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Summary: They Didn't Film Movies In Widescreen Back Then!
Review: The Wizard of Oz is a wonderful movie. I'm 38 years old and I grew up watching this movie when CBS used to air it every year on or around Easter. I was probably about 3 years old the first time I watched it. Anyway I now have the movie on DVD and it's just as good now as when I was a child. Judy Garland was fantastic as Dorothy Gale and so was Ray Bolger and the rest of the cast. The DVD is great, it has been restored and cleaned up and the the colors are really nice and the sound is great and the extra features are terrific, it includes a lot of old behind the scenes footage, some deleted scenes etc, and I'm amazed with how many things they actually had considering that most unused footage was thrown out back then as there was not a big demand for extras like deleted scenes etc so whoever kept all of that stuff was really smart! Some people have complained that the DVD doesn't have the movie in widescreen but there is a perfectly good reason for that and that is that this movie was made in 1939 and movies didn't start to be filmed in widescreen until the mid 1950's and fullscreen was what these old movies were filmed in so in this case fullscreen is the correct aspect ratio so you are not missing any of the picture! Meaning, it has not been edited to fit your TV screen, it has always been fullscreen.
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Summary: Belongs in everyone's collection for its magic
Review: Probably the greatest children's/family film ever made is The Wizard of Oz. Everyone of my generation can remember the yearly ritual of watching it on TV, as American as watching the Super Bowl or something. But it is even better on this DVD thanks to fantastic color and excellent special features. In fact it is probably the most packed-to-the-gills DVD I've ever seen, special feature wise, even if the menu is a bit temperamental at the outset (DVD makers need to start putting menus exclusively on dark backgrounds so you can clearly see your choices highlighted, by the way). The making-of-documentary is quite good. Going into detail about casting choices, costume development, problems with cumbersome costumes, and the special effects tricks being revealed--why, the movie was truly like the Star Wars of its day. In fact, I think the tornado effect still holds up (i.e. the one in the background while Dorothy is trying to get into the shelter while the wind is blowing like crazy). The lady who played the Wicked Witch is actually quite funny in real life, as she recounts when the producer said she would be the witch. "The witch?" she asks. "Yeah, what else?" he replies. I believe every home collection should have the finest examples of films in any genre, so this one definitely belongs.
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Summary: My All-time Fave!
Review: If someone asked me what my favorite movie is, I would, without hesitation, tell them The Wizard of Oz! I can remember just about every weekend as a child, while my mother would prepare my hair for Sunday's church services, I watched The Wizard of Oz. I couldn't get enough of it, and I still watch it from time to time. You can never get tired of it because it's so funny! It's to the point that I've memorized most of the lines in the movie. Now that's pretty good. As I've said, this is a great movie and it's something that people of ALL ages can enjoy. There's no sex scenes to shield your kids from, and the humor is classic, sometimes slapstick. Either way you go, you can't go wrong with the Wizard of Oz. If you haven't seen it, why are you staring at the monitor? Get this movie!!
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Summary: Hail, Dorothy!!
Review: Has anyone NOT seen this movie? When I was a kid it used to be on TV once a year, on a Sunday night. It was always a big event. Now, we can watch it whenever we want. This is a must-have DVD, whether you have kids or not!
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Summary: The magical Land Of Oz
Review: Well over 60 years old and this film still extraordinarily stands incredibly well and its transistion to the DVD format is impeccable making the whole land of Oz look even more enduringly colourful and extravagent, even for its films age. Theres no doubt that the ingredients of this timeless classic was from the all-round excellent playing from the cast, the spectacular sets (the emerald city is dazzling), wonderful dancing and fun, jolly songs and that yearning vulnreability that exists in us all somewhere that the film somehow seems to draw so heavily upon. Judy Garland is adorable as the wide-eyed innoccence of little Dorothy Gale who is transported over the rainbow by a tornado into the magical land of Oz. The special effects are still vastly impressive, especially the tornado sequences. All performances are utterly fantastic with Billie Burke shining as Glinda - the Good Witch Of The North whilst Magaret Hamilton is incredibly effective and devilishly evil as the Wicked Witch Of The West (who used to scare me to death when I was a youngster). Ray Bolger plays the scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tinman, Bert Lahr in a fantastic interpretation of the Cowardly Lion and Frank Morgan who turns up in a number of guises, most notably the so-called wizard of Oz. What The Wizard Of Oz has to offer is basically a littole something for everyone - from wonderfully strange lands, many fun and scary moments, a positivley dazzling and delightful array of fairy tale characters and some fabulous songs. Whilst begining her aventures along the yellow brick world, the film holds many fun and amusing moments though the mood goes darker as Dorothy is captured by the winged monkeys and taken to the wicked witch of the wests spooky looking castle where she is held prisoner. Even as a grown up you actually still manage to feel that same anxiousness as you did when you were a child watching Dorothy crying out for Aunt Em and trying to escape from the Wicked Witch and thats just one of many reasons why this film remains so enthralling. Absolutly beautifully done and The Wizard Of Oz has proved to be THE quintesential Hollywood production and possibly remains the best childrens movie ever made! Songs like Somewhere Over The Rainbow made such an impact on a world sliding into war in the late 1930's!
