One way to commemorate the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz is the Ultimate Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray. This adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is one of the all-time classics in the history of cinema, and will win you a bet against naysayers who confidently claim there’s never been a remake as good as the original film.
Shot in sepia-toned black and white, young Kansan Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) lives on a farm with her aunt and uncle, dreaming of a chance to break away, as the song goes, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” During a tornado, she receives a bump on the head and then finds herself, her dog Toto, and her house, which landed on and killed the Wicked Witch of the East, in the magical Land of Oz, vividly brought to life by Technicolor. Dorothy wants to return home and is told by Glinda the Good Witch of the North she must seek out the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City for assistance. Trying to foil her plans is the Wicked Witch of the West who wants the magical ruby slippers Dorothy now wears.
Joining Dorothy on the yellow brick road to see the Wizard are the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion because they too have needs the Wizard may be able to help with; respectively they are a brain, a heart, and courage. The Wizard offers a deal: if they recover the Wicked Witch’s broom, he will fulfill their wishes. At the end of their mission, the Oz trio discovers they each had what they felt they lacked inside them the whole time, and Dorothy learns she holds the key to fulfilling her own desires, a slightly subversive yet subtle message for children.
The film has likely never looked this good since the first prints were struck from the original negatives. Although a remaster was created for the 2005 DVD, the studio went back in again to make an exquisite-looking product for this new release. After the original Technicolor negatives were scanned at 8K resolution (the current standard is 2K), Oz became the first Blu-ray to use a 4K capture master, creating twice the resolution of the previous release.
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Article comments
1 - Greg Barbrick
Wow, sounds exhaustive. The Pink Floyd comment was pretty good. The silent films are something I have always been curious about, as I have yet to see them. A lot of the others I have. Great review, the details of the scarecrow's face etc. you describe sound worth it alone.
2 - Nick
Beautiful edition and great review.
3 - Fitz
It's great to see the classics get treated with the right amount of respect when they get transferred to a new medium. Great review!
4 - Jet Gardner
The first time I saw it on TV as a young kid, I remember cowering under the blankets next to my mom every time the wicked witch appeared on screen.
To this day my sister still collects crystal balls because of the scene where Dorothy sees Aunti Em in the witch's huge one.
5 - Jet Gardner
This makes me wish they'd release "Under the Rainbow" a hilarious movie about what happens with the midgets in their hotel during the filming and how they almost wreck the set of "Gone With the Wind"
6 - cheryl cassidy
One of the best movies ever made! I love everything about it. Glad to see it doing well!
7 - El Bicho
thanks, guys, glad to see the work paid off.
Greg, not surprised you liked the PF line. The shorter silents are the best. The longer ones tend to go off on some pretty odd tangents.
Jet, with Warners new Archive program, I am sure Under The Rainbow will be available sooner than you think
8 - Christine
I love "The Wizard of Oz", thanks for this info, El Bicho. I will have to check it out.
9 - El Bicho
you won't be disappointed, Christine
10 - Jeff
Perhaps naïve question - this sounds gorgeous, and I understand there's way more material than could fit on an economical number of DVD discs, but.... is the resolution really outside the DVD envelope? Or was the decision to release on BD simply because it IS the *Ultimate* Collectors' Edition?
11 - Suzy
This is my favorite movie of all time, and you have no idea how excited I am to buy it on blue-ray!!
Also, I think you guys might appreciate a Vanity Fair article that I just found. It features stills from "The Wizard of Oz" and other classic movies. If the link below doesn't work, go to Vanity Fair's website and search "The Wizard of Oz," and the article should be first on the list of results. The article is dated 1/29/10. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!