How many movies made now are really, truly influential for longer than their occupation of our short-term memories, much less the duration of their running times? Precious few, or so it seems. And yet the Wizard of Oz has endured for more than six decades as a signpost - nay, a zenith - in the genre of family entertainment, and amazingly feels as if it hasn't aged a day in all of that time. The Wizard of Oz is, like few other movies in all of cinema, a spectacular fantasy that engages audiences from 8 to 80, enchants and entertains and evokes deeply-felt human emotions that aren't merely archetypal conflicts but real palpable problems; and this brand-new DVD celebrates its remarkable, historic achievement with a three-disc set that properly examines the lineage of L.
Frank Baum's most famous work from script to screen and everything in between. There's not a human being alive who isn't familiar with Dorothy's story, but what's truly remarkable about its exhibition here is the presentation: using a technique called' Ultra-Resolution', Warner Brothers restores the film to its original luster, and perhaps even improves upon it, clarifying details as small as the burlap in Scarecrow's cheeks without sacrificing the overall texture of the film's fanciful landscape.
The end result is no less than the best transfer of the , if not the history of DVD; if one ever needs a disc to advertise his or her video set-up, this is the one to do it. But overall there's a sort of magic that this film possesses that its successors have seldom if ever regained. Watching it again for the umpteenth time as I did when I got this, journeying off to see the wizard was just as fresh and fun as the first time, and lost none of its enjoyment for being supposedly 'trumped' but the technical if not imaginative complexity of its contemporaries.
In fact, The Wizard of Oz joins the ranks of the few movies that I can now watch as an adult and lose none of my youthful enthusiasm when doing so; I don't look for shortcomings, criticize its relative cinematic simplicity, or revel in real or perceived problems with its design or execution. When Dorothy says 'there's no place like home,' I'm right there with her, and need never grow up or gain sophistication to appreciate its satisfying spectacle.
Score: 10 out of 10 The Video As mentioned above, this DVD looks immaculate: Dorothy's checkered blues dress never looked as beautiful as it does here, and suffers none from the primitive Technicolor camerawork that has endured some less-than-stellar DVD transfers in recent years.
Because the DVD producers restored each layer of the format's three-color film, there are no image problems whatsoever - dirt, dust and debris is completely absent - and yet the restored color is perfectly preserved, offering a delicately balanced, dynamic color scheme. The remainder of the films assembled in this set, which include five earlier visualizations of the Oz universe, are perhaps less polished in their presentation, but are restored as fully as one expects is humanly possible: the silent shorts date back to , and look predictably poor.
But by virtue of their availability and the sheer, unparalleled quality of the '39 Oz transfer, this is the set to beat for years to come. The film automatically plays a restored Dolby Digital 5. Because of the availability of multiple audio tracks during the remastering process, particularly for the orchestral score, there has been no maligning of the original sound design, as has been the case with some other re-released classics; so with multiple takes and microphone placements available the localization of specific orchestral elements further creates and encompassing cinematic experience while watching the film.
That The Wizard of Oz was able to emerge from such a tornado of production trouble and land squarely in the realm of movie magic is part of what makes it the paragon of wondrous classic Hollywood filmmaking. Nearly three-quarters of a century after its initial release, Oz has lost none of its power to entertain. And because it remains such a fundamental part of our cultural makeup, its legacy endures not just in its original form, but in the countless projects it has influenced across all media.
There are at least three major networks currently developing TV shows directly based on L. Sold by hillcrestcollectibles 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. Additional Product Features Film Country. Show More Show Less. Any Condition Any Condition. See all 20 - All listings for this product. Ratings and Reviews Write a review. Most relevant reviews See all 24 reviews. The most beloved movie of all time This is a wonderful movie on so many levels.
Picture 8 Join the LD community, Click here to register. Mint Marks sample A B Features a restored Technicolor video transfer from the original Nitrate Negative and restored audio soundtrack from the original audio soundtrack.
The film is presented on 2 discs completely in CAV format with commentary from "Oz" experts.
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