Review of Wizard Of Oz, The

Introduction

I don`t think it would be an overestimation to say that just about everybody in the world who has seen at least one movie in their life has probably seen this one. The Wizard Of Oz is one of the true classics of the cinema, alongside Gone With The Wind and Casablanca. Not bad for a movie that failed to recoup its costs on its initial release.

At the time - 1939 - Oz was the biggest budget MGM had ever thrown at a movie and is remarkable not only for the substance of the movie but the trials and tribulations of its making - admirably covered in the accompanying documentary fronted by Angela Lansbury.

I`ve had the Region 1 edition of this movie for some time, and I was hoping that this Region 2 edition would be as good as that and I`m delighted to say that Warners haven`t skimped on transferring the disc to this region. The increase in definition means this is the best version to get.

Video

For a movie that`s earned its bus pass, Oz stands up to scrutiny particularly well. Presented in its original Academy frame format (1.33:1), there are naturally some signs of wear and tear, most noticeably towards the start of the movie. There`s a bad vertical scratch on the prologue card and some print damage around the transition from sepia to full technicolor, but as it`s Oz we`ll overlook that.

Shot in three-strip technicolor (that`s three synchronised negatives running through the camera to record the red, green and blue registers), the results are nothing short of luminescent and with the colour enhancement they have been given, the Oz scenes have the same impact they must have had for the 1939 audience juxtaposed with the sepia-toned Kansas scenes.

Audio

The soundtrack is touted on the back of the packaging as being in true 5.1 Dolby Digital stereo sound. Possibly I`m suffering from tin ear, but to my hearing, the soundtrack is more enhanced Mono than true stereo. A Dolby 1.0 Mono soundtrack is directed to the centre speaker, so most Mono soundtracks are recorded as Dolby 2.0 (plain vanilla stereo) to avoid this. Oz`s 5.1 mix works the same way, so you get a pseudo-stereo effect from the speakers. Being a 1939 recording, the sound is of its time - that is no better than you can expect.

Features

For once, we are done proud with the excellent "Wonderful World of Oz" documentary hosted by Angela Lansbury. This includes reminiscences from all the principal actors (all sadly deceased now) and a narrative of the problems the production faced. There are clips of various Oz productions prior to the 1939 production (including one featuring Oliver Hardy), Stills and the home movies of Harold Arlen behind the scenes of the picture. There are reconstructions of deleted scenes - including an extended version of the Scarecrow`s dance, trailers and interviews. There are a number of audio extras including original Tin Man Buddy Ebsen`s version of "If I Only Had A Heart" (Ebsen was hospitalised when the aluminium dust used in his makeup got on his lungs).

Conclusion

I`m just an old softy at heart and "Wizard Of Oz" is one of those fondly remembered pictures from a distant childhood. Today`s little monsters might find it a bit "tweet" but it`s a period piece and its charm grows as it gets older. Unless somebody gives it the real restoration treatment and comes up with a super-deluxe version, you`ll never see this picture looking better.