THE WIZARD OF OZ: 4K UHD Blu-ray (MGM, 1939) Warner Home Video

There is much to be said about a film that reports on the basic human need to rediscover our hearts desires in our own backyards. What Frank L. Baum’s turn-of-the-last-century series of children's books did for the imagination, director Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz (1939) has since recreated on a much broader canvas and for both the young and young in heart. Even by Hollywood’s colossal standards, the production of Oz was a mammoth undertaking; compounded by the added expense of shooting almost the entire movie in the newly improved 3-strip Technicolor process. Arthur Freed’s assist on this Mervyn LeRoy-produced glossy children’s fantasy/epic would elevate his stature also to full-fledged producer at MGM – the purveyor of nearly three decades of the studio’s most memorable musicals. But Oz is more than the pluperfect example of MGM’s craftsmanship, and this in a year of such titanic achievements as Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Women, The Rains Came, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and, of course, Gone With The Wind. In such distinguished company, Oz remains perhaps the most genuine, heartfelt, deliriously joyous – and occasionally frightening – fantasy movie ever conceived. Others have tried to duplicate its infectious compendium of songs and artful dexterity in storytelling – mostly, with no direct comparison.

Today, The Wizard of Oz is such an obvious classic, we tend to forget just how much of a gamble it truly was in 1939. And while Hollywood had a long-standing tradition of turning time-honored literature into movie art, on occasion even the likes of literary giants were not enough to make for this successful artistic and commercial translation. Warner Brother’s attempts at Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland (1933) and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) had both been costly flops. And The Wizard of Oz was a fantasy – not a genre readily embraced with confidence in Hollywood back then.  Oz also presented MGM’s special effects wizards with a litany of challenges: how to create a convincing tornado, as example. How to make a wicked witch vanish in a puff of sulfur, or her winged monkeys fly. The ingenuity exhibited on Oz broke new ground and set standards for decades to follow. As for casting, MGM had desperately tried to persuade 2oth Century-Fox’s Darryl F. Zanuck to loan out Shirley Temple. L.B. Mayer even arranged for the blond moppet to tour his studio back lot in a filmed press and promotional junket that was designed to garner public interest in Temple’s participation on the project. Zanuck, however, was no fool. Temple’s loan out would pale to the profits to be made on such a lavishly appointed spectacle. But if Oz failed, it could also considerably impact Temple’s future popularity with audiences. Zanuck was not willing to wager the future returns of his most bankable star. So, no deal. Temple was out, and Mayer decided to stay close to home, casting Judy Garland as his Dorothy Gale instead.

Judy Garland’s star was on the ascendance ever since she appeared in a little two-reel musical review: Every Sunday (1936) and, in the three short years that had passed since she had matured from what Mayer once referred to as ‘his little monkey’ into one of the brightest and most incandescent adolescent ingénues on the backlot. That Garland could belt out a tune with gusto was perhaps no great surprise; her upbringing in Vaudeville practically guaranteeing her ability to reach the back of any house with those glorious pipes. But that she could also wring pathos from a ballad, and, instinctively knew how to act, deftly handling comedy and drama, was something of an unanticipated surprise. If MGM could have, they would have put Judy Garland in every movie they were making; her abilities as great as Eleonora Duse or Sarah Bernhardt.  And Garland repeatedly lived up to all the hype that increasingly surrounded her meteoric rise to stardom: singing the hell out of a spiritual, pop tune or romantic ballad with, what at least appeared to be, the greatest of ease and a staggeringly innate gift to entertain. Garland’s stardom would explode after 1939, not just for her appearance in Oz, but also for a pair of movies opposite Mickey Rooney (Babes in Arms, and Love Finds Andy Hardy – the latter, still the most popular installment in the Andy Hardy film franchise). In retrospect, it is in Judy Garland that Oz truly takes flight; Garland, able to tear out the heart with her sentimental longings in ‘Over the Rainbow’, and then, just as easily, bask her audience in the tender afterglow of Dorothy’s new-found humanity at the end. Viewing Oz today, and in light of Temple’s own formidable talents and popularity, it is virtually impossible to imagine her in the role.

