Warner Home Video has announced the technical specs and special features for
the upcoming Blu-ray release of '
The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary
Ultimate Collector's Edition', which is due to hit store shelves on
September 29th, day-and-date with the DVD release. The two-disc set will be
released in limited edition numbered packaging, and also feature a digital copy
of the film.
The film has recently been restored from the original negatives in 8K
resolution, and then remastered at 4K for the best results possible. Warner will
present results of their extraordinary work in 1080p VC-1 accompanied by a
5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack.
Special features for this release include:
Disc 1
- 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
- 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
Disc 2
- 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]
- 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]
- MGM: When The Lion Roars Documentary (BD Exclusive)
Additionally, and exclusive to the Blu-ray release, Warner has remastered the
original, extended version of “If I Only Had a Brain” performed by Ray Bolger,
and will be present it in high definition on the disc.
Besides the disc, the packaging will also include the following collectibles:
- Collectible and numbered 70th 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
The following is some additional information about the new special features
developed specifically for this release as well as details regarding some of the
collectibles:
- The Dreamer of Oz – which makes its long-awaited home video debut. Also
remastered 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 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 70th
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.