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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

directed by Victor Fleming 
U.S. 1939

There's no place like home, and there will never be another movie like 'The Wizard of Oz'. Every so often you forget how enchanting this film is... and then a song surfaces on the radio, or a scene is shown on TV. Any single segment of the film has maintained its cultural and sociological status as an embedded icon in our collected memory banks. The dialogue has become the stuff of legend and repeatedly blended with some popular films (ex. Wild at Heart , After Hours etc.) for its extensive longevity and lilting imaginative significance. This is a film that shaped lives... viewers as well as the actors - Judy Garland would forever to be identified as the wide-eyed Dorothy singing "Over the Rainbow" in her own inimitable style.

The fantasy/musical plot needs no preface, but - Dorothy (Garland) is a schoolgirl living in Kansas with family and her little dog, Toto. One afternoon, a twister sucks up Dorothy's house and she and Toto are dropped beyond the rainbow into Munchkinland. With a pair of magical red slippers and some advice from Glinda the Good Witch (Billie Burke), Dorothy, Toto and three new friends--the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), Tin Man (Jack Haley), and Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr)--follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, where they must ask the all-powerful Wizard of Oz (Frank Morgan) to get Dorothy and Toto back home. The Wicked Witch (Margaret Hamilton), however, is determined to get her hands on the slippers, and sends out her flying monkeys to capture the group of new friends....

Whether it embraces your childhood fantasies, home-sickness, family bonds, or confidence over your own human frailties, The Wizard of Oz is a film with universal appeal that will continue to be discussed and worshipped decades from now. Those with children have the pleasure of introducing it to their offspring... who will in turn do so for their own one day. out of

Posters 

Theatrical Release Date: August 25, 1939

Reviews                                                                More Reviews                                                     DVD Reviews

 

Comparison:

Warner Europe (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL vs. Warner (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 1, 2, 3, 4 - NTSC vs. Warner Studios - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Warner Studios - Region 2/4 - PAL vs. Warner (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Warner - Region FREE - 4K UHD

 

Big thanks to Ole of DVDBasen and Henrik Sylow for the PAL DVD Screen Caps!

Box Covers

 

  

Also available in this leaner Region FREE UK Blu-ray package:

and Single Disc Blu-ray editions here:

  

 

 

Bonus Captures:

Distribution

 

Warner Europe

Region 2,4,5 - PAL

Warner Studios

Region 1, 2, 3, 4  - NTSC

Warner Studios

Region 1  - NTSC

Warner Studios
Region 2/4 - PAL

Warner (US)

Region FREE - Blu-ray

Warner - Region FREE - 4K UHD
Runtime 1:37:34 (4% PAL speedup) 1:41:36 1:41:42 1:37:39 (4% PAL speedup) 1:41:47.142 1:41:45.390 

Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 7.68 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.37:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 7.5 mb/s
NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s

1.37:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 4.75 mb/s
NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s

1.37:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 4.78
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

 

Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 41,144,478,363 bytes

Feature: 22,718,269,440 bytes

Video Bitrate: 22.95 Mbps

Codec: VC-1 Video 1080P / 23.976 fps

1.37:1 2060P 4K Ultra HD
Disc Size: 83,826,280,658 bytes
Feature: 57,561,010,368 bytes
Video Bitrate: 63.27 Mbps
Codec:
HEVC Video
 

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Warner PAL

Collector's Edition

Bitrate:

Warner NTSC

Collector's Edition

Bitrate:

Warner R1

 

Bitrate:

Warner R4

Bitrate:

Blu-ray

Bitrate UHD:

Audio 5.1 Dolby Digital English (384 Kbps), 1.0 Dolby Digital English Mono, 1.0 Dolby Digital German English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) English (Dolby Digital 5.1),  French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)

English (Dolby Digital 5.1, 384 Kb/s)
French (Dolby Digital 1.0, 192 Kb/s)
Italian (Dolby Digital 1.0, 192 Kb/s) 

Dolby TrueHD Audio English 1308 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1308 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio German 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Italian 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Japanese 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Portuguese 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3679 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3679 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio German 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Czech 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Hungarian 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Polish 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Russian 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Thai 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB
* Dolby Digital Audio Japanese 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB

Subtitles English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and More English, Spanish, French, None English, French, None English ,French,  Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Romanian, Hungarian, English for the Hearing, Impaired, Italian for the Hearing Impaired English (SDH), English, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, none English (SDH), Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Thai , none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Warner Europe

