Cinema classic The Wizard of Oz will make its debut in hi-def on Blu-ray September 29th, marking its 70th anniversary. The movie has been freshly remastered, with the original Technicolor camera negatives scanned at 8K resolution, and then edited to 4K for BD mastering at 2K. The soundtrack has also been reworked, and will be presented in multichannel Dolby TrueHD. Warner is heralding the release as a 'benchmark in the history of the Blu-ray format.'
The 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition will contain nearly four hours of all-new bonus material, plus Digital Copy, and come in numbered packaging.
Supplemental highlights include the original extended version of If I Only Had a Brain; the documentary MGM: When the Lion Roars; The Dreamer of Oz, (a 1990 TV bio-pic about Oz author L. Frank Baum); Victor Fleming, Master Craftsman, a new documentary about the director); Hollywood Celebrates It's Biggest Little Stars, a featurette dedicated to the life and times of the actors who played the Munchkins; two 1914 silent films, The Magic Cloak of Oz and The Patchwork Girl of Oz, both produced by Baum, a sing-along track; promotional artworks; 52-page miniature book, and a numbered Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary watch!
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In the latest Home Cinema Choice:
The original audio better be
Alan Smithee (not verified) - 10 June 2009 - 1:55pmThe original audio better be included too! I hate it when that's dropped. I'm all for remixes but only if both are included.
And I wonder how much that
scarrstewart - 10 June 2009 - 3:42pmAnd I wonder how much that will cost?!
Pricing
Anton van Beek - 1 July 2009 - 10:44amWell, the 'list price' for the US 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition Blu-ray box set is a wallet-worrying $84.99. If and when there's an announcement for a UK release, you can expect it to be considerably cheaper as Warner Home Video will inevitably ditch the over-sized packaging, 52-page book, watch and other sundry bits of memorabilia and just stick to releasing the two-disc Blu-ray package on its own.