The Wizard of Oz (Two-Disc Special Edition)
|
Our Price: $89.75 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $51.99 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Wizard of Oz (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Movie Review: A Timeless Classic Given a New Lease of Life!
Summary: 5 Stars
Calling this the best ever family entertainment flick is no hype or exaggeration. Just as it happened way back 70 years ago, trying to keep up with Disney's "Snow White" has been a blessing for fans as now after "Snow White"'s Platinum Edition treatment which included DTS and Dolby 5.1 audio enhancements plus visual restoration, we get a similar treatment unfortunately without the DTS option and yet I had to struggle for the first half hour to try and find any visual imperfections to this restoration but I had to give up as I could find none! The visual effects, especially the tornado scenes still amaze me at just what they were capable of special effects-wise all those years ago. The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround was a real plus for me and went a long way in bringing this all-time classic into the 21st century. If it's so good already, I can only imagine how much better the Blu-ray version would be and I await the day of that release with bated breath! Like a true classic, this movie has aged very, very well and has passed the test of time. Whoever did the casting should have received an Oscar as I thought all the actors did very, very well. Judy Garland was perfect for the role of Dorothy and Bert Laer was excellent in his role as the Cowardly Lion.
The Special Features deserve honorable mention as well; we get a great behind-the-scenes documentary narrated by Angela Lansbury who also did something similar for the "Snow White" restoration dvd as well. There's also a History of Oz, Deleted Scenes and many interviews with the cast. Every child should have a chance to see this film and with all the great restoration work that has been done on this dvd, there is no other perfect time to get this dvd. This a without doubt one of the best ever movies ever made.
Very highly recommended!
Movie Review: Oz as a religious satire...
Summary: 5 Stars
People say this is an idictment of American society in the 19th century but I say it makes just as good a symbolic jab at religion. There is the Wizard, an all powerful figure (god-like in fact) who proves just as fallible and unreal as a common man. There is the yellow brick road (one can call it the narrow road) which leads to the glorious Emerald City (Heaven) which in turn is nothing more than a sham of what it has been described as. There is the tornado which leads Dorothy to Oz (one could label that a traumatic event which drives the common person to embrace religion in the first place). There are the munchkins (cherubs). There is the cowardly lion (meek Jesus, come on now). There is the Scarecrow (common Christian who can't think for himself. Only when he discovers the Wizard [God] isn't real and he rejects the illusion of faith does he acquire the ability to think). Finally there is the Tinman (science trying to make sense of itself in a religious way). And of course there is the Wicked Witch, the true fanatic dead set on destroying those who do not see things their way. Then there is Dorothy, the common person trying to find their place in the world. I know, I may be stretching but whatever.Movie Review: The story that is never old.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Wizard of Oz is a phenomenal tale. I bought it to my nieces (3 and 4yo) and they loved it. They watch the DVD over and over, and sometimes they want to dress and play like Dorothy and her group. It's a lot of fun to watch them playing.Movie Review: Great Movie, Great Product
Summary: 5 Stars
This DVD set of the Wizard of Oz is amazing. I bought it for my wife because it is her favorite movie and it was amazing to get to see it in such vibrant color. The bonus features are great too!Movie Review: Some historical notes
Summary: 5 Stars
The Wizard of Oz ranks as one of the perennial classics, but how it came to be made is one of the most fascinating stories in cinema.
Originally Shirley Temple, an already established star, was the preferred choice for the film's protagonist. But Louis B. Mayer was adamant about putting Judy Garland, then an unknown, in the role. Asked why, he said, "Because she's got sex appeal! The old lech. :-) But in the end he was vindicated.
The film is often said to be the first true color movie, filmed in technicolor, if I remember right, a difficult process to undertake, since that process required a camera capable of filming a red and green split image which was later combined together. Because of that, it required a projector that could operate at twice normal speed. However, many other movies were made in color using more primitive processes going back to the 20s.
The film was considered a commercial flop, considering it's high budget ($2,777,000) at the time, but the song "Over the Rainbow," garnered first place as the top song of the year, which helped to boost the movie's popularity.
One funny thing was the dwarves who played the Munchkins had never congregated with each other before in such numbers, and someone once told me that their, shall we say, romantic antics off the screen interfered with the making of the movie. :-)
The Wikipedia article on the movie contains a fascinating paragraph on the casting process and Buddy Ebsen's near death experience with the aluminum powder makeup:
"Casting The Wizard of Oz was problematic, with actors shifting roles repeatedly at the beginning of filming. One of the primary changes was in the role of the Tin Woodman. The Tin Man was originally slated for Ray Bolger, and Buddy Ebsen (famous for his later role as Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies) was to play the Scarecrow.[4] Bolger was unhappy with being assigned the role of the Tin Man. Bolger convinced producer Mervyn LeRoy to recast him in the role of the Scarecrow. Ebsen did not object to the change at first; he recorded all his songs, went through all the rehearsals and started filming with the rest of the cast.[6] But nine days after filming began, he suffered a reaction to the aluminum powder makeup, as it had coated his lungs as he breathed it in while it was applied daily. Consequently, Ebsen (at that point in critical condition) had to be hospitalized and leave the project. MGM did not publicize the reasons for Ebsen's departure and not even his replacement, Jack Haley, initially knew the reason."
But that wasn't the only mishap. Margeret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West, was severely burned during the Munchkin Land scene in which she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. When she returned from the hospital, she refused to do anymore risky scenes. So they got a stand-in to do them, and she was injured too.
Many changes were made in the movie from the original book. In the book, the city of Oz is real, although quite fantastic, but in 1939 audiences were thought to be too sophisticated for that sort of story line, so the trip to Oz occurred instead in a dream. Also, the Wicked Witch of the West is far more cowardly in the book compared to the movie. The Kansas farm hands don't exist in the book, and in the book Dorothy is actually the one who engineers their escape from Oz.
The novel (and the movie) is full of symbolism which today has been forgotten. For example, in the movie, the silver slippers walk on the gold yellow brick road on their way to the Emerald (green) City. At the time, there was much controversy about whether the dollar (the green) was to be backed by either silver or gold.
I have to mention that 20 years ago I had the opportunity to meet L. Frank Baum's grandson at a book signing. At the time he was employed in Silicon Valley, but was writing children's books based on the original series on the side.
Anyway, just a few perhaps interesting pieces of trivia on this now classic movie.