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:

Disc 1:
Commentary by: John Fricke and cast

Ultra-Resolution restored 1939 movie with new 5.1 audio
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook
Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz
We Haven't Really Met Properly...: Character bios
Music-only track
Original mono track
Theatrical trailers
Disc 2:
The Wonderful World 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
Special effects sequences
From the Vault: Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power (1938 MGM short), Cavalcade of Academy Awards (1939 newsreel), Texas Contest Winners 1939 trailer
Audio vault (selection only)
Leo Is on the Air radio promo
Good News of 1939 radio show
12/25/1950 Lux Radio Theater broadcast
Stills galleries



DVD Release Date: November 7, 2005
Digipack

Chapters 55

 

Release Information:
Studio: Warner Studios

Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.37:1

 

Edition Details:
Disc 1:
Commentary by: John Fricke and cast

Ultra-Resolution restored 1939 movie with new 5.1 audio
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook
Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz
We Haven't Really Met Properly...: Character bios
Music-only track
Original mono track
Theatrical trailers
Disc 2:
The Wonderful World 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
Special effects sequences
From the Vault: Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power (1938 MGM short), Cavalcade of Academy Awards (1939 newsreel), Texas Contest Winners 1939 trailer
Audio vault (selection only)
Leo Is on the Air radio promo
Good News of 1939 radio show
12/25/1950 Lux Radio Theater broadcast
Stills galleries
Disc 3:
L. Frank Baum: The Man Behind the Curtain
The Wizard of Oz (1910 short)
The Magic Cloak of Oz (1914 short)
His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz (1914 feature)
The Wizard of Oz (1925 feature)
The Wizard of Oz (1933 animated short)
Collector's Edition Exclusives:
The Wizard of Oz Comes to Life - Grauman's Chinese Theatre Souvenir Premiere Program (August 15, 1939)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio News - IntraCorporate House Organ/Newspaper for the week beginning Monday, August 14, 1939. Specifically Celebrating the Release of The Wizard of Oz
Photoplay Studies - Rare Secondary Education Scholastic In Honor of The Wizard of Oz. Magazine, Volume V, Number 12 (circa August 1939)
The Studio's Invitation to The Grauman's Premiere That Included Tickets to the Original Opening Night (plus a newly designed commemorative ticket)
Deluxe Collector's Portfolio - Reproductions of Original 1939 Kodachrome Publicity Art -- nine portraits and on-set photographs

.

DVD Release Date: October 25th, 2005
Keep Case (see photo)

Chapters 55

Release Information:
Studio: Warner Studios

Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.37:1

 

Edition Details:
• Theatrical trailer(s)
• Behind-the-scenes documentary: "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic," hosted by Angela Lansbury

• Outtakes, including the rarely seen "Jitterbug" dance, plus Interviews with Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger & Jack Haley

• Excerpts from previous versions of "Oz," including the 1914 and 1925 silent films and the 1933 cartoon version, and 5 rarely seen trailers and newsreel excerpts

• Portrait gallery, special effects stills, and stills from the Hollywood premiere, Original sketches and storyboards, costume designs and make-up tests

• Audio Supplements: Hours of original recording session material, and 2 audio bonuses--1939 radio broadcast with the first-ever public performance of "Over the Rainbow," and the promotional radio trailer "Leo is on the Air"

 

DVD Release Date: October 19, 1999
Snap Case

Chapters 55

Release Information:
Studio: Warner Studious Region 4
Theatrical Release Date: August 25, 1939

Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.37:1

Discographic Information:
• Region 2/4 encoding 

Edition Details:

Theatrical Trailers (5)
Featurette - The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz: The Making Of A Movie Classic
Outtakes and Deleted Scenes (5)

Behind The Scenes:
Gallery - Sketches and Storyboards
Gallery - Costume and Make Up Tests
Gallery - Portrait Gallery
Gallery - Special Effects Stills
Featurette - Harold Arlen Home Movies
Featurette - Special Effects Sequences (6)
Featurette - Texas Contest Winners promotional film excerpt
Featurette - Romance of Celluloid short excerpt
Trailer - Loew's Cairo Trailer (easter egg)
Gallery - Post Production Stills

