The Wizard of Oz [70th Anniversary] [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

The third and definitive film adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's fantasy, this musical adventure is a genuine family classic that made Judy Garland a star for her heartfelt performance as Dorothy Gale, an orphaned young girl unhappy with her drab black-and-white existence on her aunt and uncle's dusty Kansas farm. Dorothy yearns to travel "over the rainbow" to a different world, and she gets her wish when a tornado whisks her and her little dog, Toto, to the Technicolorful land of Oz. Having offended the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), Dorothy is protected from the old crone's wrath by the ruby slippers that she wears. At the suggestion of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (Billie Burke), Dorothy heads down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, where dwells the all-powerful Wizard of Oz, who might be able to help the girl return to Kansas. En route, she befriends a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Tin Man (Jack Haley), and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr). The Scarecrow would like to have some brains, the Tin Man craves a heart, and the Lion wants to attain courage; hoping that the Wizard will help them too, they join Dorothy on her odyssey to the Emerald City.

Garland was MGM's second choice for Dorothy after Shirley Temple dropped out of the project; and Bolger was to have played the Tin Man but talked co-star Buddy Ebsen into switching roles. When Ebsen proved allergic to the chemicals used in his silver makeup, he was replaced by Haley. Gale Sondergaard was originally to have played the Wicked Witch of the West in a glamorous fashion, until the decision was made to opt for belligerent ugliness, and the Wizard was written for W.C. Fields, who reportedly turned it down because MGM couldn't meet his price. Although Victor Fleming, who also directed Gone With the Wind, was given sole directorial credit, several directors were involved in the shooting, included King Vidor, who shot the opening and closing black-and-white sequences. Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's now-classic Oscar-winning song "Over the Rainbow" was nearly chopped from the picture after the first preview because it "slowed down the action." The Wizard of Oz was too expensive to post a large profit upon initial release; however, after a disappointing reissue in 1955, it was sold to network television, where its annual showings made it a classic. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby TrueHD
• Subtitle: Fre/Spa/Fi/Italian
• Features:
  • Commentary by historian John Fricke
  • Restoration featurette illustrated video storybook
  • Supporting cast profile roundup
  • Music-and-effects-only and dolby 5.1 sing-along feature

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Original Score - 1939 (Herbert Stothart)
•     Won Best Song - 1939 (Harold Arlen, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg)
•     Won Special Award - 1939 (Judy Garland)
•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1939 (Cedric Gibbons, William Horning)
•     Nominated Best Color Cinematography - 1939 (Harold Hal Rosson)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1939
•     Nominated Best Special Effects - 1939 (Douglas Shearer, Arnold A. Gillespie)

• American Film Institute

•     Won 100 Greatest American Movies - 1998

• Film Daily

•     Won 10 Best Films - 1939

• Library of Congress

•     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1988

• Telluride Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 1981

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Judy Garland - Dorothy Gale
       Frank Morgan - The Wizard of Oz
       Ray Bolger - The Scarecrow
       Bert Lahr - The Cowardly Lion
       Jack Haley - The Tin Woodsman
       Billie Burke - Glinda, the Good Witch
       Margaret Hamilton - The Wicked Witch of the West
       Pat Walshe - Nikko
       Clara Blandick - Auntie Em
       Tyler Brooke - Ozmite
       Lois January - Cat Owner
       The Singer Midgets - Munchkins
       Harlan Briggs - Uncle Henry's Double
       Lee Murray - Winged Monkey
       Mitchell Lewis - Head Winkie
       Pinto Colvig - Munchkin
       Clarence Swensen - Munchkin
       Frank Morgan - Prof. Marvel
       Oliver Smith - Ozmite
       Abe Dinovitch - Munchkin
       The Munchkins
       Charles Irwin - Ozmite
       Jimmy Rosen - Munchkin (uncredited)
       Harry Monty - Winged Monkey/Munchkin
       Harry Earles - Guild Singer
       Bert Lahr - Zeke
       Carol Tevis - Munchkin
       Adriana Caselotti - Juliet
       Gus Wayne - Munchkin
       Jack Haley - Hickory
       Yvonne Moray - League Dancer
       Buddy Ebsen - Tin Woodman on "We're Off to See the Wizard"
       Abe Dinovitch - Apple Tree
       Mickey Carroll - Munchkin
       Lillian Porter - Munchkin (uncredited)
       Ray Bolger - Hunk
       Jerry Maren - Guild Leader
       Daisy Earles - Munchkin Villager
       Meinhardt Raabe - Munchkin Coroner
       Terry - Toto
       "Little Billy" Rhodes - Barrister
       Charles Grapewin - Uncle Henry
       Walter Miller - Bespectacled Munchkin
       Bobby Watson - Ozmite
       Billy Curtis - City Father
       Frank Packard - Munchkin (uncredited)
       Margaret Hamilton - Miss Gulch
       Billy Bletcher - Mayor/Lollypop Guild
       George Ministeri - Coach Driver
       Major Doyle - Munchkin (uncredited)

• Director:

  Victor Fleming

• Producer:

  Mervyn LeRoy

• Book Author:

  L. Frank Baum

• Screenwriter:

  Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf

• Cinematographer:

  Harold Hal Rosson

• Composer (Music Score):

  Harold Arlen, George Bassman, Herbert Stothart, George Stoll

• Editor:

  Blanche Sewell

• Art Director:

  Cedric Gibbons

• Set Designer:

  Edwin B. Willis

• Costume Designer:

  Adrian

• Makeup:

  Jack Dawn, Howard Smit

• Special Effects:

  Arnold A. Gillespie

• Choreography:

  Bobby Connolly

• Special Effects Assistant:

  Don Trumbull

REVIEW:

• The lavish MGM production of L. Frank Baum's children's book may have lost a million dollars on its initial release, but its songcraft, technical artistry, star-making performance from Judy Garland, and unexpected TV success turned it into a perennial classic. With future ace MGM musical producer Arthur Freed lending producer Mervyn LeRoy an uncredited hand in pre-production, Cedric Gibbons' art direction, Adrian's costumes, and Hal Rosson's sparkling cinematography maximized the creative potential of Technicolor film, as Dorothy goes "over the rainbow" from a sepia-toned black-and-white Kansas to a fantastically rendered Oz of ruby slippers, emerald cities, and yellow brick roads. Lent ample support by vaudeville vets Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr, neophyte Garland delivered a touching performance as Dorothy, proving that she had the acting talent to match her superb singing. As with Gone With the Wind, the film went through several directors and Victor Fleming got the credit; King Vidor directed the Kansas sequences, including Garland's solo "Over the Rainbow." Almost cut for the sake of pacing, "Over the Rainbow" became an Oscar winner for Best Song and a Garland standard. Although the 2.7-million-dollar film wilted at the box office, The Wizard of Oz was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture (which it lost to Gone With the Wind), winning for Herbert Stothart's score and Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's song. It was the first feature sold for prime-time TV telecast, and its 1956 TV debut was a ratings hit, finally turning it into the crowd-pleasing blockbuster that MGM had always meant it to be. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi