It's a bit dated, but full of some great stories and behind-the-scenes information. "The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz" (SD, 30-minutes) is a featurette from the 2005 DVD release, hosted by the late Sydney Pollack, talks with current filmmakers and actors about the legacy of the film and the effect it has had on filmmaking even today. "Because of the Wonderful Things It Does: The Legacy of Oz" (SD, 25-min) continues this theme, with a look at the way the film has created a huge fan base and merchandizing bonanza. "Memories of Oz" (SD, 28-minutes) is a 2001 featurette that talks with a few of the (at the time) surviving cast and crew members, reminiscing about their experiences on the film.

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook" (SD, 11-minutes) is an abridged "motion comic" version of L. Frank Baum's original story, narrated by Angela Lansbury. "Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz" (SD, 11-minutes) is the 2005 featurette about the restoration efforts taken at that time for the new 4k transfer and 5.1 sound mix. Oddly, the discussion of the video restoration is completely irrelevant, since this new Blu-ray is sporting a 2009 8K source transfer, nothing of which is mentioned on the box set!! However, the audio restoration segment is still applicable, and quite interesting to see how they managed to make a new 5.1 mix from 1939 mono elements. "We Haven't Really Met Properly" (SD, 21-min) provides nine mini biography bits, narrated by Angela Lansbury, for the main cast of the film.

Audio supplements include the aforementioned mono audio track, as well as a music-and-effects track (just the film, without dialogue). The extensive 80-minute "Audio Jukebox" is included from the Ultimate Oz laserdisc, which includes raw audio outtakes of the songs and score - it's a fascinating archive! Also included is "Leo is On the Air Radio Promo" (12-min), which is an extended radio advertisement for the film; the entire "Good News of 1939 Radio Show" (61-min), where the cast of the film was interviewed; and impressively, the full December 25, 1950 "Lux Radio Theater Broadcast" (61-min) in a radio version of The Wizard of Oz, featuring Judy Garland. Additionally, a "Sing Along with the Movie" option lets you have karaoke-styled subtitles pop up with the songs, but it doesn't remove the vocals for a true karaoke experience.

Continuing the slew of extras on the first disc, "Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power" (SD, 11-minutes) is an archival short that looks at how electricity helps Hollywood make films. "Cavalcade of the Academy Awards Excerpt" (SD, 2-minutes) is a quick look at the 1940 Oscars, where The Wizard of Oz won a few trophies. "Texas Contest Winners" (SD, 1.5-minutes) is a quick look at a bunch of Texans who won a visit to MGM in 1938 and encountered Oz in production. "Off to See the Wizard" (SD, 4-min) is a look at the 1967 ABC cartoon segments created for an hour of family films.

A collection of 18 still galleries are included, all in SD, covering all manner of the production, and six trailers (SD, 10.5-minutes) are also included, rounding out the promotional materials. In the "Additional Footage" section, we're treated to composer Harold Arlen's Home Videos" (SD, 4.5-minutes) of behind-the-scenes material, which gives us a glimpse of what it must have been like making the film. "Outtakes and Deleted Scenes" (SD, 14-min) includes extended material cut from the film, including some of the infamous "Jitterbug" sequence. Finally, for this disc, "It's a Twister! It's a Twister! The Tornado Tests" (SD, 8-minutes) includes the raw footage shot for the groundbreaking visual effects sequence in the film.

The second disc stars out with three newly created extras for this release. "Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman" (SD, 34-minutes) which is a rather interesting and well presented look at director Victor Fleming's life and career. "L. Frank Baum: The Man Behind the Curtain" (SD, 28-minutes) is a similarly engaging look at Baum's life and legacy. "Hollywood Celebrates its Biggest Little Stars!" (SD 16x9, 10.5-min) is the only widescreen extra included, and is a tribute to the last surviving Munchkin cast members.

Included for the first time ever is the rather cheesy 1990 television film The Dreamer of Oz (SD, 92-minutes). Starring John Ritter, Annette O'Toole and Rue McClanahan, this L. Frank Baum bio-pic is a little messy, and has horrible video quality, but sports a great Lee Holdridge score. Next up we have an astounding collection of historical silent films: 1910's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (SD, 13-min); 1914's His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz (SD, 59-minutes) and The Magic Cloak of Oz (SD, 43-min) - which were both produced and written by Baum himself; 1914's The Patchwork Girl of Oz (SD, 51-min) based on the Baum novel, and finally, 1925's The Wizard of Oz (SD, 71-min), a proper silent film version of the original novel. Also included is the 1933 Technicolor animated short The Wizard of Oz (SD, 8-minutes), created by Ted Eshbaugh.