At sixteen Garland was, in fact, much too old – and even the wrong type (at least in theory) for the part of the Kansas waif, whisked away to the magical land beyond the rainbow. But in hindsight, she typified the hallmarks of Baum’s precocious heroine – chiefly, gumption – and undeniably, the raw emotional center, necessary to warble and cajole her way through this brightly colored, though oft harrowing and dark, fantasy landscape. Dorothy Gale has since been interpreted as a feminist – her ability to impact the world around her in a positive light, and, against seemingly insurmountable odds, viewed as very pro-woman, or at the very least, imbued with the moxie of ‘girl power’. Garland Dorothy is never demonstrative on her manifest destiny vision quest; rather staunchly optimistic and forthright in her singular goal – namely, to arrive at Oz’s capital - the Emerald City - and make her demands (as well as those of her three cohorts) known to the fellow in charge. And Garland addresses something greater from within than the simply girl with the intuitive desire to return home. That Garland’s Dorothy excels best when she sings is a given – especially when retrospectively examining the remainder of her illustrious career. But to find Garland absorbed by the character of Dorothy - the actress, as great as any of her time, either of screen or stage, is never anything less than a revelation.

I have seen The Wizard of Oz many, many times. Yet, Garland’s performance never fails to elicit unpretentious tears of joy, exuberance and – that most intangible of all movie qualities to conjure (much less consistently recreate) – magic. Arguably, Garland is the greatest illusionist of the 2oth century – the maker of myths and the giver of life to this fanciful never-never-land. Without refute, she remains an undisputed megastar from Hollywood’s golden age. As the only earthling inside Oz’s supernatural realm, Garland becomes our goodwill ambassador to this other world – spreading lightness and cheer, offering hope and perspective to virtually all whom she meets, who otherwise lack the wherewithal to pursue these qualities for themselves, or have already surrendered, and are therefore at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West.     For Dorothy’s trio of yellow brick road-toting cohorts, MGM originally selected Buddy Ebsen, Bert Lahr and Ray Bolger – all veterans of the stage who had broken through to popular appeal in the movies. Early camera tests reveal Ebsen as a rather goofy-looking Tin Man – serviceable but hardly the ideal. Ebsen would suffer a near fatal accident during pre-production; inhaling so much aluminum dust used in his makeup applications that it literally coated his lungs, necessitating a prolonged recuperation in hospital. In his absence, MGM recast the part with Jack Haley, changing the makeup from aluminum dust to aluminum paste. As shooting progressed, another accident would befall: this time, Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West, severely scorched when the fireball effect meant to conceal her disappearance through a drop floor on the Munchkinland stage misfired; the flames melting the highly toxic green makeup on her face and hands.

We must also give a generous nod to the picture’s monumentally achieved production design, beginning with resident couturier, Adrian’s costume designs and Jack Dawn’s peerless makeup; exquisite with details as fine as rivets, applications of burlap and real yak hair, and a formidable array of ornate and colorful suits and dresses for the little people of Munchkinland. Arguably, none were a joy to wear. Judy Garland’s gingham and calico ensemble came with the added restraint of a wire bodice to strap her bosom down to conceal her burgeoning womanhood. Bert Lahr’s cowardly lion suit, made of real yak hair, weighed almost fifty pounds, while Ray Bolger’s facial makeup required painful applications of spirit gum, cloth and straw matted to his chin, face, forehead and brows. Worse, working without the luxury of air conditioning, the huge arc lights necessary for Technicolor to register properly inside these vast and cavernous soundstages, caused temperatures inside to rise well over one-hundred degrees. The lights also occasionally sparked, making loud noises that interrupted and delayed the shooting. While Oz’s production design was credited to Cedric Gibbons – as the studio’s resident architect of ‘the MGM style’ – the actual heavy lifting, under his supervision fell to Malcolm Brown, William A. Horning, Jack Martin Smith, George Gibson, Wade B. Rubottom and Elmer Sheeley, of which only Sheeley would share an on-screen credit as Oz’s supervising ‘art director’.

MGM spared no expense – both in making, and marketing The Wizard of Oz – the lineups for tickets outside Radio City Music Hall starting at five-thirty in the morning. Over the years, rumors have suggested that Oz was a colossal flop. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Oz was an overnight sensation; one that, due to its staggering production costs, and the modest price of movie tickets in 1939, failed to recoup its initial outlay during its first theatrical run. Undaunted, MGM continued to reissue the movie, eventually making back its costs and turning a profit. But Oz’s real longevity began in the mid-1950's when CBS elected to air it on national television. Those who had never seen Oz in its Technicolor and sepia splendor now could only experience it in fuzzy/grainy B&W. But that did not dissuade millions of new admirers from instantly falling under its spell. Still, the movie might just as easily have swung the other way; what with constant debate in the front offices over the inclusion of the Harold Arlen song ‘Over The Rainbow’ that some executives believed slowed down the Kansas sequence. Arthur Freed fought like hell for it to remain in the picture. Today, one cannot imagine Oz without this iconic and Oscar-winning song; the cornerstone of Judy Garland’s later concert career.  Translated into over 50 languages since its debut, The Wizard of Oz remains the most widely seen and instantly recognizable motion picture ever made. There really is nothing comparable to the genuine love people continue to have for it.

