THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
Label: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Region Code:
Rating: G
Duration: 102 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 (4K), English Dolby Digital Mono (Blu-ray) with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p UltraHD Full Frame (1.33:1), 1080p HD Full Frame (1.33:1)
Director: Victor Fleming, King Vidor
Cast: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin
Synopsis: Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s timeless children’s tale about a Kansas girl’s journey over the rainbow, The Wizard of Oz officially premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939. The film was directed by Victor Fleming (who that same year directed Gone With the Wind), produced by Mervyn LeRoy, and scored by Herbert Stothart, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Ray Bolger appeared as the Scarecrow; Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Woodman. Frank Morgan was seen in six different roles, including that of the "wonderful Wizard" himself. Dorothy was portrayed by a 4'11" sixteen year old girl who quickly earned her reputation as “the world’s greatest entertainer”-- the incomparable Judy Garland.
My baby-boomer father made sure the family watched The Wizard of Oz (1939) religiously every year when it was broadcast on CBS television, as a kid I loved it a bunch but as I became a jaded teenager I thought it was a bit silly and would skip out on the annual family watch-party. It wasn't until I had my own kids that I re-ignited the family tradition of watching it, not on TV but on DVD when Warner's released the three-disc collector's edition of the film. Viewing it again through the eyes of my three single-digit kids brought me right back to the wide-eyed wonder of this magical family classic. it's technicolor marvel of visual delight that not only enthralled my young children but also brought me right back to my own childhood, reminding me not only of how delightful this fantasy film is but also how frightening I thought the wicked witch and her horde of flying monkeys were!
Audio/Video: Warner Bros. celebrates the 80th anniversary of the beloved classic The Wizard of Oz (1939) with a brand new 8K 16-bit scan of the original Technicolor nitrate camera negative, framed in the original 1.33:1 full frame. This actually improves upon the already impressive 70th anniversary Blu-ray from 2009, which itself was also scanned in 8K. The new scan really breathes new life into this eighty year-old slice of magic, fine details and textures come through like I've never seen before, I found myself transfixed by the burlap texturing on the scarecrows facial make-up, I've seen this film so many time it was a delight to see it with new eyes. The 4K UltraHD release also benefits from a new HDR color-grading, which has been applied quite tastefully, I was expecting an over abundance of luminescence with this Technicolor title and was pleased to see it reigned in a bit, but also aglow with deeper and more vibrant hues. The witch's face has a wonderful green-glow, the reds and greens throughout have a bit more pop, with the scene of the poppy fields with Oz in the distance is breathtaking, while the yellow brick road. Even the earlier sepia tone scenes looks fantastic, much more detail throughout, with deeper saturation.
Audio on the 4K UltraHD disc comes by way of a DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround mix that sounds very good. It's not a wild 5.1 surround odyssey by any means but there are occasional use of the surrounds that give it some life, but it feels authentic for a film of it's vintage and mono origins. The accompanying Blu-ray disc, which is the 2009 70th Anniversary Blu-ray disc, offers the film's original mono soundtrack, it's a real shame we do not get uncompressed mono track for the 4K UltraHD.
There are no new extras created for this release, but we do get quite an array of extras, multiple-hours worth of archival extras culled from previous releases, but not all of them. While I will gladly trade-in my 2009 70th anniversary Blu-ray I will be hanging onto my Three-Disc Collector's Edition DVD that Warner' released in 2005 which contained a wealth of extras not included here, including loads of pre-1939 versions of the original Oz story, such as the restored 1925 silent version of the film and the 1933 cartoon, plus it has all sorts of cool reproductions of 1939 premiere program, ticket, invitation and publicity shots.
The only extras on the 4K UltraHD disc are the vintage audio commentary plus the 1990 CBS Special “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic”. The remainder of the extras are on the accompanying Blu-ray, which as stated is not the new 80th anniversary 8K restoration but the previous released 70th anniversary 8K restoration.
4K UltraHD Blu-ray Special Features:
- Commentary by John Fricke with Barbara Freed-Saltzman, Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, John Lahr, Jane Lahr, Hamilton Meserve, Dona Massin, William Tuttle, Buddy Ebsen, Mervyn LeRoy and Jerry Maren.
- 1990 CBS Special “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic.” (51 min) HD
Blu-ray Special Features:
- Commentary- Commentary by John Fricke with Barbara Freed-Saltzman, Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, John Lahr, Jane Lahr, Hamilton Meserve, Dona Massin, William Tuttle, Buddy Ebsen, Mervyn LeRoy and Jerry Maren
- The Making of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (69 min) HD
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook (narrated by Angela Lansbury)(10 min)
- We Haven’t Really Met Properly: "Frank Morgan", "Ray Bolger", "Bert Lahr", "Jack Haley", "Billie Burke", "Margaret Hamilton", "Charley Grapewin", "Clara Blandick" "Terry" (21 min)
- Music & Effects Track (Dolby Digital Mono)
- Original Mono Track (Dolby Digital Mono)
- Sing Along Tracks
- Audio Jukebox (21 Tracks, Dolby Digital Mono) (71 min)
- Leo is on the Air Radio Promo (12 min)
- Good News of 1939 Radio Show (61 min)
- December 25th 1950 Lux Radio Broadcast (61 min)
- Stills Galleries: Oz on Broadway, Pre-MGM, Sketches and Storyboards, Richard Thorpe’s Oz, Buddy Ebsen, Oz Comes to Life, Behind the Scenes, Portraits, Special Effects, Post Production, Deleted Scenes, Original Publicity, August 15th 1939 Hollywood Premiere, August 17th 1939 New York Premiere, February 2nd 1940 Academy Awards® Ceremony, Oz Abroad, Oz Revivals
- Trailers (14 min)
The Wizard of Oz (1939) is a film that was so very technically ambitious in the era in which it was made, that it holds up so well eighty years later is truly a testament to the wonder and magic of it, a film that is still inspiring wonder and delight in the minds of kids of all ages. The new 4K UltraHD release is a stunner, glad to to see Warner taking such good care of this beloved film, highly recommended to everyone.
