Cinema Retro has just received this press release from Warner Home Video about one of the most prestigious DVD releases of 2009.
Burbank,
Calif. June 9, 2009 – It is difficult to imagine a motion picture more magical
and more wonderful than Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's
wonderful The Wizard of Oz. Over the last seven decades, the film has
indelibly woven itself into America’s cultural
consciousness: Is there anyone who doesn’t
immediately think of the film upon hearing the words, “Dorothy,†“Toto,â€
“Emerald City,†“Ruby Slippers†and “Yellow Brick Road†-- or the lines to the song
“Over the Rainbow?â€
Now, the
colorful characters and unforgettable songs of Oz come alive
as never before when Warner Home Video brings this cinematic treasure into the
digital age with the September 29 Blu-ray
release of The Wizard of Oz 70th
Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s
Edition. The commemorative
edition contains nearly 4 hours of all-new and never-before-available bonus
features and is housed in numbered
collectible packaging, and will be available for a limited time only for
$69.92 SRP
(DVD) and $84.99 SRP
(Blu-ray
Hi-Def).
In order to bring all the visual splendor of The
Wizard of Oz to the Hi-Def world of Blu-ray Disc, the film has been
entirely remastered, with each of the original Technicolor camera negatives
scanned using 8K resolution. From this scan, a final ‘capture’ master was
created in 4K, yielding twice the resolution seen in the master
utilized for the film's previous DVD release.
Working in ‘full film Resolution’, extreme care was
taken to ensure that all of the image fidelity contained in the original
negatives was properly captured for this new presentation. The sounds of Oz
will come alive on Blu-ray disc utilizing the full audio spectrum capabilities
available through Dolby TrueHD audio. The net result is one of unprecedented
quality that is sure to make The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary
Edition a benchmark in the history of the Blu-ray format.
The
following components are ALL-NEW and exclusive to
this release:
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The Dreamer of Oz – which makes its long-awaited home video debut.
Also remastered
for the occasion, this full-length motion picture was an NBC-TV special
event in 1990 and thrilled critics and audiences as it told the back story
of author L.
Frank Baum, "the Royal Historian of Oz.†John Ritter
shines in the title role -- the man who defied all odds to create the famous
characters and stories. Annette O'Toole
beautifully co-stars as his supportive wife, with Rue McClanahan
as his challenging witch of a mother-in-law.
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Victor Fleming, Master Craftsman -- a new feature-length documentary
produced specifically for this release about the Hollywood director who, in the
same year, miraculously brought both Oz and Gone With the Wind to
the screen.
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Hollywood Celebrates It’s Biggest Little Stars-- a new featurette
that stars seven of the original "Munchkins
of Oz" and tells the saga of the long journey, culminating in them receiving
their own 2007 Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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The Magic Cloak of Oz -- the first release of the complete
1914 silent film, including lost footage never before included in a home
video presentation of this feature (produced by Baum himself).
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The Patchwork Girl of Oz
--another 1914 Baum-produced, feature-length silent
film, new to Warner Home Video.
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The Wizard of Oz Sing-Along Track -- here
making
its home entertainment debut.
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Reproductions of Archival Material-- Extraordinary renderings of the
original 1939 Oz campaign, exploitation, and press books. These
materials constitute a Hollywood "holy grail" for Oz,
Garland, and motion picture fans alike and, for decades, have been among
the most sought-after and impossible-to-find collectibles.
Â
Behind The Curtain -- a 52-page miniature
coffee-table book, assembled by pre-eminent Oz historian John Fricke.
Encompassing much previously unpublished material, the deluxe
volume includes behind-the-scenes Oz photographs, studio memos, and script
pages for abandoned scenes and musical numbers.
Â
Exclusive Wizard of Oz Watch --Acollectible and numbered 70th
Anniversary watch, incorporating art from the film and enhanced with genuine
crystals. Available nowhere else, this beautiful timepiece was created
specially for this DVD edition.
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And for
the Blu-Ray Ultimate Collector’s Edition, the original extended version of “If
I Only Had a Brain†performed by Ray Bolger has been remastered in
hi-definition especially for this release.
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About the Movie
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Adapted
from L.
Frank Baum’s
timeless children’s
tale about a Kansas girl’s
journey over the rainbow, The Wizard of Oz opened at Grauman’s
Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939. The film was directed by Victor Fleming
(who that same year directed Gone With the Wind), produced by MervynLeRoy,
and scored by Herbert Stothart,
with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen
and E.Y. Harburg.
Ray Bolger
appeared as the Scarecrow; Bert Lahr
as the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Woodman. Frank Morgan was seen in
six different roles, including that of the "wonderful Wizard"
himself. Dorothy was portrayed by a 4'11" sixteen year old girl who
quickly earned her reputation as “the world’s
greatest entertainerâ€-- the incomparable Judy Garland.
The
Wizard of Oz received
five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and captured two Oscars®
-- Best Song (“Over the Rainbowâ€) and Best Original Score -- plus a
special award for Outstanding Juvenile Performance by Judy Garland. The film
was an overwhelmingly popular and critical success upon its initial release and
repeated its ability to captivate audiences when M-G-M
reissued the film in 1949 and 1955. The film made a new kind of history with
its network television premiere in 1956 on CBS. Nearly 45 million people tuned
in for this initial telecast, marking the beginning of an annual tradition.
Ever since, The Wizard of Oz has been shown virtually annually on
network (and then cable) television; its magical story and heartfelt performances
have enabled it to grow from a perennial classic to its current status as a
treasured icon of popular culture.
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TWO DISC DVD SPECIAL FEATURES Disc 1
·       Â
Remastered
feature with Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio (NEW)
·       Â
Sing-along
Track (NEW)
·       Â
Commentary
by John Fricke
with Barbara Freed-Saltzman
(daughter of Arthur Freed), Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger,
Jack Haley, John Lahr
(son of Bert Lahr), Jane Lahr
(daughter of Bert Lahr),
Hamilton Meserve
(son of Margaret Hamilton), DonaMassin
(MGM
choreographer), William Tuttle (make-up artist), Buddy Ebsen,
MervynLeRoy,
and Jerry Maren
·       Â
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook
·       Â
Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz
·       Â
We Haven’t
Really Met Properly
·       Â
Music and
Effects Track
·       Â
Original
Mono Track
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DISC 2
·       Â
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The
Making of a MovieClassic [1990 TV special]
·       Â
Memories of Oz [2001 TCM
documentary]
·       Â
The Art of Imagination: A Tribute
to Oz
·       Â
Because of the Wonderful Things
it Does: The Legacy of Oz