Oz History:
Featurette - excerpt from 1914 silent film His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz
Featurette - excerpt from 1925 silent film The Wizard Of Oz
Featurette - excerpt from Ted Eshbaugh's 1933 cartoon

Oz Afterlife:
1979 interviews with Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger and Jack Haley
Gallery - Original Publicity Stills
Gallery - New York Premiere Stills
Gallery - Hollywood Premiere Stills
Gallery - 1939/40 Oscar Ceremonies Stills
Gallery - Oz Abroad Stills
Featurette - Off To See The Wizard
Featurette - Excerpt from 1939 Cavalcade of Academy Winners

Audio Supplements:
The Jukebox - Assorted songs - rehearsals, alternate takes
MGM Radio Show - Good News Of 1939
MGM Promotional Radio Trailer - Leo Is In The Air

DVD Release Date: 1999
Transparent Amaray

Chapters 55

Release Information:
Studio: Warner Studios

 

Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 41,144,478,363 bytes

Feature: 22,718,269,440 bytes

Video Bitrate: 22.95 Mbps

Codec: VC-1 Video 1080P / 23.976 fps

 

Edition Details:

Disc 1:
Audio commentary by John Fricke, Sydney Pollack, Barbara Freed-Saltzman, Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, John Lahr, Jane Lahr, Hamilton Meserve, Dona Massin, William Tuttle, Buddy Ebsen, Mervyn Leroy and Jerry Maren

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic" (50:48 in SD)
"Because of the Wonderful Things It Does: The Legacy of Oz"
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook"
"Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz"
"We Haven't Really Met Properly"... Supporting cast Profile Gallery

"Memories of Oz" (27:39)

"The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz" (29:45 in SD)
"Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power"
Academy Awards Excerpt
"Off to See the Wizard Excerpts"
"Harold Arlen's Home Movies"
"'It's a Twister! It's a Twister!' The Tornado Tests"
Jukebox
Outtakes and Deleted Scenes 
Dolby 5.1 Sing-Along Feature
•  Still galleries

 

Disc 2:
"Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman" (34:07 in SD)
"L.Frank Baum: The Man Behind the Curtain"  (27:45 in SD)
"Hollywood Celebrates Its Biggest Little Stars!"

The Dreamer of Oz TV movie (1:32:48 in SD)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910)1:11:52 in SD

13 HD silent movie (53:15 in SD)
His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz (1914) silent movie - 59:07 in SD
The Magic Cloak of Oz (1914) silent movie
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914) silent movie (50:42 in SD)
The Wizard of Oz (1925) silent movie (13:18 in SD)

 

Disc 3:
MGM: When the Lion Roars (6-hour award winning chronicle)

Digital Copy
BD-Live

.

Blu-ray Release Date: September 29th, 2009
Custom
Blu-ray Case (see photo)

Chapters 55

Release Information:
Studio:
Warner

 

1.37:1 2060P 4K Ultra HD
Disc Size: 83,826,280,658 bytes
Feature: 57,561,010,368 bytes
Video Bitrate: 63.27 Mbps
Codec:
HEVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• Audio commentary by John Fricke, Sydney Pollack, Barbara Freed-Saltzman, Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, John Lahr, Jane Lahr, Hamilton Meserve, Dona Massin, William Tuttle, Buddy Ebsen, Mervyn Leroy and Jerry Maren

• The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz: The Making Of A Movie Classic (1:09:02)
 

ON THE INCLUDED "remastered" Blu-ray:

• Commentary

• The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz: The Making Of A Movie Classic (1:09:02)
• Storybook (10:27)
We Haven't Really Met Properly (21:23)
Music and Effects track
Original Mono track
Sing-Along
Audio Jukebox
Leo is on the Air Radio Promo (12:25)
Good News of 1939 Radio Show (1:01:01)
Stills Galleries
Trailers (Reissue etc.)

Leaflet for Digital copy


4K Ultra HD Release Date:
October 29th, 2019
4K Ultra HD Case inside cardboard slipcase

Chapters 55

 

UK 4-disc 4K UHD package includes Limited Edition - 4K UHD, Blu-ray, CD Soundtrack:

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective disc.

ADDITION: Warner 4K UHD (October 2019): The 3840 X 2160 resolution is a marked improvement over the old VC-1 encoded Blu-ray from a decade ago in 2009. The new UHD image looks very impressive. The sepia opening and closing and significantly deeper and richer. I loved the way greens looked in UHD - sometimes passive but beautiful (reds of the poppy field). Contrast is magnificent and grain structure is supported with appreciation. Colors really do advance - sometime subtly but overall this looks pristine.

