criterionforum.org

Posted: **Thu Jul 07, 2005 8:05 pm**

Wizard of Oz' DVDs set to blow into stores By Thomas K. Arnold

Fans of "The Wizard of Oz" should be over the rainbow when the classic 1939 film is reissued on DVD on Oct. 25.

"Oz" will be available both as two- and three-disc sets, the latter boasting a new documentary about "Oz" author L. Frank Baum, Warner Home Video said Wednesday. They will be priced at $26.99 and $39.92, respectively. The film was originally released on DVD in October 1999 as a single disc.

Both versions of the upcoming "Oz" DVDs will include a new digital transfer of the original movie using Warner's proprietary "Ultra-Resolution" technology. The soundtrack has been remastered as well. Special features include a new commentary from historian John Fricke; four documentaries, including one on the restoration process; outtakes and deleted scenes; home movies made on the "Oz" set by composer Harold Arlen; and an "Oz Jukebox" of recording session materials, radio shows and promo spots.

The three-disc edition also includes four hours devoted to Baum; five pre-1939 "Oz" movies, the earliest of which dates to 1910; and reproductions of the invitation and program for the film's premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Reuters/VNU

Posted: **Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:59 pm**

This restoration should be awesome. As far as I understand, it was done at 4K. Now, the people who restored Star Wars, I'm not sure if they're behind it, but they wanted to do all three color strips at 4K. I think that's how it was done. If so, it should be spectacular. Too bad they couldn't include the old criterion commentary by Ron Haver as well.

Posted: **Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:35 pm**

More double dipping for me #-o

Posted: **Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:54 pm**

Arcadean wrote:More double dipping for me #-o

im there too, brother. #-o
let us share our double dipping dvd pain together.

Posted: **Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:55 pm**

I'm glad to see that the many hours of music session material seems to be included once again (Oz Jukebox?), so that the old edition can be unloaded if so desired. Completists should note that the music and effects only track included on one of thethe single disc LD editions has never made it to dvd.

Five pre-39 Oz movies? Holy crap!

Posted: **Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:57 pm**

yes, the 3 disc edition sounds amazing.

Posted: **Fri Jul 08, 2005 6:30 am**

exte wrote:This restoration should be awesome. As far as I understand, it was done at 4K. Now, the people who restored Star Wars, I'm not sure if they're behind it, but they wanted to do all three color strips at 4K. I think that's how it was done.

Ultra Resolution (3 strip remastering) is how it was done.
Not by Lowry Digital who cleaned up Star Wars.

Posted: **Sat Jul 09, 2005 5:47 pm**

Variety article on Oz:

Warners burnishes 'Oz' DVD

New restoration created with high-def in mind

By SCOTT HETTRICK

Warner Home Video will release two new special editions of "The Wizard of Oz" on Oct. 25 that include the first new restoration and new bonus features in 12 years.

Restoration utilizes Warner's proprietary digital "Ultra-Resolution" technology process used on recent releases of titles such as last year's "Gone With the Wind."

New restoration has been created with high-def presentation in mind. "Wizard" will not be one of the first batch of high-def DVDs Warner releases this fall, when it plans to introduce the first releases on one of two incompatible high-def disc formats called HD DVD. But Warner Home Video senior VP classic catalog George Feltenstein said it will likely be among the first waves of movies released in high-def.

The score and soundtrack have also been enhanced and remastered for a new 5.1 channel stereo audio track, creating more separation from the two microphones used to record some of the music, in addition to the option of the original mono track.

Two versions of the DVD will be released with very different sleeve art for the two-disc special edition and the three-disc collector's edition.

Three-disc edition, with 13 hours of bonus features, including more than five hours of new extras, features a new documentary about creator L. Frank Baum and the entire 1925 silent feature film version of "The Wizard of Oz," starring Oliver Hardy as the Tin Man. Earlier pic has been restored from 35mm nitrate and features a new score recorded by Robert Israel.

Warners estimates that about 20 million copies of the movie have been sold collectively in the multiple VHS and Betamax editions, three laserdisc editions and two previous DVD editions since the initial VHS release in 1980 as one of MGM's first group of homevideo titles. That edition used an original theatrical release print. The studio reissued the movie on video in a 50th anniversary edition in 1989 using a transfer from a rare Technicolor print found in the basement of CBS.

In 1993 MGM released "The Ultimate Oz" set that featured the film transferred from a new interpositive from the original negative and hours of bonus features presented in their entirety on a laserdisc set. But that edition has registration problems with colors out of alignment, causing fuzziness and ghosting in some scenes.

That same film element was used for the edition that MGM released in 1997 for one of its first DVDs, which had none of the bonus features from "The Ultimate Oz," and again on the 1999 DVD release from Warner, which had then taken over the MGM library. That current release includes all of the bonus features from the 1993 laserdisc.

