For those Wizard of Oz fanatics out there, it’s time to toss that old 1999 disc and replace it with the new 2 or 3 disc collector’s edition released by Warner Brothers. And for those of you who only think of The Wizard of Oz as an excuse to get high and sync up Dark Side of the Moon, now is the time to get reacquainted with one of the most beloved and cherished films of all time. The 1939 film, its characters, and its dialogue have been burned into American pop culture for over 60 years and now we have the definitive version of it. This review will cover the 2 disc edition of Oz.
For those of you, and you should be ashamed of yourself, that are unfamiliar with the story, Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto run away from her farm in Kansas so that Toto can escape the clutches of the vile Miss Gulch (Margaret Hamilton.) After a fit of guilt, they return home just as a twister hits. They are transported to the magical world of Oz where they meet a scarecrow who longs for a brain (Ray Bolger), a tin man who longs for a heart (Jack Haley), and a lion who longs for courage (Bert Lahr.) They all join Dorothy, who longs to return home, in her journey to the Emerald City so that they may find the wizard of oz who can grant them their respective wishes and desires.
The first disc contains a gorgeous, digital transfer of the film as well as a commentary, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook, Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz, We Haven’t Really Met Properly: Supporting Profile Gallery, and an original mono track as well as an isolated music and effects track.
The film, which was originally conceived as a children’s book by L.Frank Baum, has never looked better and the color contrasts between the black and white, warm, brown, washed out sepia tone of Kansas and the beautiful, Technicolor land of Oz are painting-like. The film is in a 4:3 full frame version. For those wondering why no widescreen version, the reason is this; Oz was released in 1939 and the widescreen format was not introduced to films until 1953. Judy Garland holds the film together as Dorothy and draws the child in all of us into her world and her journey. The actors (Haley, Bolger, and Lahr) had all risen from a career in vaudeville and Broadway and play their parts, both in Oz and Kansas, with an uncanny ease and perfection. The story itself still is a children’s story at heart and touch on many of the key lessons that we, as children, are destined to learn.
Eventually, we are all going to be in a grown-up situation away from home where we will have to survive with the help of our own heart, brain, and courage, not to mention close friends. Even those who supposedly have all the answers, i.e. the wizard, are still flesh and blood like us and have their share of imperfections. And sometimes we are so blinded by the desire to attain that which we think we do not have (love, wisdom, courage) that we do not realize that we may have it inside us all along.
Wizard of Oz is one of the most beloved and cherished films of all time
The commentary track is introduced by director Sydney Pollack and contains information from Oz historian John Fricke, vintage interviews with cast members Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Margaret Hamilton, and Jerry Maren(the most famous of the munchkins), as well as original cast member Buddy Ebsen, Bert Lahr’s children, producer Mervyn LeRoy, and un-credited associate producer Arthur Freed’s daughter. Quite simply, it is fascinating to listen to the cast members as Fricke provides the listener with trivia and history behind the film. You learn about Shirley Temple’s very brief flirtation with playing Dorothy, how MGM execs originally wanted to scrap Over the Rainbow because it slowed the film down and how Arthur Freed fought to keep it in, and the musical chairs involving the directors of the film.
Richard Thorpe was fired after 12 days. George Cukor filled in for a few days, changing Garland’s look by getting rid of her blonde hair. Victor Fleming took over for the majority of shooting before leaving to take over Gone With The Wind. Ironically, Fleming would take over GWTW from Cukor who had been fired at the behest of star Clark Gable. King Vidor would finish the rest of Oz shooting consisting of some of the Munchkin sequences and the early Kansas scenes. Talk about good fortune for Victor Fleming; both Oz and GWTW were released in 1939 and are still considered to be two of the greatest American films ever.
The Oz Storybook extra contains Angela Lansbury, who is present throughout several of the extras here, reading the original Wizard of Oz storybook written by L. Frank Baum. This is an excellent introduction to the world of Oz for young children unfamiliar with the story. Prettier than Ever is a brief but highly informative look at the restoration process, Ultra-Resolution that the film went through for this release. There are before and after comparisons for true buffs who want to see up close how great the difference is. We Haven’t Met Properly, also narrated by Lansbury, is a 20 minute look at the actors in the film, except Garland, and provides us with an intimate look at each one.
The second disk contains the blunt of the extras. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Classic is an extensive documentary on the film and its impact on the world in large. Included here is how the annual TV showings of Oz, first beginning on Nov. 3, 1956, really brought it to a new audience and made it almost akin to a holiday as well as how MGM capitalized on Judy Garland’s and Mickey Rooney’s ascending star status to help promote the film. Angela Lansbury narrates again here.
Memories of Oz contains memories from several cast members including Jerry Maren and Buddy Ebsen who was the original tin man but was replaced by Jack Haley after he had a violently allergic reaction to the silvery makeup the part required. We hear from famous Oz fanatics like director John Waters and learn how Oz and its characters was merchandised before and after the film was released. The film took 10 years before it turned an initial profit. The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz is narrated by Sydney Pollack and looks at the film through a technical and production aspect. There are scores of interviews with many working industry professionals such as production and costume designers, music composers, makeup artists, editors, and cinematographers.
Memories of Oz contains memories from several cast members
Because of the Wonderful Things It Does: The Legacy of Oz will probably be a favorite of true fanatics of the film as it explores the various meanings and interpretations of the film. Narrated by Brittany Murphy, it details how the film blew up upon being shown on TV and shows the various spin-offs it spurned including cartoons, stage productions, even The Wizard on Ice. Star Wars and ET are both referenced as being directly influenced by Oz. It also explores the feminist interpretations of the film, Oz impressionists (be afraid), and even Oz festivals where remaining cast members show up to sign autographs and merchandise.<!--page-->
Judy Garland holds the film together as Dorothy
Harold Arlen’s Home Movies is a collection of 5 minutes of behind the scenes footage shot by the musical composer for the film. It’s A Twister! The Tornado Tests contains about 8 minutes of footage used to create the famous tornado at the beginning of the film. Off To See The Wizard is a four-minute segment that shows the beginning/ending animated segments created by Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck animator Chuck Jones for the ABC primetime show in 1967. The outtakes and deleted scenes are mostly different versions of songs or unused songs set to still photos and test frames. There is an unused “If I Only Had A Brain” sequence directed by the great Busby Berkely that is fascinating to watch. From the Vault includes excerpts from the 1940 Academy Awards, a Houston, Texas promotion where the winners got to tour the set, and a strange, vintage piece of MGM propaganda which demonstrates how MGM transports electricity from the Boulder Dam to its 4 separate power plants and 30 soundstages on the MGM lot. The Audio Vault is a real treat for children and adults which contains the full-length radio shows of the Wizard of Oz from 1939 and 1959 along with a promo. The stills gallery contains several hundred photos covering every aspect of the film imaginable. There are also 6 trailers ranging from the 1939 teaser to the 1998 re-release trailer. Incidentally, for those interested in the 3 disc edition, the third disc contains a biography of L. Frank Baum, all the silent film versions of Oz, and a Technicolor Oz cartoon.
This is one of the best DVD releases of the year and should be on every film-buff’s shelf. This should be the template by which all so-called “special edition” DVD’s are created and based on. The Wizard of Oz is a timeless, eternal film and kudos to Warner Brothers for taking the time and love in this particular version. There’s no place like home.
Wizard of Oz (Two Disc Collector’s Edition) is available at Amazon and AmazonUK . Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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