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this variance.

NOTE: I own two different 4K systems and transfers frequently show a variance in the image presentation depending on the system and its set-up. This is also true of computer monitors. It is highly unlikely that these captures reflect the exact same color balance and brightness as on your home system, but the detail, grain support and other attributes will, hopefully, give you an indication of the value of this 3840 X 2160 resolution and restoration. I cannot say how you will like it on your 4K UHD set-up - only that I think it looked outstanding on mine. 

NOTE: 27 more full resolution (3840 X 2160) captures for Patrons are available HERE.

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages to date: The Shining, (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Batman Returns (software uniformly simulated HDR), Don't Look Now (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Man Who Killed Killed and then The Bigfoot  (software uniformly simulated HDR), Bram Stoker's Dracula (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucy (software uniformly simulated HDR), They Live (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Shutter Island (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Matrix (software uniformly simulated HDR), Alien (software uniformly simulated HDR), Toy Story (software uniformly simulated HDR),  A Few Good Men (software uniformly simulated HDR),  2001: A Space Odyssey (HDR caps udated), Schindler's List (simulated HDR), The Neon Demon (No HDR), Dawn of the Dead (No HDR), Saving Private Ryan (simulated HDR and 'raw' captures), Suspiria (No HDR), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (No HDR), The Big Lebowski, and I Am Legend (simulated and 'raw' HDR captures).

This audio is not in Dolby Atmos but rather a very robust DTS-HD Master in 5.1 surround (no mono). Separations are not intrusively abundant but exist in spots (tornado) and there is some prominent depth present (3679 kbps and 24-bit). The filmed is filled with iconic music: Over the Rainbow sung by Judy Garland, the Munchkinland Medley: 'Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are', 'The House Began To Pitch', 'As Mayor of the Munchkin City', 'As Coroner, I Must Aver', 'Ding Dong The Witch is Dead', 'Lullaby League', 'Lollipop Guild', and 'We Welcome You to Munchkinland' sung by Judy Garland, Billie Burke, The King's Men, Ken Darby, Rad Robinson, Bud Linn, Jon Dodson, The Debutantes, Billy Bletcher, Pinto Colvig, Delos Jewkes, Abe Dinovitch, Betty Rome, Carol Tevis, Lois Clements, Zari Elmassian, Nick Angelo, Robert Bradford, and Virgil Johansen (dubbing the Munchkins), Follow the Yellow Brick Road sung by The Debutantes, Billy Bletcher, Pinto Colvig, Delos Jewkes,, If I Only Had a Brain sung by Ray Bolger and Judy Garland, We're Off to See the Wizard sung by Judy Garland and Ray Bolger, If I Only Had a Heart sung by Jack Haley and the off-screen voice of Adriana Caselotti and the rest - it sounds amazing in the lossless - much deeper and richer than the Blu-ray. There are multiple optional DUBs and subtitles including English (SDH) and as with all 4K UHD discs, this is Region 'Free' - playable worldwide. 

The only extra on the 4K UHD disc is the previous commentary and the 1-hour 9-minuts The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz: The Making Of A Movie Classic. The Blu-ray offers mostly the recycled extras from the old Blu-ray - Angela Lansbury reading Baum’s original story, galleries, a Music and Effects track, the original Mono track, Sing-Along, Audio Jukebox, Radio Promo and lengthy 'Good News of 1939' broadcast, and trailers. There is a leaflet with a code for a digital copy.

What can you say? - an absolute must-own and every few years, or 1/2 decade, I revisit and remember the film's brilliance. Our culture would be weaker without The Wizard of Oz and this is, quite handily, the best home theatre presentation of all time. It's hypnotic at times - once it starts you can't stop. Our highest recommendation!

***

ADDITION: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition Blu-ray - September 09: Well, what is unfortunate about this is that we don't get the option for a single-disc Blu-ray of just the film and a few important extras. I assume it will eventually surface (just like it will for Casablanca) but do we all need the wristwatch? Admittedly the non-digital supplements are pure class - a great booklet, vintage reproduction photos etc. all in a whopping big case (see above). Those wanting to pare down this gargantuan behemoth may opt for the 3-disc Blu-ray UK edition - which also, we'll safely assume, is region free.