Finally - as if there hadn't been enough material to keep you busy already - the massive 1992 documentary MGM: When the Lion Roars (SD, 360-minutes) is included on a double-sided DVD. Narrated by Patrick Stewart, this is an extensive and fascinating look at the rise - and fall - of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It's a great extra, worthy of its own release!

But while that might be all for the video extras (a fourth disc including a Bonus Digital Copy is included as well), the 70th Anniversary Box Set is a limited edition that comes with a few physical extras. A replica of the complete campaign book used to help theater owners "exploit" the film as best they could. A re-print of the budget sheet, as well as a 50-page full color hardcover book looking behind-the-scenes of The Wizard of Oz are also included. Finally, a very nice collectible 70th Anniversary watch is provided.

While it's a bit of a shame - although understandable - that they didn't go back and do HD transfers of the film-based extras, Warner Home Video has done a spectacular job at presenting The Wizard of Oz in the best form available. It looks and sounds great, and they've assembled nearly all of the extras that had been released on the previous Oz DVDs - as well as a few new goodies - into one Blu-ray package. (All that we're missing, I believe, is the commentary track by film historian Ron Haver, and the excerpts from the 1903 stage production which were included on the 1989 Criterion Collection laserdisc release.) For those who are a little reluctant to spring for the collectors box (limited to 243,000 copies), hopefully they will release a movie-only version of the film on Blu-ray; it's certainly worth seeing and a must-have for all families.

[silentfilm]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/movie ... .html?_r=1

Back to Yellow Brick Road and That Long Dusty Trail

By DAVE KEHR
Published: September 25, 2009
THE WIZARD OF OZ

Warner Home Video continues to polish the crown jewels in the studio’s library with “The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition.” It is the third release of this beloved family classic on DVD since 1999 and the first on Blu-ray. According to Warner, the film has been completely remastered from the original Technicolor camera negatives, yielding a DVD transfer with twice the resolution of the already excellent 2005 version. With its bright, tight colors and pristine surface — there doesn’t seem to be a single dust speck on the image or a pop on the soundtrack — this “Wizard of Oz” is a magnificent demonstration of digital technology used to preserve and perpetuate a crucial artifact of the analog past.

A box-office disappointment on its first theatrical release in August 1939, “The Wizard of Oz” assumed its place in American culture (and our collective subconscious) primarily through the annual holiday television broadcasts that began in 1956. The aura of specialness that attended those broadcasts — here was a spectacle that could only be glimpsed once a year — can never be recaptured in our age of media ubiquity and on-demand access, which makes it doubtful that the film will seem as personally meaningful to future generations as it does to the baby boomers who grew up with it.

For those who did, “The Wizard of Oz” remains among the most Proustian of movies, triggering waves of involuntary memories with each viewing. If there ever was a film that truly lies beyond criticism, “The Wizard of Oz” may well be it: for every viewer it is a different experience, layered with emotions and associations built up over the years.

And yet the dispassionate spectator can admire the film’s many accomplished formal elements, beginning with the screenplay derived from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel and written by a team that included Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf and at least a dozen other uncredited contributors. The symmetrical structure, in which the Technicolor Oz is bookended by sepia sequences set in parched, dustbowl Kansas, imbues the material with themes of memory and imagination, while the three-pronged quest — for heart, brain, and courage — generates plot structure, character definition and musical cues with uncommon clarity and elegance.

If there is a tiny flaw in this latest version, it lies in the treatment of the Kansas scenes, which have been given a golden, nostalgic glow that doesn’t jibe (at least in my subjective “Oz”) with the stark, Depression-era imagery of the Gale farm. These sequences, perhaps the most visually expressive in the film, were directed without credit by the Texas-born King Vidor, who had a particular flair for rural subjects (“Hallelujah!,” “Our Daily Bread”), and help anchor the timeless fantasy of Oz in a precise moment in American history.

The new Warner edition contains a staggering amount of supplementary material, much of it — including audio for some deleted scenes and the home movies taken on the set by the composer Harold Arlen — carried over from the 2005 release. New to this iteration are a documentary on Victor Fleming, the film’s credited director; a “sing-along” subtitle stream; a 52-page book assembled by the Oz authority John Fricke; reproductions of the original press book and budget sheets; and full-length versions of two silent features, “The Magic Cloak of Oz” and “The Patchwork Girl of Oz,” produced in 1914 by Baum himself. There’s also an emerald green wristwatch, presumably for Oz fans with appointments to keep back in the real world. (Warner Home Video, Blu-ray $84.99, standard definition $69.92, two-disc barebones edition $24.98, G.)