By Lee Pfeiffer
Warner Home Video continues to astound with its creative releases of classic MGM titles. The much-anticipated
Wizard of Oz Blu-ray edition commemorates the film's 70th anniversary and packs a
tremendous amount of goodies into a boxed set that will have classic
movie lovers agog. In addition to the finest home video version ever
released of the beloved 1939 film, the set also contains 16 hours of
bonus extras, four of which are new to this release. They include:
- Documentaries about the life of L. Frank Baum and the early origins of Oz
- Early screen adaptations of the book
- An original Baum silent film The Patchwork Girl of Oz
- A documentary about director Victor Fleming
- The TV movie The Dreamer of Oz starring John Ritter as Baum
- The Hollywood Walk of Fame 2007 salute to the Munchkins
If that doesn't get you clicking your ruby slippers, consider the wealth of cool collectibles contained in the box, which weighs in like the Manhattan Yellow Pages:
- A limited edition wristwatch with genuine crystals in commemorative case
- A reproduction of the film's original pressbook, which will be of special interest to Cinema Retro readers as if affords some truly rare insights into the marketing of the film.
- A replica of the original movie budget sheet
- A hardback 52 page book
Even if you
are still in Kansas, you'll want to add this release to your collection.
Click here to order from Amazon- and save $33! You also get an exclusive Amazon set of 8x10 character stills from the film and free shipping. You can also view a promotional trailer for the set.
Click here to order the same set in standard DVD format.