The Wizard Of Oz – 70th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition

Hitting shelves tomorrow, The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary DVD Editions are amazing treatments for the classic film. Newly remastered and filled with bonuses, the DVD releases are absolute must-owns.

The Blu-Ray release is obviously the clear winner here, but this is a great example of not skimping for those who haven’t made that upgrade yet. The 2-disc edition gives you a treasure trove of bonuses, and a brilliant-looking version of the film that gives you the advantages of the 8K resolution scan remastering, which results in an instantly noticeable improvement over previous DVD releases.

The 2-disc includes -

Disc 1

Remastered feature with Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio (NEW)
Sing-along Track (NEW)
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), Dona Massin (MGM choreographer), William Tuttle (make-up artist), Buddy Ebsen, Mervyn LeRoy, and Jerry Maren
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook
Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz
We Haven’t Really Met Properly
Music and Effects Track
Original Mono Track

DISC 2

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic [1990 TV special]
Memories of Oz [2001 TCM documentary]
The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz
Because of the Wonderful Things it Does: The Legacy of Oz
Harold Arlen’s Home Movies
Outtakes and Deleted Scenes
It’s a Twister! It’s a Twister! The Tornado Tests
Off to See the Wizard
3 Vault Shorts
Audio Jukebox Selection
- Leo Is on the Air Radio Promo
- Good News of 1939 Radio Show
- 12/25/1950 Lux Radio Theater Broadcast
Still Galleries
Six Theatrical Trailers

The commentary track is incredible, and anyone who is even remotely a fan of this classic has got to give it a listen. Of all commentary tracks ever put together, the chance to have such an amazing group who are so closely connected to an iconic film is something that can’t be missed. Buddy Ebsen and Jerry Maren are particularly wonderful as they go through the film with you.

Beyond that, the features are as much of a treat as they probably seem from reading through the list. The storybook, which is a straight run of a reading with images that lasts about ten minutes, is a clever little treat, though possible not what some might expect. “We Haven’t Really Met Properly,” is an introduction to the cast with individual featurettes, and it’s nice to have. As for the rest, they are fairly straightforward in what they are, and they are beyond the realm of most DVD releases bonuses. The TCM documentary is worth owning by itself, and is just the kind of addition that pushes a release like this to another level.

Own it on DVD September 29th!

The Ultimate Editions on DVD & Blu-Ray naturally include even more bonuses.

DVD & BLU-RAY HI-DEF ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS

Includes everything listed in the Two Disc SE as well as the following:

Disc 3

Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman (NEW)
L. Frank Baum: The Man Behind the Curtain
Celebrating Hollywood’s Biggest Little Stars (NEW)
The Dreamer of Oz [1990 TV special] (NEW)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910)
The Wizard of Oz [1933]

Disc 4

His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz
The Magic Cloak of Oz [1914] (NEW)
The Patchwork Girl of Oz [1914] (NEW)
The Wizard of Oz [1925 feature]

(Blu-ray Hi-Def will have Discs 1 & 2 and Discs 3 & 4 combined)

Also included are unique premiums:

Collectible and numbered 70^th Anniversary Wizard of Oz watch with genuine crystals
Replica of the original film budget
Behind the Curtain, A 52-page, coffee-table book
Reproduction of the original 1939 campaign book

EXCLUSIVE TO THE DVD and BLU-RAY HI-DEF RAY ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS

Digital Copy on Disc

EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAY HI-DEF ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS:

MGM: When The Lion Roars Documentary

Some notes on the additions

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.

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.

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.

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).

The Patchwork Girl of Oz – another 1914 Baum-produced, feature-length silent film, new to Warner Home Video.

The Wizard of Oz Sing-Along Track – here making its home entertainment debut.

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.

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.

Exclusive Wizard of Oz Watch – A collectible and numbered 70^th 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.

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.

Check out some great clips to get you in the mood.