The Wizard Of Oz
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Details At A Glance
General
|
Extras
|
Category |
Family |
Theatrical Trailers (5)
Featurette - The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz: The Making Of A Movie Classic
Outtakes and Deleted Scenes (5)
Behind The Scenes:
Gallery - Sketches and Storyboards
Gallery - Costume and Make Up Tests
Gallery - Portrait Gallery
Gallery - Special Effects Stills
Featurette - Harold Arlen Home Movies
Featurette - Special Effects Sequences (6)
Featurette - Texas Contest Winners promotional film excerpt
Featurette - Romance of Celluloid short excerpt
Trailer - Loew's Cairo Trailer (easter egg)
Gallery - Post Production Stills
Oz History:
Featurette - excerpt from 1914 silent film His Majesty, The Scarecrow
of Oz
Featurette - excerpt from 1925 silent film The Wizard Of Oz
Featurette - excerpt from Ted Eshbaugh's 1933 cartoon
Oz Afterlife:
1979 interviews with Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger and Jack Haley
Gallery - Original Publicity Stills
Gallery - New York Premiere Stills
Gallery - Hollywood Premiere Stills
Gallery - 1939/40 Oscar Ceremonies Stills
Gallery - Oz Abroad Stills
Featurette - Off To See The Wizard
Featurette - Excerpt from 1939 Cavalcade of Academy Winners
Audio Supplements:
The Jukebox - Assorted songs - rehearsals, alternate takes
MGM Radio Show - Good News Of 1939
MGM Promotional Radio Trailer - Leo Is In The Air |
Rating |
|
Year Released |
1939 |
Running Time |
97:39 minutes |
RSDL/Flipper |
Dual Layer |
Cast & Crew
|
Start Up |
Menu |
Region |
2,4 |
Director |
Victor Fleming |
Studio
Distributor
|
Warner Home Video
|
Starring |
Judy Garland
Frank Morgan
Ray Bolger
Bert Lahr
Jack Haley
Billie Burke
Margaret Hamilton
Charley Grapewin |
Case |
Transparent Amaray |
RPI |
$36.95 |
Music |
Herbert Stothart |
Video
|
Audio
|
Pan & Scan/Full Frame |
Full Frame |
MPEG |
None |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio |
None |
Dolby Digital |
5.1 |
16x9 Enhancement |
No |
Soundtrack Languages |
English (Dolby Digital 5.1, 384 Kb/s)
French (Dolby Digital 1.0, 192 Kb/s)
Italian (Dolby Digital 1.0, 192 Kb/s) |
Original Aspect Ratio |
1.37:1 |
Miscellaneous
|
Macrovision |
? |
Smoking |
No |
Subtitles |
English
French
Italian
Dutch
Arabic
Spanish
Portuguese
German
Romanian
Hungarian
English for the Hearing Impaired
Italian for the Hearing Impaired |
Annoying Product Placement |
No |
Action In or After Credits |
No |
Plot Synopsis
After what seems like endless release sheets of mainly
mediocrity, Warner Home Video have taken a big plunge and come up with
a comparatively staggering collection of classic films in its September
release list, including The Big Sleep, Key Largo,
one of the truly all time great films in The Maltese Falcon
and the greatest family film of all time in The Wizard Of Oz. Whilst
there have been plenty of good films released in Region 4, I would be battling
to recall four films of this stature being released in the same month from
the same distributor. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a big lead
up to Christmas in terms of the quality of titles we can expect to see.
It seems somewhat poetic in many respects that the
first time I ever get to see The Wizard Of Oz in all its glory is
on its DVD release. Yes, I have never seen the film in its entirety before.
In many respects I am glad that this was the first occasion that I have
seen the film, because this is a very special DVD to complement a very
special film.
I am not going to bother providing a plot synopsis
for the very simple reason that there is absolutely nothing that I could
possibly add to the plethora of words that have been written about this
film and its cast and crew. Even if there was anything I could have added,
believe me when I say it has been pretty well covered by arguably the greatest
collection of extras added to a Region 4 DVD.
The Wizard Of Oz sits solidly in the Internet
Movie Database Top 50 of all time and was voted as the greatest family
film of all time by the American Film Institute. Need anything more be
added, other than to say - why have you not yet bought this film on DVD?
Oh, of course, you are waiting for this review. Well, read on.
Transfer Quality
Video
The wonders that Warners can perform on older films
never ceases to amaze me when it comes to video transfers. Michael D's
words were "the movie looks sensational". I am not going to disagree with
his assessment. Considering that this is a sixty-one year old film, the
transfer looks quite amazing.
The original aspect ratio of the film is 1.37:1,
which equates very readily with the 1.33:1 aspect ratio of modern televisions
that this transfer is presented at. It is of course not 16x9 enhanced.
Apart from a few minor lapses where the image is
just a little diffuse, and I am suspecting that these are inherent faults
in the source material, there is little to complain about with the video
transfer. It is nicely sharp, without ever demonstrating any edge enhancement,
and presents a very nicely detailed image. Whilst not the epitome of detail,
certain allowances do have to be made for the fact that it is 61 years
old and so shadow detail could perhaps have been just a tad better, but
there is nothing to really worry anyone other than the most extremely fastidious
in this regard. The transfer is quite clear other than those sequences
involving special effects. As is quite common for films of this era, the
effects are quite passé by current standards (wires anyone?), but
the main problem is that they are usually accompanied by a little more
grain in the picture than would be expected in more modern films. There
did not seem to be any low level noise problems with the transfer.
Knowing how badly I am affected by the over-rich
colour of Technicolor films of the 1940s, I was a little reticent coming
into the review session for this DVD. To say I was surprised by the colour
is something of an understatement. This is a beautiful palette of colours
that does not in any way get over-rich in tone and certainly does not in
any way approach oversaturation. This is a beautiful-looking and nicely-balanced
palette that whilst not especially vibrant is nonetheless thoroughly engaging
and wonderfully conveys the fantasy aspect of the film. The colours are
also remarkably consistent. The initial part of the film and the very end
are in sepia-toned black and white and this looks as good as it has ever
done I would suggest.
There did not appear to be any significant MPEG artefacts
in the transfer. There was something of an aliasing problem in Dorothy's
dress during the opening sepia sequences to the film, but apart from some
minor aliasing during the colour sequences, this was the extent of the
film-to-video artefacts in the transfer. For a film of this age, this is
remarkably free from film artefacts and the only really noticeable patch
was during the earlier sepia sequence in the film - which was anything
but disruptive in the overall scheme of things.
This is a dual layer
format DVD, but in the absence of there being any noticeable layer change
I am suspecting that the film is mastered on one layer with the extras
filling out everything else.
Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness |
|
Shadow Detail |
|
Colour |
|
Grain |
|
Film-To-Video Artefacts |
|
Film Artefacts |
|
Overall |
|
Audio
Purists may be horrified to see that the English soundtrack
is a Dolby Digital 5.1 effort, but rest assured that this is a superbly
crafted effort that really does not destroy the 1939 feel of the film.
This is one of the most tastefully done 5.1 remasters that I can recall
hearing.
There are three audio tracks on the DVD, being the
English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, a French Dolby Digital 1.0 soundtrack
and an Italian Dolby Digital 1.0 soundtrack. I stuck with the English soundtrack
for the simple reason that there was so much else to view here that I did
not have time to check out the other audio tracks.
Dialogue is clear and easy to understand throughout,
as are all the song vocals.
There did not appear to be any hint at all of audio
sync problems with the transfer.
The musical score comes from Herbert Stothart
and is such an integral part of the film that it is doubtful that the film
would have been the same without it. It won the Oscar for Best Musical
Score in a year that saw many great films released, so its merits are not
to be doubted. The songs came from the pen of E.Y. Harburg and Harold
Arlen and some eternal classics are here: none more so than the song
that is so much associated with Judy Garland, Over The Rainbow,
which won the Oscar for Best Song.
Even though this is a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack,
you would not really notice it as the remastering has really been done
in a quite subtle way so as to enhance the original soundtrack without
destroying its classic status. There is subtle surround channel use to
emphasize sequences like the tornado, but nothing that results in an unnatural
sounding effort at all. The bass channel gets very little use here and
is very rarely used for minor subtle support. This is all very tastefully
done, and so what could have turned into a very bombastic effort is actually
a very restrained remaster that retains a lot of the original character
of the film. It is a nicely open soundtrack without any hint of congestion
at all. Marvellous stuff indeed for a sixty one year old film soundtrack.
Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue |
|
Audio Sync |
|
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts |
|
Surround Channel Use |
|
Subwoofer |
|
Overall |
|
Extras
And you thought you had seen extras! Well, I have seen
some laden efforts in my time, but there are few that can compare with
this effort and still be contained on one disc! Personally, I think this
is the best package in quality and quantity to grace a Region 4 DVD thus
far. Now if only we could get this sort of commitment from Warners on a
more regular basis!
Menu
Nicely vibrant but something of a wolf in sheep's clothing
in hiding an awful lot of the extras content until a couple of levels in.
Theatrical Trailers (5)
Yes, there are indeed five of them, all presented in
a full frame format, not 16x9 enhanced and with Dolby Digital 1.0 sound,
apart from the most recent effort which has Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. All
of are quite decent quality. The trailers comprise:
-
1939 What Is Oz teaser trailer (0:37)
-
1949 reissue trailer (2:40)
-
1949 Grown Up reissue trailer (2:20)
-
1970 Children's matinee reissue trailer (1:14)
-
1998 Warner Brothers theatrical trailer (1:39)
Featurette - The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz: The Making Of A Classic Film (50:54)
Narrated by Angela Lansbury, this is a wonderful
look at the making of the film that will have Oz devotees in raptures.
Some of the wonderful (and tragic) stories here include casting difficulties
and studio differences over the style of certain characters. If you don't
find this an interesting 50 minutes, I would doubt that you would ever
find any extra on any DVD of any interest. The image at times is a little
diffuse and there is evidence of some blockiness in the transfer. Presented
in a full frame format, not 16x9 enhanced and with Dolby Digital 1.0 sound,
if this were the only extra on the DVD it would still make it an essential
purchase. But wait, there is more...
Outtakes and Deleted Scenes (5)
These comprise:
-
If I Only Had A Brain (4:29) - a complete sequence that was deleted late
in the piece owing to studio concerns over the length of the film. Shows
that studio bosses don't know everything.
-
If I Only Had A Heart (1:23) - this is a recording of Buddy Ebsen,
the original Tin Man, played over a still photograph. He was replaced in
the role two weeks into filming after contracting a rather nasty ailment
as a result of his costume.
-
Triumphant Return To Emerald City (2:03) - none of the filmed sequence
remains, but the audio recording is played over a series of stills and
test shots taken at the time.
-
Over The Rainbow (1:56) - a reprise of the song during Dorothy's incarceration
in the Wicked Witch's castle, none of the filmed sequence remains but this
live recording with piano accompaniment is played over some stills.
-
The Jitterbug (3:42) - after five weeks work and a fair deal of money,
the sequence got canned and none of the film survives. However, Harold
Arlen captured a lot of the sequence on his 16 mm home movie camera
and this forms the bulk of the backdrop to the remaining audio.
Like almost everything else on the extras front, the
format for all sequences is full frame, not 16x9 enhanced and comes with
Dolby Digital 1.0 sound. Most of this is priceless and well worthy of inclusion
here even if the video quality for The Jitterbug (rightly dropped from
the film in my view) is not exactly the best. And still there is more...
Behind The Scenes
These comprise:
-
Gallery - Sketches and Storyboards: 14 stills showing design work for a
couple of sequences of the film.
-
Gallery - Costume and Make Up Tests: 54 stills showing the gestation of
costumes and make up, as well as screen test shots for a couple of roles
(mainly unsuccessful).
-
Gallery - Portrait Gallery: 71 stills showing various publicity type shots
for cast members.
-
Gallery - Special Effects Stills: 30 stills showing various aspects of
the special effects works, including detailed descriptions and costings.
-
Featurette - Harold Arlen Home Movies (3:48): more behind the scenes footage
captured by Harold Arlen on his 16 mm home movie camera.
-
Featurette - Special Effects Sequences: six sequences are shown in detail
through unused footage to demonstrate how they were done. Fascinating stuff
to compare with say Twister! The
sequences are: It's A Twister! It's A Twister! (0:44), Tornado Across The
Prairie (1:20), Funnel Advancing Toward The Camera (2:38), Kansas Farmhouse
Falls (1:05), View Through Dorothy's Window (2:18) and Oz Funnel In Repose
(1:40).
-
Featurette - Texas Contest Winners (1.35): taken from an MGM promotional
film about the visit of some Texas contest winners to the studios, the
excerpt is included as it has the winners meeting the then three cast members
in Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger and Buddy Ebsen.
-
Featurette - Romance of Celluloid (1:51): taken from a longer work, this
is included as it shows the filming of a sequence of the film. It is played
twice, once in slow motion so that all the detail is seen and a second
time through at normal speed, with narration.
-
Trailer - Loew's Cairo Trailer (2:04): this is an easter egg of sorts as
it is not mentioned anywhere on the packaging nor in the menus, but plays
straight after the previous short featurette.
-
Gallery - Post Production Stills: 10 stills of various crew members.
The format for all sequences is full frame, not 16x9
enhanced and comes with Dolby Digital 1.0 sound (except for the Romance
of Celluloid, which comes with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound). Although the link
for inclusion of some items is a little tenuous, you cannot accuse Warners
of not including everything they could lay their hands on! The quality
is generally pretty good although some of the photographs do display cross
colouration problems. And still there is more...