Posted: **Sat Jul 09, 2005 6:46 pm**

Jeff wrote:Variety article on Oz:
Warners burnishes 'Oz' DVD

Three-disc edition, with 13 hours of bonus features,

this is amazing.

In 1 or 2 years, will at least 10 hours of extras be standard for the highest-profile, (criterion or otherwise) new HD or DVD releases??

Posted: **Sat Jul 09, 2005 9:59 pm**

Believe it or not, I have almost zero interest in the 39 Wizard of Oz and will only be purchasing the 3-disc set for the Baum silents. Having seen them, I've been waiting years for the inevitable DVD set (there was a VHS one). I'm really happy to see that it's Warner handling their presentation, so my fears of cheap releases are long gone. Of course, the price tag is adjusted accordingly... but it'll be worth it!

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2005 7:50 am**

Feast your eyes on this.

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2005 10:16 am**

"Surrender, Dorothy!"

Posted: **Fri Aug 26, 2005 2:32 am**

Have to agree with flixy. WIZARD OF OZ has been done to death. We all grew up with it. But seriously, how much can we take. This infantile obsession is not healthy. Please, no more sickening schmaltzy songs like "Rainbow", ugly monkeys, annoying dogs and obnoxious midgets. The colour is garrish. The film belongs to 50's-70's television.

Posted: **Fri Aug 26, 2005 2:46 am**

You sound like pigvomit...

Posted: **Fri Aug 26, 2005 8:06 am**

This infantile obsession is not healthy.

Whose infantile obsession? Posts like this make me think there are hidden posts I'm not seeing.

Posted: **Fri Aug 26, 2005 8:41 am**

Maybe he needs to grow up. (How's that for a one-liner, Invunche?)

Posted: **Fri Aug 26, 2005 3:26 pm**

Hey, we're ALL obsessed with something here. Might as well be something from our childhood.

Personally, I think the package is too much to resist, and have had no thoughts of doing so.

Of course, King Kong is the slam dunk, having had no prior dvd release.

Posted: **Fri Sep 02, 2005 2:26 am**

I think it's great, and it's definitely my first or second pick for any family-oriented viewing...AND this is an impressive package...but what is this, the 1000th reissue? Granted there's only been a few DVD releases, but do it right ONCE and move on!

Hey, Turner, there's other pictures in the vault! Put those out!

Posted: **Fri Sep 02, 2005 2:36 am**

I think it's great, and it's definitely my first or second pick for any family-oriented viewing...AND this is an impressive package...but what is this, the 1000th reissue? Granted there's only been a few DVD releases, but do it right ONCE and move on!

Hey, Turner, there's other pictures in the vault! Put those out!

Actually I don't mind this or any other re-issue Warner has done. The currently available Wizard of Oz is one of the early DVD releases and even if it was well done, everything was crammed into one disc. Now we get the 2 disc and the spectacular 3 disc. This is just one of Warner great policies of treating their classics like gold and giving them the beast treatment they possibly can. The have done the same with Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, Singing in the Rain, the Shawshank Redemption and the upcoming Ben-Hur. And by the way, the have released a lot sutff from their catalog, so you have to be patient with the rest of their vault because they are doing a great job and are not holding back any punches with their DVDs. They are not like FOX or Universal,who triple or quadruple dip only with their top grossing films.

Posted: **Fri Sep 02, 2005 5:12 am**

hearthesilence wrote:I think it's great, and it's definitely my first or second pick for any family-oriented viewing...AND this is an impressive package...but what is this, the 1000th reissue? Granted there's only been a few DVD releases, but do it right ONCE and move on!

Hey, Turner, there's other pictures in the vault! Put those out!

If they don't cash in on the big cash cows periodically, you won't see any of that stuff hiding in the vaults.

Posted: **Sat Oct 15, 2005 4:40 pm**

Does anybody knows why the 3 disc is sold online with a MSRP of $49.95, when actually is supposed to be $39.95, according to all the press releases given by Warner? I haven't pre-ordered because of that.

Posted: **Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:26 am**

Just a quick note to Canadians buying this set. The third disc does not include the listed 1933 Cartoon short. It would appear that the U.S. release is not effected as most online reviews are of American origin.
I have sent an email to Warner about the problem.

Posted: **Tue Nov 08, 2005 1:29 pm**

DVD Times review:

http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=59163

Posted: **Sun Nov 13, 2005 11:56 pm**

Columbia House's DVD club has the three-disc special edition for $24. This may be the standard club price, but it's a huge markdown, much more than any given to their other box set. Tax is $1 or 2, but shipping is free if you get 2 other DVD's (works out nice if you have an obligation left and they have a buy 1, get 1 free sale).

Posted: **Tue Nov 29, 2005 3:13 am**

Doesn't any one else care that the Canadian version is missing the 1933 version? I think it's shit because it was advertised as the same and the packaging also states that this feature should be present.