Editorial Review:Amazon.com essential video:When it was released during Hollywood's golden year of 1939,
The Wizard of Oz didn't start out as the perennial classic it has since become. The film did respectable business, but it wasn't until its debut on television that this family favorite saw its popularity soar. And while
Oz's TV broadcasts are now controlled by media mogul Ted Turner (who owns the rights), the advent of home video has made this lively musical a mainstay in the staple diet of great American films. Young Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), her dog, Toto, and her three companions on the yellow brick road to Oz--the Tin Man (Jack Haley), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), and the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger)--have become pop-culture icons and central figures in the legacy of fantasy for children. As the Wicked Witch who covets Dorothy's enchanted ruby slippers, Margaret Hamilton has had the singular honor of scaring the wits out of children for more than six decades. The film's still as fresh, frightening, and funny as it was when first released. It may take some liberal detours from the original story by L. Frank Baum, but it's loyal to the Baum legacy while charting its own course as a spectacular film. Shot in glorious Technicolor, befitting its dynamic production design (Munchkinland alone is a psychedelic explosion of color and decor),
The Wizard of Oz may not appeal to every taste as the years go by, but it's required viewing for kids of all ages.
--Jeff Shannon DVD features The
Wizard of Oz DVD released in 1999 was loaded with extra features, but it's now safe to throw away that version in all its cardboard-package glory in favor of this new two-disc edition. First things first: All the bonus material from the earlier disc is there (with one small exception). That includes the Angela Lansbury-hosted documentary
The Making of a Movie Classic; the outtakes and deleted scenes, including Judy Garland's 'Over the Rainbow' reprise and the home-movie recording of 'The Jitterbug'; the sketches and stills and composer Harold Arlen's home movies; the audio underscores and radio programs; the 1979 interviews with Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, and Jack Haley; and other items too numerous to mention. (Some text introductions to the features have been replaced by narration by Lansbury, for whatever reason.) Brand-new to the 2005 edition is a sharp restoration using Warner's Ultra Resolution process and an accompanying featurette on how it's done. The technicians also discuss how the sound was remixed, though that would have been more effective had it included surround-sound demonstrations (the featurette is in 2.0). Other features on the new set include a commentary track by critic John Fricke supplemented by vintage cast interviews (he offers a lot of trivia, and debunks the myth that Shirley Temple was ever close to getting the Dorothy role); profiles of nine cast members and clips of other movies they appeared in (including Toto); a lightly animated 10-minute storybook again narrated by Lansbury; 2001 and 2005 behind-the-scenes featurettes; and a 1950 Lux Radio Theater broadcast. Oh, and if you were still wondering about the missing material mentioned above--the 1999 disc included one-minute excerpts of three early treatments of
The Wizard of Oz. Those excerpts are not included in the two-disc special edition, but the third disc of the three-disc collector's edition includes the
complete versions of those treatments and more.
--David Horiuchi
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collectible queen
collectible queen removed my money for this purchase over a month ago, but never sent my movie. I sent her an email the day after the last possible arrival date, and never got a reply. When I contacted amazon, I was told I had to wait even longer to file a claim. The email even implied that I was somehow at fault because I didn't look at her reviews. When I did, I saw that she has done this to several other people. I don't understand why amazon continues to allow her to rip off their customers. I will probably never order from amazon again.
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The Wizard of Oz
* this is a wonderful film and i like it alot, the only thing to complain about is there is alot of singing!! but other then that, it has such beautiful color when Dorathy first steps out of her house, into OZ. ...
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pleased
we had the movie at one point, but it was lost. my kids love the movie and watch it all the time.
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A Timeless Classic
* Who does not love Dorothy Gale, her adorable dog, Toto, and her lovable and musical friends, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion? Were we not all dazzled by the extraordinary color change from black, white, and sepia, to a brilliant display of the new technology of Technicolor, altering the entire mood of the film? The Wizard of Oz is beloved by many, and remembered by all. Personally, I grew up watching and adoring this movie and singing all of the unforgettable, catchy tunes. I have even dressed up as Dorothy for Halloween. This is a timeless classic, portraying a story of perseverance, friendship, and self sufficiency among other things. The tale of the four friends' journey and triumph over the wicked witch to get what they needed; be it home, a brain, courage, or a heart has been inspiring people since 1939.
