| | | The Greatest Picture in the History of Entertainment!
Features: DVD, Special Edition
An All-New Wizard of Oz With State of The Art Ultra-Resolution Picture Quality and Over 10 Hours of Bonus Extras.
Editor's Note
Young Dorothy is bored of her gray life on a Kansas farm. When her house is whisked away by a tornado, it lands somewhere over the rainbow in a Technicolor world, and Dorothy knows she's not in Kansas anymore. This beloved, incomparable classic based on L. Frank Baum's turn-of-the-century novel is a musical and visual candy store. Dorothy's journey to find a way back to Kansas has permeated American culture and film for decades and remains one of the best musicals and children's stories ever filmed.
Plot Summary
Judy Garland stars as Dorothy in a musical based on the classic children's book by L. Frank Baum. When Dorothy's neighbor, Miss Gulch, threatens to take away Dorothy's precious dog, Toto, Dorothy runs away from home. Attempting to return, she and her house are caught in a twister and blown to the garish, color-saturated Land of Oz. The house lands atop Oz's Wicked Witch of the East, killing her and making Dorothy an instant celebrity. The Wicked Witch of the West, the sister of the deceased witch, soon arrives and threatens revenge. Dorothy must escape from Oz by following the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, where the great Wizard of Oz can help her return to Kansas. Along the way, Dorothy picks up some new friends--the heartless Tin Man, the brainless Scarecrow, and the courage-less Cowardly Lion, each of whom hopes that the Wizard can offer him what he lacks. The long journey to see the Wizard is filled with dangers and traps planted by the Wicked Witch of the West--as well as lots of phenomenal musical numbers. Filled with extravagant sets and costumes and 40 minutes of rambunctious song and dance routines, Dorothy's adventures in Oz are pure delight. The film deservedly holds a precious place in the hearts of millions.
| Features | Audio Commentary by Historian John Fricke Including Archival Interviews with Cast, Crew and Family Restoration. | | Audio Vault (6 Hours +) Includes a Jukebox of Recording Session Materials, Radio Shows and Promos | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Extensive Stills & Theatrical Trailer Galleries | | Featurettes: Illustrated, Archival, Making-of and Retrospective | | Harold Arlen's Home Movies | | Interactive Menus | | Off to See the Wizard TV Series Excerpt. | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English | | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic and Memories of Oz TV Specials | | Tornado Tests and Outtakes and Deleted Scenes | | Video Storybook and Supporting Cast Profile Roundup |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | The Wizard of Oz - DVD Review By: David Bezanson - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 9/18/2009 5:43 PM | |
The Wizard of Oz is a classic film from an era when American studios were confident and breaking ground (within the discipline imposed by the Hays Office). Stuffed with now-familiar tropes -- the yellow brick road, the wicked witch, the emerald city -- and a supply of often-quoted lines, famous songs, and gags, the film is probably as entertaining now as it was in 1939. Oz was groundbreaking in a number of ways, most obviously in its visual impact. Movies in color had been made for a while, but most films in 1939 were still in black and white, so the gimmick of beginning in BandW and shifting to Technicolor was very effective. Some of the special effects were advanced at the time (and are still one of the movie's strengths)....read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 9/29/2009 |
| Running Time: 112 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1939 | | Catalog ID: 1000089121 | | UPC: 00883929057344 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Video: B&W and Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Academy Awards (1939) |  | Herbert Stothart, Winner, Best Original Score | | Harold Arlen, Winner, Best Original Song | | E. Y. Harburg, Winner, Best Original Song |
| Memorable Quotes| "I'll get you, my pretty. And your little dog too!"----The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) | | "The great and powerful Oz has spoken!"----The Wizard of Oz (Frank Morgan) | | "Ding--dong, the witch is dead."----Munchkin song | | "There's no place like home."----Dorothy (Judy Garland) |
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| | Professional Reviews | Chicago Sun-Times
"...It somehow seems real and important in a way that most movies don't....The special effects are glorious in that old Hollywood way..." 12/22/1996 p.5Entertainment Weekly
"We love it...because of the wonderful things it does! Those songs! Those effects! That cinematography!..." 01/11/2002 p.25-6 Premiere
"...THE WIZARD OF OZ's status as a cultural icon has only strengthened through the years..." 12/01/2003 p.5 Total Film
"[The film] remains as entrancing as ever....So vibrant it's like watching the world being painted for the first time." 02/01/2004 p.120 Entertainment Weekly
"[It] proves as precious as Dorothy's ruby slippers....It's a journey every film buff should make." -- Grade: A 10/28/2005 p.66 New York Times
"There may be no movie more deeply embedded in the subconscious of the baby boom generation than THE WIZARD OF OZ." 11/01/2005 p.E3 Entertainment Weekly
Ranked #1 in Entertainment Weekly's Top Ten DVDs Of The Year -- "[T]he extras are filled with heart, brains, and, yes, even courage." 12/30/2005 p.124 Rolling Stone
Ranked #16 in Rolling Stone's "Top 25 DVDs Of 2005' -- "[A] dazzling digital reproduction of the original Technicolor." 12/01/2005 p.98 |
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