Wizard of Oz:75th Anniversary (BD)

This review is for the single Blu Ray disc of the 1939 version of the Wizard of Oz. I assume you have either seen the movie, or are familiar with the storyline so I won't delve into that here. There are other filmings, and other versions, but to most all people THIS is the definitive version of the L Frank Baum classic. As one who has had and watched this classic through the years on many different home video technologies I can honestly say I have never seen this movie look better, even in the theater! Not just a restoration, but a revelation of detail and texture are revealed in this wonderful classic. Almost everywhere you look you find textures, details and images that literally bring the story to life. Additionally the audio is crisp and clear and thankfully is free from crazy gimmickry. This is movie restoration done correctly and with respect to the original film, which has become a classic in American family life. The single disc version has the movie we almost all know and most of us love. Judy Garland has never looked more clear, nor the costumes of her compatriots more detailed. Its almost as if this movie were not made some 75 years ago, it looks THAT good. My youngest son, who usually does not watch "Old movies" with me was completely captivated and did not move until the movie was done. He was shocked when I told him when the movie was made. The old effects, particularly the tornado still look great and really show how movie making can be a wonderful art form. The commentary track is really a wonderful source of some interesting information, including the original choice of Buddy Ebsen, from the Beverly Hillbillies, as the tin man. I have quite a few movies in my collection and seldom watch and listen to the commentary, but I have to say I really enjoyed this one. It even had interviews with original cast members interspersed throughout in a manner tha added to one's understanding of the movie. Far from giving us a glimpse behind the curtain which destroys the magic this only burnishes the incredible work that make such a movie. Highly recommended. This is truly an incredible bargain at the current price of 8 dollars, that I cannot recommend it more highly for those who wish to have the definitive version of this classic. If one wishes there are lots of add on versions that have more content, but for this paltry sum you get the definitive version of the movie and a very informative commentary. You will enjoy it, so will your kids, and likely THEIR children. It is pure pleasure to watch how faces light up when watching this movie, and perhaps that is the best recommendation of all. God Bless ya and may you enjoy many movies!

Forget all the socioeconomic stuff and whatever was going on in American history at the time. All of that doesn't matter at all when it comes to what this masterpiece represents. What people absolutely fail to notice is that this movie is all about death, the afterlife, past lives, and future lives. It literally proves that there is life after death, which is why I watch this movie religiously at least once or twice a week. It's that powerful, and it enthralls the masses because of its grip on the human unconscious. To clarify further, the tornado symbolizes the act of death and the turbulence associated with it. When Dorothy gets hit with the windows, the death process begins. We see her actively dying within her bed, and within the tornado are all the people who mean the most to her and whom she can't forget, both her family and her main enemy (the Wicked Witch). This is called visioning, which happens during the dying process, and you can actually get glimpses of what's to come in your next life (symbolized by the changing of Ms. Gulch to the Witch), and meanwhile, the ones she loves just take different forms in the next life but are the same at their core. Then when the house lands, Dorothy is officially in the next life or heaven, symbolized by the change to color and the uniquely gorgeous setting. The scene of the afterlife is now bright and vibrant. Etc etc.... It's also extremely important to know that L. Frank Baum was a theosophist. What is theosophy? "Theosophy holds a monist position that there exists a single divine Absolute and articulates an emanationist cosmology in which the universe is perceived as outward reflections from this Absolute. The purpose of human life is spiritual emancipation and the human soul undergoes reincarnation upon bodily death according to a process of karma." Furthermore, the slogan for theosophy is "There is no religion higher than truth." ----- "There is no place like home." NEED I SAY MORE? Absolutely not. I just nailed the exact interpretation of this movie according to L. Frank Baum. You're welcome!!! Hopefully, my revelation here causes millions of people to see this movie in a brand new light. Try it for yourselves. When you watch this movie, just constantly think about death and the afterlife. It will change your perception of this film forever, and open your minds and hearts in the process. The Wizard of Oz is truly the most significant piece of cinema ever created, and nothing will top it.

Good Job

The Wizard of Oz Is A Classic Movie & The Wizard of Oz Is Love By So Many People But You Don't Know How We Got To The Wizard of Oz Without Seen Wicked

I saw some of the reviews of this, saying it wasn't the complete movie. Not sure what they were looking for, but it was the same version I've seen countless times before, in excellent high def quality. Tons of bonus features, including commentary, a 30s radio program that's over an hour long, and lots more. I should have bought this years ago!

I've always loved "The Wizard of Oz" but it wasn't until a couple of years ago when I had the amazing chance to see it on the big screen that I realized how sentimental the Tin Man is. I actually cried, and I'd never done that before. Such a wonderful and beautiful movie. I love Judy Garland and I know she did a ton of other movies after this one that were very good, but this is her shining star. Sometimes adaptations of books aren't that great, but this one is stellar. I tried reading the books several years ago and just couldn't get into them at all. This movie is forever ingrained in my heart.

I am very happy with my purchase!