To me, the movie seems to personify the triumph of good over evil, as well as perseverance. As the story starts out, Dorothy simply wants to keep her dog, and be independent. However, she ends up finding herself in a great deal of trouble, seemingly far from home, and feeling extremely dependent. This shows just how childlike, and human her character is, and how she has \"the grass is always greener on the other side\" type of attitude. However, she and her four-legged companion, Toto are obviously quite easy to get along with, as she makes friends almost everywhere she goes. Each of these new friends, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion all want something both relatively simple, yet incredibly complex. They want only small things, though those very things mean a great deal to each of them. Only a truly loving, intelligent, or courageous person would wish for a heart, a brain, or courage. Others would wish for more material things, and I think this shows what truly good people each of the characters were.
Dorothy only wants to get back home to Kansas, her family, and her familiar life. The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, want a brain, a heart, and courage, respectively. Throughout the movie, they travel many miles, and overcome many obstacles just to see the wizard. Narrowly escaping evil trees, a flame throwing witch, and sleep-inducing poppies, they finally arrive in Oz to meet the infamous Wizard. Only the magical, ruby red slippers of the deceased wicked witch of the east identify Dorothy as being legitimate in the eyes of the citizens of Oz. After having the wizard reject her first request, she is sent on another mission. During this process, Dorothy is captured, and nearly killed by the still living witch, as her friends cunningly plan her successful escape. In one fell swoop, Dorothy takes down the witch dynasty for good, melting the Wicked Witch of the West with a bucket of water, allowing Dorothy to take her broom back to the wizard. These loyal friends went to great lengths to save and help her, and each other, showing one of the great themes of the movie.
The witch's broom satisfies the wizard, though his returned gift of 'magic' is slightly less impressive than had been expected, necessitating a new form of magic. Self sufficiency and self actualization are major themes of the film, and are rather evident, especially in the end. As a conclusion, Dorothy and her companions find they could have gotten along without the wizard's help all along. All they really needed was confidence, and to appreciate what they already had and took for granted, which they discovered without any real assistance from the wizard, besides perhaps a few encouraging words. Each person eventually found their respective desires within themselves, as they could have all along, though the true test was to dig deep to find each of them.
Good triumphing over evil is a prominent theme of the movie, as well as the innocence of childhood, and friendship. The four friends unconditionally love and protect one another, and go to great lengths to do so. Dorothy's obvious innocence kept her from always seeing things as they were. She did not expect anyone could be so wicked, as the witch and many others were. Also, the story, that we eventually learn Dorothy dreamed up, is somewhat obviously just that; a child's dream. In hindsight, the costumes of the characters were both realistic, and just fake enough to make out who the characters represented in the young girl's life. I always found this to be a rather interesting fact. During her entire stay in Oz, Dorothy never seemed to realize her new friends were indeed the same as her old ones from Kansas, though when she wakes up back in her bed, she knows that each of them were also in her dream. This shows that each of them have parallel mannerisms with their previous characters.
Even the score for the film is fantastic. As a musician, and a child who grew up singing \"If I only had a brain,\" I quite appreciate the musical aspects of this glorious movie. Each of the songs portrays the individual parts of the movie, as well as the film in its entirety. While there are many different themes and melodies, from \"Over the rainbow,\" to \"We're off to see the wizard,\" to the unforgettable theme of the Wicked Witch of the West, they all eventually tie in together, and apply to the whole movie. Each scene has its own music, and therefore its own mood, and identity, but is also somewhat similar to others. For example, as Dorothy discovers each of her new friends, in turn, the song alters just a bit. It changes from \"if I only had a brain\", to \"if I only had a heart\", and then the same for \"the nerve\". The quartet also sings many songs, such as \"We're off to see the wizard\" in many different scenes, though it is essentially the same song.
All in all, the Wizard of Oz is an excellent movie, on of the best ever in my opinion. The joyous music and life lessons that it brings can do nothing but make one smile, unless of course you were afraid of the flying monkeys. With the expert cast, headed by the talented Judy Garland, an amazing display of Technicolor, unforgettable music, and four loyal companions, the Wizard of Oz is rightfully one of the most beloved movies of all time.
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Wizard of Oz Collectors edition
Very pleased with this product! This collection has all the back ground history of making the "Wizard of Oz" movie.
