Wizard of Oz (Clam)

"The Wizard of Oz" was based upon the children's novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919). The story is about a young girl named Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) who is being raised by her Aunt Emily 'Auntie Em' Gale (Clara Blandick) and Uncle Henry Gale (Charley Grapewin) on a farm in Kansas. After getting upset that her dog Toto (played by a dog named Terry) might be taken away because of the ramblings of their neighbor Miss Almira Gulch (Margaret Hamilton), Dorothy decides to run away. However, Dorothy and Toto are caught in a horrific storm that whisks them away to a magical land called Oz where she meets people and characters that nothing like what she knew in Kansas: Glinda the Good Witch of the North (Billie Burke), the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Tin Man (Jack Haley), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), and many others. (The film's cast had approximately 200 people.)

One interesting aspect to the film was that scenes in Kansas were filmed in black and white, while scenes in Oz were filmed in color. This was the first time that many audience members had seen a film done in full color in 1939 and the transformation from black and white to color is still dramatic today. Actor Frank Morgan plays five different roles in the film (including Professor Marvel), and several other cast members play dual roles (Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr). Songs used in the film include the following:

* "Over the Rainbow", sung by Judy Garland. This became Judy Garland's signature song and is probably the most famous song from the film.
* "We Welcome You To Munchkinland", sung by the many cast members playing the Munchkins.
* "Follow the Yellow Brick Road", sun by the many cast members playing the Munchkins.
* "If I Only Had a Brain", sung by Judy Garland and Ray Bolger.
* "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 off-screen voice of Adriana Casselotti).
* "If I Only Had the Nerve", sung by Bert Lahr, Judy Garland, Ray Bolger and Jack Haley.
* "The Merry Old Land of Oz", sung by Frank Morgan, Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr and the cast members of the Emerald City.
* "If I Were King of the Forrest", sung by Bert Lahr, Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, and Jack Haley.

Overall, "The Wizard of Oz" is one of the best films of all time and deserves a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. This film will continue to entertain for many decades to come and is well worth having your collection. If you want to try something different, play Pink Floyd's album "The Dark Side of the Moon" while watching the film instead of listening to the film's normal soundtrack. Also, the DVD contains many extras, including outtakes and excerpts from the 1914 and 1925 silent film versions.


Why it's not in Widescreen...   November 3, 2005
Tober Mike (Portland, Oregon)
29 out of 30 found this review helpful

I've read a few negative reviews here complaining about this release because it's not in the widescreen format and wanted to explain why. This movie was originally released in 1939. Movies weren't shot in the widescreen format until the 1950s. Widescreen was a format used by Hollywood to combat a new form of entertainment that they feared would put them out of business...television. This is why television originally had the aspect ratio of 4:3, because it matched the aspect ratio of movies at the time. There was a "fake" widescreen version of the Wizard of Oz released in 1955, but it wasn't true widescreen, how could it be since the master prints are in the 4:3 aspect ratio? MGM simply cut the top and bottom of the picture to fit a widescreen format. Fortunately, this version hasn't seen the light of day since it's release in 1955.
Just wanted to clear that up for people wondering why there's no widescreen format.


A classic that trancends generations!   November 22, 1999
26 out of 27 found this review helpful

I bought this video for my 3 1/2 year old nephew. Like most people my age, I have fond memories of watching it every year on CBS, and looking forward to it as an annual event. Since my nephew is into "Pokemon", "Star Wars", etc., I didn't think he would really enjoy it as much as I did (and still do). Surprise! He (as well as his 8 year old sister) was spellbound from beginning to end. Hearing his startled gasp when Judy Garland opens the door from sepia to the full color world of Oz made my week. That was on Friday. The next evening, I was babysitting him again and he wanted to watch it yet again. His mom told me he had watched it twice again that day! There are not too many films that can captivate generation upon generation of viewers - "Oz" is one of the very few. If I could give it more than five stars, I definitely would. (My nephew has already memorized some of the songs too!)


American Capitalism at its finest   October 23, 2005
SpiritChild (Amherst, MA United States)
25 out of 55 found this review helpful

Hurry up folks and buy this new Wizard of OZ DVD on Tuesday. Dont forget to get the super duper special 5 disk mega collection 2 years from now...

This is a cool set for anyone who doesnt own the normal 1 disk DVD already, otherwise save your money. The 1 disk special edition was phenomenal.

I give the greedy corporate machine 1 star for it's greed. I give Wizard of Oz 5 stars because it's one of the greatest movies ever. Oz had better special effects then most movies that came out 40 years later. Casting was great. Script was great. If I didnt love the movie so much I wouldnt mind the corporate machine bleeding it dry.

haha, Im already getting negative responses. Whatever, throw your money away. The truth is that the 1 disk edition is almost equal to this 3 disk edition. This is just a big money making scheme. Hollywood cant make good movies anymore so they are leaching off the classics. go waste your hard earned money. How many times will you actually watch the extras??? uh, like once...
Jessep was right. you cant handle the truth