At this point, it seems rather ridiculous to provide a plot synopsis to the movie. I mean, where have you been if you haven’t heard this one before?!? In brief, when Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) is swept up by a cyclone and deposited into that magical land beyond the rainbow she meets three of its isolated inhabitants: a lonely scarecrow (Ray Bolger), perceptive tin man (Jack Haley) and cowardly lion (Bert Lahr).  Each represents a piece of Dorothy’s inner quest to find her own true place within the world at large; the scarecrow is Dorothy’s thirst for knowledge; the tin man, her desire to be compassionate, and the lion, indicative of her own inner fears, repeatedly tested and eventually conquered with genuine fortitude. Unfortunately, Dorothy makes rather a bad enemy of the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton). But together with the aid of her friends and a personal commitment to her safety made possible by Glinda; the Good Witch of the North’s (Billie Burke) kiss and bequest of magical ruby slippers – Dorothy sets out to learn that the greatest adventure of all is the realization that one can achieve their own destiny. The film’s prophetic introduction to infer “time has been powerless to put its’ kindly philosophy out of fashion” has since served as the best summation of Oz’s enduring cultural impact. Certainly, for a world bracing for the European conflict in 1939, Oz served as a reminder of the possibilities that life has to offer, even under seemingly impossible conditions; a reinvigorating message to bolster and massage humanity's everlasting idealism in mankind's progress and faith in a brighter tomorrow.

1939 was a hell of a year in Hollywood – its spate of worthy contenders for the coveted Best Picture Academy Award going well beyond the sacred 10 that were, in fact, nominated for the honor eventually afforded David O. Selznick’s Gone With The Wind. And viewed from the vantage of 80 years removed from the talents and timeline that gave it life, The Wizard of Oz remains a peerless achievement; like GWTW, that perfect flowering from an ancient and empirical dream factory, where creative integrity, wed to corporate statesmanship, evolved along a parallel course, destined to produce everlasting works of art. Oz’s purpose is clear; serving as a reminder, that one’s place in the world does not come from the magical wish fulfillment and dabbling of some omnipotent power, but remains steadfast and undiluted within the very heart and soul of our own concrete desires to give form and context to our dreams. And even if what lies ahead does not present itself under the most ideal of circumstances, the underlying message rings unvarnished and true. “There is still no place like home.” In the 80 years since gone by, the art of fantasy has never been quite so honest or as appealing.

Warner Home Video’s 80^th Anniversary 4K UHD Blu-ray is a stunner. You can officially retire all of the previous gift sets on standard Blu – as fine as they were, either in 2D or reformatted to 3D (an idiotic decision, actually). The Wizard of Oz in 4K, derived from a scan of an original Technicolor negative in 8K, with HDR applied, at long last corrects some of the oversights that were rather obvious on previous Blu-ray editions. For starters, the grain structure of the Kansas sepia-tinted sequences is infinitely better resolved, looking indigenous to its source. We lose that clumpy, slightly orange, and rather dark look; the golden/brown-hued tint of sepia appearing as it should with a finely textured grain that is very film-like. Contrast is bang on perfect. Just look at the nuances in Dorothy’s reaction to having Toto taken from her arms; the subtle glint of tears welling up, adding immeasurably to Garland’s already powerful performance. And the results are only amplified when Dorothy makes her pilgrimage from sepia into Technicolor; our introduction to a befuddled Dorothy, emerging from the dilapidated remains of her Kansas farmhouse, staring into the brightly lit Colorform’s plastic landscape set before her, yields a level of clarity in hair, skin and fabrics that will truly take the breath away. Oz’s stellar matte work has been given a little digital massaging to smooth crop lines. Those who already own the aforementioned Blu-rays will take notice of the first long-shot of the Emerald City. On standard Blu, it looked slightly dull and grainy. In 4K it has perfect register with the live-action, and, no perceivable downgrade between these disparate elements. While the 5.1 DTS is included, the original mono mix - long thought of as the 'holy grail' remains absent.  While message boards have been a twitter with inflammatory condemnation for this executive decision, truly, we have no complaints here.