With MGM's"The Wizard Of Oz" now so firmly established as a "cherished classic" and an essential aspect of the American pop-culture fabric, it is easy-- perhaps too easy-- to forget what a great film it is, and just how cinematically groundbreaking it was in 1939. The behind the scenes trials and tribulations of "Oz" are well known by now. "Oz" was an arduous shoot, enduring ten screenwriters (final credit went to Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf) and four directors. Richard Thorpe was fired. George Cukor, busy with pre-production on "Gone With The Wind", wasn't interested, but he did offer important production suggestions and advice. Victor Fleming directed most of "Oz" until Clark Gable threw a hissy-fit and demanded that Fleming replace Cukor on "GWTW." So King Vidor finished the final scenes of "Oz". Fleming, meanwhile, directed "GWTW" by day and supervised editing of "Oz" at night. With a recent gift of a new HD TV and Blu-Ray player, I couldn't wait to see how this Hollywood gem would look and sound on Blu-Ray. L. Frank Baum spends about two and a half pages of his original book "The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz" describing what a flat, dull, grey, lifeless environment Kansas is. Then, the cyclone blows Dorothy and Toto off to Oz. The screenplay spends the first 20 minutes in Kansas, and it's a much more horrible environment than Baum described. In effect, the screenplay gives Judy Garland's Dorothy every good reason to escape Kansas; and I don't think a very good reason to return to it. This Kansas environment is beyond oppressive. It is toxic. Dorothy must content with adults who don't have any time for her; for her feelings or concerns. More than overworked, Auntie Em (Clara Blandick) seems downright mean. Mean doesn't even begin to describe Miss Gulch (Margaret Hamilton), who is on her way to take beloved dog Toto away and have him "destroyed." When Judy Garland sings "Over The Rainbow", it is not merely Dorothy's poignant wish expressed against the backdrop of a dull barnyard. It is a cry from the soul, not just Dorothy's soul, but a universal cry from the soul; from anyone who ever wished for a better life; for a way OUT of a hell on earth environment. Judy Garland is right on the emotional mark; the lyric line "where troubles melt like lemon drops" perhaps foreshadowing Dorothy's battle with The Wicked Witch Of The West in Oz. After Toto escapes Miss Gulch's bicycle basket, Dorothy grabs her beloved dog baby and, understandably runs away; meeting Professor Marvel (Frank Morgan) alongside a dusty roadway. Marvel knows what's up when he says to Dorothy, "They don't understand you at home, they don't appreciate you. You want to see other lands, big cities, big mountains, big oceans." Dorothy, clearly relieved, replies, "Why, it's just like you could read what was inside of me." The Cyclone finally blows Dorothy and Toto out of Kansas hell, the real adventure begins, and the movie explodes into beautiful Technicolor and Blu-Ray brilliance. On Blu-Ray, everything in Oz, from Dorothy's simple blue gingham dress to the famous Ruby Slippers. is dazzling. Judy Garland looks beautiful, perhaps because, in Oz, Dorothy is finally entering into her full glory. If Kansas is hell, then Oz is definitely heaven (well, except for the Wicked Witch, of course). Glorious is the only word to describe Harold Rossen's Technicolor photography, Edwin B. Willis' set decorations, and Adrian's costumes, seen and appreciated on Blu-Ray in maximum splendor, perhaps for the first time since 1939. The scenes in the Scarecrow's cornfield and Poppy Field are particularly vivid and eye popping on Blu-Ray. The movie, of course, is not about Classic Movie magic; or technical artistry and special effects. The fantasy would not matter without the excellent story and cast. The impeccable cast makes everything work. As the original "Boys From Oz", Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr delight as the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. Lahr is especially outstanding. Judy Garland is the emotional center, the heart and soul of the movie. Bert Lahr provides the brightest, pure comedy moments. And Margaret Hamilton takes the movie to amazing psychological levels. If Miss Gulch was a nasty, annoying battle-axe on a bike, then her Oz incarnation, the Wicked Witch of The West, IS THE Wicked Witch who has haunted countless nightmares for 75 years now. More than frightening and beyond vengeful, Hamilton's Witch is the stuff of pure evil. To her credit, Hamilton, a sweet woman and talented character actress who loved both children and dogs dearly, plays her roles perfectly. Hamilton is a wicked and wild hoot. If the movie has a flaw, it is the sentimental insistence that "there's no place like home"; saying that "home" is the best place for Dorothy and, by extension, everybody in the audience. The "Oz is all a dream" ending is the most serious violation; attempting (unsuccessfully, Thank God) to invalidate and negate the entire "self-discovery to eventual self-actualization" experience of Oz for Dorothy and the audience. Once again, Judy Garland saves everything. Her intense conviction on the line, "No, Aunt Em, this was a real, truly live place" carries more weight than "there's no place like home." The MGM ending is a lie. Judy Garland, as always, knows and reveals the the real, emotional and honest truth. Most of the Special Features from previous DVD editions of "Oz" are on the Blu-Ray. But hang on to your Oz DVDs, especially if you have the big green Oz 3 DVD Collection Box that was issued several years ago. On the Blu-Ray, a new making of documentary completely replaces the 1990 "50 Years Of Magic" documentary hosted by Angela Lansbury. I can understand wanting a new documentary for the 75th Anniversary. It's all fascinating stuff, and Martin Sheen's narration is especially enthusiastic, but I miss the 50th Anniversary documentary with Lansbury. "Memories Of Oz", "The Wonderful Things It Does" and the DVD entirely devoted to L. Frank Baum, are also NOT INCLUDED on this particular Blu-Ray release; resulting in my rating of 4 Stars instead of a full 5. Fortunately, "Oz" can be enjoyed on multiple levels. Never warming up to "there's no place like home", I received an alternative message from "Oz." I learned that leaving home and having adventures was good and necessary for personal growth and self-actualization. And if you have adventures with good friends and a beloved dog, life was a perfect Technicolor rainbow experience after all.

after seeing the 75th anniversary revitalized 3D version in IMAX theatre (simply A M A Z I N G) I assumed the Bluray edition released was also going to be reworked n enhanced...well its not people, this release is no different from the 70th on bluray etc... even the front picture of packaging is cartoon like? they couldn't of came up with a nice holographic picture or something ?? isn't this 2013??? n when you take the disc out, was hoping for even a nicer picture labelled on the disc, uh no, a picture of the scarecrow? by himself? wtf? if anything it should be just Dorothy!! save your money people get it from your local library...