Regarding the image - we all knew The Wizard of Oz was going to be done in HD and it was remastered from the original three-strip Technicolor negatives (cyan, yellow and magenta), and scanned at 8K resolution (like Baraka).

NOTE: Albert tells us in email: "Just a small correction, if you allow me to do, about the Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz had the original camera negatives destroyed in a fire in the 70's, just like Singing in The Rain. The best surviving elements were fine grain separation master positive from each Technicolor color strip (RGB) made in 60's. But the fine grain was made without wet gate, and so many scratches were printed in the image. The digital restoration for DVD, and latter ultra resolution restoration (4K) for DVD edition and Blue Ray, removed the scratches and other defects. Black&white fine grain stock of 60's was able to get quite close to the camera negative's details, despite not get so much close as to original negative as modern fine grain film stock of today, which can produce not just a master positive also internegative virtually indistinguishable from original negative. That's way the Blue ray looks so good after digital restoration and precise alignment by Ultra-resolution." (Thanks Albert!)

Sent from George in email: "I thought I ought to let you know that the comments you posted via another person regarding the original camera negatives to OZ are inaccurate.

The original Technicolor negatives of OZ did not burn in the Eastman house fire in 1978. They were mercifully spared from that horrific event, and have been maintained in meticulous condition. The OZ original Technicolor camera negatives were scanned at 8K for the new transfer created for the BD release.

What DID burn in the fire were the two B&W/Sepia "Kansas" scenes that open and close the picture. Those elements are (unfortunately) 2nd generation, but we are pleased with the final result they have yielded in this new transfer. Perhaps it is the loss of the original neg for the Kansas scenes is what misled this person to believe that such a fate had befallen the Technicolor footage. Happily that is not the case
." (Thanks George!)

The image is in it's original 1.33 aspect ratio matted onto a 1.78 frame. Colors take a huge leap in vibrancy and good film grain is still very visible. To quote Robert Harris "What you'll see on the Blu-ray of The Wizard of Oz is the sharpest, most highly resolved and most visually perfect representation of the film... Ever! " I'm not one to argue - Warner used the VC-1 encode with the feature taking up almost 23 Gig of the first dual-layered disc. Ohhh... there is a second, single-layered Blu-ray (18 Gig worth) of extras, a double-sided DVD (with 6 hour documentary) and a digital copy for use with portable devices.

Audio: Despite not being the most dynamic track ever - the TrueHD 5.1 at 1308 kbps sounds just splendid. The mix is not diverging so far from its more basic roots so as to be 'out of place'. I applaud those who took part - it's as marvelous as the image - maybe even better. We have subtle separations, crystal clear musical numbers with surprising range, ominous bass notes and lilting violin strings. Purists can also opt for an optional Music-Effects-Only or original Mono track. Subtitle options are rife - confirming this is the 'International' and probably 'only' Blu-ray disc, and transfer, that will be available worldwide.

Extras - it was a pleasure to once again hear the late Sydney Pollack's voice as 'host' of the older commentary. Actually, many of the supplements can be found on the 3-disc DVD release from 2005 - but there is also plenty of 'new' to indulge - some of which are in HD. I've only 'sampled' so far - there must be over 14 hours worth of silent films, featurettes and documentaries, profiles, outtakes and deleted scenes, stills galleries, sing-along features, the MGM doc - it's certainly too much for one sitting. It will take a few days to cover, but everything I've seen is professional and 'Oz' related. So, is it worth it? Of course! It's a tremendous keepsake of vintage material - ripe for any collection although I still wish we had the option of purchasing just a single disc.

 - Gary W. Tooze

***

ADDITION: Region 2,4,5 PAL DVD Dec 05': Everything appears status quo with the typical extra subtitle and DUB options of the PAL DVD and the noticeable slight cropping (on all 4 sides) of the NTSC DVD by comparison. Something may be missing from the extensive extras in the PAL collection, but we haven't come across what it is yet.  