The 4K rendering comes with the same audio commentary assembled for Oz’s deluxe DVD release, and includes insights from Oz historian and author, John Fricke with 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. Warner has also housed the 1990 CBS Special – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – hosted by Angela Lansbury on this disc too.  This superb documentary was unceremoniously dropped from the 3D re-issue on standard Blu-ray. The quality of this effort is much improved over previous standard def incarnations, although – shot on tape, it still leaves a great deal to be desired.  The rest of the extras are housed on the standard Blu-ray and include everything that was included with Oz’s 70^th anniversary Blu-ray. So, the same audio commentary as already mentioned: plus, The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz; an overview at best, with vintage and new snippets and soundbites from cast and crew and historians John Fricke, Sam Wasson, composers Stephen Schwartz, Marc Shaiman and film critics Leonard Maltin, Michael Sragow weighing in on the longevity of Oz. Bert Lahr’s son John is also featured. We get the litany of puff pieces produced for Oz’s 60^th anniversary, originally airing on TCM. Cumulatively, these shorts, totaling less than several minutes apiece, create a very comprehensive tribute to the cast of The Wizard of Oz.

Missing from the fray this time around is the vintage biography on director, Victor Fleming.  It was on Oz’s 50^th Anniversary Blu-ray. But The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook, narrated by Angela Lansbury, has survived the transition, as has the isolated music and effects track, the sing-a-long track, and some great vintage MGM puff pieces that helped promote Oz in theaters, on the radio in 1939. Add to this, extensive ‘stills’ galleries, depicting Oz’s aegis on film, on Broadway, pre-MGM, in print, sketches and storyboards, outtakes of special effects and ‘deleted scenes’, original publicity materials and very brief surviving newsreels of Oz’s mind-boggling Hollywood and New York premieres – also, snippets from 1940’s Academy Awards, and finally, trailers. This time out, Warner Home Video has elected not to include a copy of Turner Picture’s monumental 6-hour documentary, MGM: When The Lion Roars. Aside: this is one of the most comprehensive documentaries about a Hollywood empire ever created and magnificently hosted by Patrick Stewart. It deserves a lot better than its current presentation on ‘flipper discs’ in standard def. There is, alas, no deluxe swag to mark the 4K debut of The Wizard of Oz. So, if you are into bling, do not get rid of your 50^th and 70^th anniversary box sets. Aside: I cannot say I enjoyed Warner’s reincarnated cover art for this release. Honestly, I can do better with Photoshop. When Oz originally came to VHS back in 1984, MGM promoted it with a really cool poster for their Vide-Oh! Series. This artwork, never again to appear anywhere, would have been preferred to the current cover. It just looks cartoony at best, and amateurish at its worst. I suppose we must overlook the ‘cheap-ness’ of the slip cover and enjoy where the money has decidedly been spent – correctly – on achieving peerless results in 4K. This release should be the standard bearer for Oz for many years to follow. Personally, I cannot see Oz ever looking much better than this.  Very highly recommended!

*Addendum: it appears the U.K. is offering a 'deluxe' 4-disc 4K/Blu-ray edition of The Wizard of Oz, to include, among other things, a second standard hi-def Blu-ray disc with the aforementioned Vic Fleming bio, as well as the extensive bio on Oz's author, Frank L. Baum, plus 'The Dreamer of Oz' - a 1990 made-for-TV bio, with Baum played by the late John Ritter. This set also includes a CD sampler of the Oz soundtrack, plus, the predictable swag we have come to expect from WB special releases; stills, lobby cards, an 'Oz' map, a pop-up of Dorothy and her friends on the yellow-brick road. We do not own this set, nor - at 59 pounds do we see the merit in shelling out nearly $80 US, to own some paper inserts and semi-snazzy packaging. Oz's 50th Deluxe Blu-ray Edition came with more goodies and better decorative packaging than this, and, for only $39.99!!! Below is the artwork for the U.K. edition, should you choose to take the financial tumble. This set is advertised as 'region free', so, presumably, it will play anywhere. Again, not owning this 'deluxe' offering, we cannot vouch for this claim. 

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

5+

VIDEO/AUDIO

5+ (in 4K)

4.5 (standard Blu-ray)

EXTRAS

5+