This DVD hosts a wealth of fascinating features that will clearly enthrall big fans of this movie. A series of out takes are included such as the wonderful Jitterbug sequence with Dorothy and the Scarecrow and an interesting documentary on the making of this movie, hosted by Angela Lansbury. It details the films origanal ethos and it seems almost unthinkable now for The Wizard Of Oz to be any different and you can't even begin to imagine anyone other than Judy Garland playing Dorothy (Shirley Temple was the origanal choice for Dorothy but 20th Century Fox, who Temple was under contract to, declined MGM the chance of winning one of its most profitable stars of its day). It seems that The Wizard Of Oz was the pinnacle of all of the individual cast members careers and Margaret Hamilton made a career in Television commercials after the film, continually reprising her role as the Wicked Witch Of The West. Its interesting to hear anecdotes and shared memories from the cast about the film in the documentary and this special generally is a celebration of the ever-lasting Oz phemenon. Recommended to anyone of any age as this movie is a timeless classic that will ever be loved!
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Summary: A STERLING PRODUCTION
Review: In his otherwise excellent review,Mr.McEwan mistakenly claims it was the Scarecrow who unravels the rope,whereas the guilty culprit is indeed the Tin Man! There is another trivial visual in the film:see if you can catch the exotic birds roaming around in the background in the scene where the Wicked Witch throws a ball of fire at the Scarecrow from the roof of the deserted cabin. The most famous of musical fantasies,"The Wizard of Oz" is undoubtedly the best of the genre;it's been enjoyed by succeeding generations of adults and children alike. The universal appeal of the film owes much to the fact that it represents an almost perfect integration of music and action, with every song either advancing the suspenseful plot or explaining the motivations of one of the intriguing characters. "The Wizard of Oz" was first published in 1900 and author Lyman Frank Baum wrote thirteen succeeding volumes ;he even formed his own movie company in 1914 which produced three five reel Oz films! The cherished 1939 film begins in drab sepia tones as the orphan Dorothy decides to run away(she expresses her feelings of longing in the plaintive, haunting song "Over the Rainbow") Her modest farmhouse is tossed into the air via a "twister" as friends and neighbors go floating by her window (these scenes are both dated and timeless!) After the house lands with a pronounced crash; Dorothy opens the front (with little Toto in her arms)and she's mesmorized by the sight of a strange land vibrant with brilliant,garish and exhilarting Technicolour! The rest is cinema history! "The Wizard of Oz" is an amalgam of many fine talents and is an example of the teamwork that was representative of the Hollywood studio system at its best. Director Victor Fleming carries the action forward at a never-flagging pace, which is no minor accomplichment in a musical movie with forty of its 100 minutes of running time devoted to songs. The tender kinship between Dorothy and her three friends is admirable in that it never becomes romantic or maudlin. The cast and the music are the most memorable features of the film; each character is so well portrayed that it is difficult to believe that many members of the cast were not first choices!(I agree with a former reviewer in that Ed Wynn would have made an interesting Wizard, but Shirley Temple (though she closely resembled the W.W. Denslow drawings in the original Baum editions of the book) would have been a totally different Dorothy from the one we all know as Garland's star-making role) When "The Wizard of Oz" opened in 1939, critics were almost unanimous in it's praise, although there were a few dissenters(a New Yorker critic thought Bert Lahr out of place in Oz) The film garnered eight awards and audiences generally enjoyed the film;it must be remembered that "Oz" was released in that incredible year of 1939, and there was very heavy competition and only with it's theatrical revival in 1948, did "Oz" reap financial rewards. My kids were most frightened by the flying monkeys (which seems to be very common among children I've witnessed watching the film);others are terrified by the Witch of the West. The DVD print is a big improvement, the color is clear and crisp and highly recommended for family viewing.
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Summary: CLASSIC!!!!!!
Review: Excellent DVD... although some of the scenes were edited and/or removed,it still has the same greatness it had in the original version, even though wide screen, who cares when you hear Julie Garland sing "Somewhere over the rainbow" for the 100th time?
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Summary: Fallow The Yellow Brick Rode
Review: This is a classic movie to say the very least. I love the music and the background. The imagination that was conceived for this story is wonderful
Great for the whole family.
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Summary: THE SUCCESS OF OZ
Review: 102 years ago, The Wizard of Oz was first part of American Literature, written by the talented Lyman Frank Baum. Nearly 40 years later this timely fairytale was altered onto the big screen under Metro Goldwyn Meyer for a 1939 release, Starring Judy Garland as Dorothy who skips down the yellow road paved of brick that will lead Dorothy to her destiny, Frank Morgan, the founding father of the Screen Actor's Guild,as Oz, Ray Bolger the Scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, and Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion.
The Wizard of Oz, by 1939's standard was first considered a B rated success, mostly because of Gone With The Wind's strong push of Hollywood style. Nevertheless, In 1956, along came television with the very FIRST movie picked up for a national televised premiere was ultimately, The Wizard of Oz. Little by little, year by year, this became a story not only for the small child but, the child in all of us; as the beginning of the 1939 movie does quote.
Generations after the 1956 premiere, fell in love with its ingenuity. Now in the year of 2002 The Wizard of OZ has become the most watched and beloved film ever made. You know, it's amazing how you can a watch a bad movie, and one tine is enough ! But, in the case of the Wizard of Oz, One hundred times may NOT be enough !
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Summary: (...)
Review: What? Classic? Classic,(...). THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST FILMS EVER MADE. I don't ever want to watch it again. The last time I watched part of it was in 3rd grade. Yuck! It's disgusting. It's right down there with "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace", "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones", "Licence to Kill" and the Special Editions of the original "Star Wars" trilogy. Yuck, yuck, yuck. If anyone says, "Hey watch this film," schedule an immediate root canal. If anyone pays you to see it, jump into a live shark's mouth. If anyone holds a gun to your head and forces you to see it, pull the trigger.
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