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The Wizard of Oz is directed by Victor Fleming (Gone
With the Wind.) The movie stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan,
Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret
Hamilton and Charley Grapewin. The movie is based on the
1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. ***
The Wizard of Oz is one of the most famous films of
all time and its story is one of the best-known worldwide
– however I’ll recap it just in case you’re one of the few
people out there who has been either living under a rock
or on some distant world for the last 70 years. The film
follows the story of Dorothy Gale, an orphaned girl living
on a farm with his aunt and uncle. Distraught and depressed
with her life there, she runs away from home – but during
an attempted return, is caught in a tornado and whisked
away to Oz – a strange fantasy world far away. While initially
in awe of this beautiful new world, she quickly finds herself
longing for home. Journeying across Oz to find a Wizard
who may have the ability to send her home, she meets a scarecrow
who wants a brain, a tin man who wants a heart, and a lion
who wants courage. And all the while, she is being pursued
by the evil Wicked Witch of the West, who will stop at nothing
to put an end to her journey. ***
The Wizard of Oz is a classic, no questions asked. This
is, hands down, one of the most famous movies ever made,
and even 7 decades later it still holds up excellently.
The visuals, the acting/characters, the direction, the music
– there’s not one element of this classic film that doesn’t
stand the test of time. ***
The visuals of the film are just one of the many memorable
aspects of the movie that keep it so fresh in people’s minds.
Color films had existed prior to The Wizard of Oz, but this
is the movie that truly unleashed them on the masses. It’s
a movie where the Technicolor visuals jump out at the viewer
from start to finish. From the hues of Munchkin Land all
the way to the Emerald City, all of the Land of Oz looks
incredible – and still does all these years later. ***
And then come the cast and crew that brought this classic
story to life. Judy Garland, only 16 at the time of filming,
does a superb job playing Dorothy. Even all these years
later, you’ll still be able to relate to her peril throughout
the film. Perhaps even more surprising is her incredible
singing voice, which brings more than a few scenes to life.
Every other actor in this film does their part and makes
for a solid, entertaining movie. The other major stand-out
is Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West. Well-played
and every bit as effective a villain as anything or anyone
that has come sense, this is one of the truly-great performances
in the history of cinema. When you think of witches, Margaret
Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz is the first thing that comes
to your mind, whether you want it to or not. The film was
directed by Victor Fleming, who also directed the classic
Gone with the Wind, released the same year. ***
And let’s not forget the music, which has become a
permanent staple of popular culture. Everyone, even those
who haven’t ever seen the film, knows “We’re Off To See
The Wizard”, “Ding –Dong! The Witch Is Dead”, and “Somewhere
Over The Rainbow.” I seriously doubt that when these pieces
of music were composed, the filmmakers had any idea how
legendary they would become. ***
A review can’t do the greatness that is The Wizard
of Oz justice. It must be seen at least once before you
die. A great classic if there ever was one, The Wizard of
Oz is as classic as classics come. Even all these years
later, it holds up well, and maintains this revie wer’s
highest recommendation. ---
Image and Sound:
When it comes to the restorations of classic films,
Warner Bros. has proven themselves, time and time again,
to be the supreme company for it. After seeing their incredible
Blu-Ray versions of Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin
Hood, 2001, and plenty of others, I had nothing but high
hopes for this Blu-Ray. And let me say it doesn’t disappoint.
From the sepia-toned intro sequence to the bright, vibrant
Technicolor sequences in the Land of Oz, the whole movie
looks incredible. It’s a “soft” film so detail isn’t on
par with some other remastered films of the era – but this
movie was never meant to look that way. And even so, this
is definitely the best the film has ever looked – and likely
ever will look in our lifetimes. As with many HD transfers
of older films, some of the effects become more obvious,
but I think this only adds to the film’s charm. The audio
has been given a lossless mix, which sounds as incredible
as the remastered movie looks. The mix comes to life any
time a song is played or sung, and dialogue is louder and
clearer than ever. Once again, Warner has not failed to
please.
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| Special
Features: |
There are a ton of different versions of the movie
being released on Blu-Ray, differing in price and what special
features/discs are offered. The main version of the movie
being offered at all retailers is a huge 4-disc set containing
a bunch of interesting bonus material, including various
inserts in the box set on the movie (not at all unlike what
they did for Casablanca – only bigger.) Amazon sells the
same package but with some bonus mini-posters. Target has
a 3-disc version which is basically the same as the “all-retailers”
box set edition sans the box and fourth disc (which is a
digital copy.) Wal-Mart sells a one-disc version which is
basically just the first disc out of the set. As someone
who is more interested in “just the movie” than supplementary
material, I myself got the Wal-Mart edition. Long story
short, there’s a version f or every budget, but my major
recommendation goes to the Target edition, being that it
has all the “on the discs” bonus material, including a 6-hour
MGM history documentary.
*** Regardless of which version you buy, there are a
ton of bonus features, including documentaries, vintage
trailers, behind-the-scenes content, vintage shorts and
promos, commentaries, and the like. I read another review
that said, if you bought the 3 or 4-disc package, it would
literally take longer than 24 hours to get through everything
in the set. After seeing what is offered here, I can honestly
say that is no exaggeration.
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