*****

Well, after multiple viewings on multiple systems, I concede that the new Collector's edition DVD (both 2 + 3 disc sets) have a superior, if not sharper, image. The problem being the contrast levels - with the newer releases showing a much deeper color palette it actually removed some small detail from the old release - what I am referring to is dark stuff, often in shadows (ex. in large capture #2 - Dorothy's teeth and Toto's eyes). Regarding stretching - yes one of the releases has some vertical stretching and I have no way of knowing which is the culprit, but it comes down to being unnoticeable in normal viewing.  The new releases do have some information removed on all 4 edges - and I suspect that this is a function of digital restoration - Criterion often has this same issue - and it is usually a marginal amount. Of course the overwhelming, and obvious, benefit of the new editions is the vastly brighter colors. They really do look marvelous - through tube, projection or TFT. Of course, the endless extras alone are enough of a reason to upgrade. I didn't notice any significant upgrade in the audio of the feature film - it still sounded excellent. The 3-disc really does go overboard with the 'commemorative ticket' but I know there are some who, understandably, worship this film.  

 - Gary W. Tooze


DVD Menus

 

Warner (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 1, 2, 3, 4 - NTSC + PAL 2,4,5 - Disc 1

 

Warner (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 1, 2, 3, 4 - NTSC + PAL 2,4,5 - Disc 2



(Warner Studios - NTSC  LEFT vs. Warner Studios - PAL - RIGHT)


 

Blu-ray  in the Warner - Region FREE - 4K UHD


 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY or 4K UHD CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 or 3840 X 2060 RESOLUTION

 

Dialogue Subtitle and Song Lyric Subtitle samples on the Warner - Region FREE - 4K UHD

 

 

Screen Captures

 

1) Warner Europe (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL TOP

2) Warner (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 1, 2, 3, 4 - NTSC SECOND

3) Warner Studios - Region 1 - NTSC THIRD

4) Warner Studios - Region 2/4 - PAL - FOURTH

5) Warner (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - FIFTH

6) Warner - Region FREE - 4K UHD BOTTOM



1) Warner Studios - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Warner - Region FREE - 4K UHD BOTTOM

 


1) Warner Europe (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL TOP

2) Warner (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 1, 2, 3, 4 - NTSC SECOND

3) Warner Studios - Region 1 - NTSC THIRD

4) Warner Studios - Region 2/4 - PAL - FOURTH

5) Warner (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - FIFTH

6) Warner - Region FREE - 4K UHD BOTTOM

 


1) Warner Europe (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL TOP

2) Warner (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 1, 2, 3, 4 - NTSC SECOND

3) Warner Studios - Region 1 - NTSC THIRD

4) Warner Studios - Region 2/4 - PAL - FOURTH

5) Warner (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - FIFTH

6) Warner - Region FREE - 4K UHD BOTTOM

 


1) Warner Europe (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL TOP

2) Warner (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 1, 2, 3, 4 - NTSC SECOND

3) Warner Studios - Region 1 - NTSC THIRD

4) Warner Studios - Region 2/4 - PAL - FOURTH

5) Warner (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) - Region FREE - Blu-ray - FIFTH

6) Warner - Region FREE - 4K UHD BOTTOM

 

 

1) Warner - Region FREE- Blu-ray TOP
2) Warner - Region FREE -
4K UHD BOTTOM

 

 

1) Warner - Region FREE- Blu-ray TOP
2) Warner - Region FREE -
4K UHD BOTTOM

 

 

1) Warner - Region FREE- Blu-ray TOP
2) Warner - Region FREE -
4K UHD BOTTOM

 

 

1) Warner - Region FREE- Blu-ray TOP
2) Warner - Region FREE -
4K UHD BOTTOM

 

 

1) Warner - Region FREE- Blu-ray TOP
2) Warner - Region FREE -
4K UHD BOTTOM

 

 

1) Warner - Region FREE- Blu-ray TOP
2) Warner - Region FREE -
4K UHD BOTTOM

 

More full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K Ultra HD Captures for Patreon Supporters HERE

Box Covers

 

  

Also available in this leaner Region FREE UK Blu-ray package:

and Single Disc Blu-ray editions here:

  

 

 

Bonus Captures:

Distribution

 

Warner Europe

Region 2,4,5 - PAL

Warner Studios

Region 1, 2, 3, 4  - NTSC

Warner Studios

Region 1  - NTSC

Warner Studios
Region 2/4 - PAL

Warner (US)

Region FREE - Blu-ray

Warner - Region FREE - 4K UHD


Report Card:

 

Image:

4K UHD

Sound:

4K UHD

Extras: Blu-ray

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