Oz History
These comprise:
-
Featurette - excerpt from 1914 silent film His Majesty, The Scarecrow
of Oz (0:53): notable for being produced by the film company set
up by L. Frank Baum, the author of the Oz series of books.
-
Featurette - excerpt from 1925 silent film The Wizard of Oz (1:16).
-
Featurette - excerpt from 1933 cartoon by Ted Eshbaugh (1:49).
The format for all sequences is full frame, not 16x9
enhanced and comes with Dolby Digital 1.0 sound (where needed!). Definitely
for Oz completists only I would think! Technically actually quite decent.
And still there is more... more...
Oz Afterlife
Yes, we keep on going! These comprise:
-
Interviews - Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger and Jack Haley.
The total length is only 3:34, but the way they are put together is a little
bit of a pain. All three interviews are presented as three pictures in
a picture, with only the selected interview dialogue being heard. Since
Margaret Hamilton's is the longest, when the interview material
finishes for each of the others, you are left with silent video for the
balance of her interview, until the program ends and returns to the menu
selection. This could have been handled a lot better.
-
Gallery - Original Publicity Stills: 33 stills.
-
Gallery - New York Premiere Stills: 14 stills.
-
Gallery - Hollywood Premiere Stills: 11 stills.
-
Gallery - 1939/40 Oscar Ceremonies Stills: 9 stills.
-
Gallery - Oz Abroad Stills: 10 stills. Foreign movie posters and books.
-
Featurette - Off To See The Wizard: these are four animated "We'll Be Right
Back" and four "Coming Next Week" sequences from what was presumably a
later cartoon series.
-
Featurette - 1929 Cavalcade Of Academy Winners (2:21). Produced by the
immortal Frank Capra, this excerpt shows the film's two Oscars being
presented.
The format for all sequences is full frame, not 16x9
enhanced and comes with Dolby Digital 1.0 sound. Definitely more for Oz
completists only, and I really am lost as to why the Off To See The Wizard
stuff is included. And still there is more...
Audio Only Supplements
And you may finally get to the end after listening to
this collection! To be honest, I have not yet listened to it all and cannot
actually attest to how long it is as I simply have had to take breaks in
listening and have lost track of the timing. The packaging claims it to
be 5 hours and 58 minutes worth, and I am not going to argue based upon
how long I have been listening so far (nor am I going to relisten to it
all just to get an accurate timing either). The format is straight audio
over the relevant menu page. These comprise:
-
The Jukebox: 18 selections of various songs in alternate takes, rehearsals
and so on that will absolutely delight the audio aficionado.
-
MGM Radio Show - Good News Of 1939: an hour long radio broadcast promoting
the film. Typical congested sound for such sourced material but not unlistenable.
-
MGM Promotional Radio Trailer - Leo Is In The Air: this is a typical radio
promotional piece for the era that essentially provides an auditory equivalent
of the movie trailer - just a lot longer.
This is all very fascinating stuff based upon what I
have heard and, as long as taken in smallish doses, can be revelled in
as a reminder of how things used to be. And yes that is the whole extras
package!
R4 vs R1
Whilst in a package of this size, something might have
been missed, as far as I can ascertain this is pretty much identical to
the Region 1 release in all major respects. Given that, Region 4 would
be the region of choice owing to PAL formatting and better packaging (transparent
Amaray case vs snapper case).
Summary
What more needs to be said? The Wizard Of Oz
is an essential film that should be in every collection. In a rare instance,
the film has been given an extras package that it truly deserves making
it even more of an essential purchase, especially for Oz fanatics. Whatever
you do, just go out and get this DVD. I am very, very, very tempted to
induct it into the Hall Of Fame as I doubt that we will ever see a better
looking 61 year old film, and certainly doubt that we will see an extras
package of this magnitude for a film of this vintage.
A very good video transfer for its age.
A very good audio transfer for its age, tastefully
remastered with reverence.
An unbelievable extras package that really deserves
six stars!
Video |
|
Audio |
|
Extras |
|
Plot |
|
Overall |
|
© Ian Morris (have
a laugh, check out the bio)
11th September 2000
Review Equipment
|
DVD |
Pioneer DV-515; S-video output |
Display |
Sony Trinitron Wega 80cm. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD
version of Video Essentials. |
Audio Decoder |
Built in |
Amplification |
Yamaha RXV-795. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD version
of Video Essentials. |
Speakers |
Energy Speakers: centre EXLC; left and right C-2; rears
EXLR; and subwoofer ES-12XL |