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Synopsis: The Wizard of Oz (Two-Disc 70th Anniversary Edition)
Product Description
A tornado whisks Kansas farm girl Dorothy and her dog, Toto, to a magical land populated by odd characters.
Amazon.com
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
On the discs
The 2010 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; the original mono track and a music-and-effects track; and 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 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. Missing from this edition is the Lansbury-hosted documentary The Making of a Movie Classic. --David Horiuchi
Order From Here
- Recommended Age: 6 years and up
The Wizard of Oz (Two-Disc 70th Anniversary Edition) Reviews
The Wizard of Oz (Two-Disc 70th Anniversary Edition) Reviews
| 805 of 846 people found the following review helpful  An OZ-some DVD Experience, By Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: The Wizard of Oz (DVD) Like most baby boomers, I've watched this film dozens of times in the past on broadcast TV, then VHS tape, then LaserDisc ... but I had never actually SEEN "The Wizard of Oz" until this newly restored DVD came out. It's an amazing transfer. The sepia-tone Kansas sequences are startlingly sharp and clear, and the Technicolored world "Over the Rainbow" is truly dazzling. I found myself fascinated by details I had never noticed before: the glittering corn stalks in the Scarecrow's field; the mirror-like floors of the Emerald City; the polished buttons on the guardsmen's uniforms. Incredibly, even the individual grains of red sand in the Witch's hourglass stood out and glistened! All these minor-but-sumptuous visual details served to heighten the magical spell that the film has always woven, enhancing the performances, the story, and the music.The DVD extras are a mind-boggling embarrassment of riches. The "Making Of" documentary hosted by... Read more 616 of 668 people found the following review helpful (Blu-ray update) Not a restoration, but an entirely different view of the film., By This review is from: The Wizard of Oz (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) (DVD) I was just critized for foisting off the following review of the 3-disk DVD set as a review of the new Blu-ray. I didn't; Amazon did. As anyone who's been here for a while will notice, Amazon throws all DVD reviews into the same bucket, regardless of the edition. So don't blame me.I just got the Blu-ray, and will have some comments on it at the end. There's no need to discuss "The Wizard of Oz" itself, a classic among classics (though I'll have something to say about its "philosophy" later on). You probably want to know whether the UltraResolution transfer justifies the purchase. It does. Oh, yes it does. "The Wizard of Oz" has always looked good, one of the better Technicolor films. Unlike "Gone With the Wind", which was generally dark and desaturated, and which UltraResolution greatly improved, I didn't expect much enhancement for "Oz". Was I ever wrong. I stared with my jaw hanging open. "Oz" is the best UltraResolution... Read more 275 of 304 people found the following review helpful 2009 two, four and blu-ray version contents:, By Jon (NY) - See all my reviews This review is from: The Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary Two-Disc Special Edition) (DVD) Completely irritated by the lack of info I raked up my own for your pleasure:THE WIZARD OF OZ 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition (4-Disc DVD Set or 2-Disc Blu-ray Set) Also available in 2-Disc DVD Special Edition (or 1-Disc Blu-ray)(CONTENTS BELOW) Warner Home Video celebrates the beloved classic with spectacular new DVD or Blu-ray version, September 29, featuring 16 hours of enhanced content (four of which are brand new) -- includes New Documentaries, Featurettes, a Sing-Along Track and Extraordinary Collectibles! Burbank, CA -- It is difficult to imagine a motion picture more magical and more wonderful than Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's beloved and classic 1939 musical, The Wizard of Oz. Over the last seven decades, the film has indelibly woven itself into America's cultural consciousness: Is there anyone who doesn't immediately think of the film upon hearing the words, "Dorothy," "Toto," "Emerald City," "Ruby Slippers" and... Read more |
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