Oz on Home Video, part 1

As Sam and I evidenced with our Movies of Oz podcasts, Oz has been quite influential in cinema. However, movies don't play in theaters forever. In order to enjoy films, we have little choice aside from home video. Unless you can purchase a film copy and have a film projector.

In that case, I want to live with you.

From home film reels to video tape to laserdisc to Video CD to DVD to Blu-Ray, there's been ways to see movies at home for a while. And a fair number of Oz titles have made it to home video. So, this is kind of a buyer's guide to picking up an Oz filmography. It will not be complete because there are some titles that have not been released, and some haven't legally been released. We will not be discussing bootlegs because they are not legal copies, and also, there is no constant source for them.

Another note is that not all titles are available everywhere. Due to licensing, a title that can be released by one studio in the US might be released by another one in the UK. And due to discerning customer interest, that title might not be available in all parts of the world. A dedicated collector of Oz films needs to prepare to import certain titles.

Another factor is encoding differences. In the US and Japan, NTSC was a standard through DVD. You get a smooth 29.97 frames per second and a video size up to 480 pixels high on DVD. The rest of the world used PAL. 25 frames per second and a slightly larger picture size. Blu-Ray now uses a standard 1080 pixels high on image size, but frame rates can still differ. Different parts of the world have different region codes, and not all home video players can handle them all. (Some can be hacked, but this voids your warranty.) The codes are different between DVD and Blu-Ray, but basically, if you're in the US, you need Region 1 or 0 for DVD and Region A or ABC for Blu-Ray. Region 2, 0, B or ABC for the UK. There's plenty of guides to check for this.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910)
Being public domain, this film can be found for free online on Archive.org or on video streaming sites. It has not been remastered to high definition and has only been released on DVD and as a standard definition feature on Blu-Ray issues of The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Releases:

More Treasures from the American Film Archive (out of print)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- 2005 3-disc edition
- 2009 Emerald and Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD and Blu-Ray
- 2009 Exclusive 2-disc Walmart DVD
- 2013 3D Collector's Set and Exclusive Target Edition

The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914)
While much of the same information applies to the next several films in this list, unfortunately, each film is different enough to warrant individual notes.

This and the later Oz silent films (the next three entries) were released to several video tapes through the 1990s. Many of these are cheap and fairly easy to find on sites that sell VHS. Patchwork Girl was included on a tape from the Origins of Film series, specifically, the Origins of the Fantasy Feature tape. While a nice print, it removed the opening title screen for a standardized screen. This was later used for DVD and found its way to the World of Oz DVD collection.

This and the later silent films have since become available digitally through Archive.org and video streaming sites, due to their public domain status. This is why it was available on several video tapes and later, several DVDs. Like the previous silent film and the later ones, it has not been remastered for high definition.

Releases:

The Patchwork Girl of Oz (any VHS tape bearing the title is the silent film)

The Origins of Film: The Origins of the Fantasy Feature (VHS)

The World of Oz DVD collection

The Wizard of Oz Collection DVD

The Wizard of Oz: The Lost Original L. Frank Baum Versions DVD

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- 2009 Emerald and Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD and Blu-Ray
- 2013 3D Collector's Set and Exclusive Target Edition

(There is also a manufacture on demand DVD version on Amazon claiming to be digitally remastered. This is under the title "The Patchwork Girl of Oz.")

The Magic Cloak of Oz (1914)
This one gets a little unusual as there is now two different cuts of the film available on home video. As far as I am aware, all standalone DVD and VHS editions are the usual, shorter cut. This cut is available on these releases:

The Magic Cloak of Oz (any VHS tape or DVD bearing the title is the silent film)

The World of Oz DVD collection

The Wizard of Oz Collection DVD

The Wizard of Oz: The Lost Original L. Frank Baum Versions DVD

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
-2005 3-disc DVD edition

The longer cut is available on Archive.org and perhaps on video streaming sites. You can tell if it's the longer cut by watching the first minute, because the opening title "The Magic Cloak" will have the Tin Woodman and Dorothy behind the title, along with some John R. Neill style houses (a bit dimly) before switching to an elaborate screen titled "The Magic Cloak of Oz." The shorter cut shows only "The Magic Cloak" and the title is too dim to see the illustration behind it. (Please note that due to frame rate differences, while there is more footage, the running time difference between the two cuts might be misleadingly similar.)

Releases:

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- 2009 Emerald and Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD and Blu-Ray
- 2013 3D Collector's Set and Exclusive Target Edition

His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz (1914)
This is the simplest of the bunch as only one version has been available on home video. Again, it can also be found for free on Archive.org and video streaming sites.

Releases:

His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz (any VHS tape or DVD bearing the title is the silent film)

The World of Oz DVD collection

The Wizard of Oz Collection DVD

The Wizard of Oz: The Lost Original L. Frank Baum Versions DVD

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- 2005 3-disc DVD edition
- 2009 Emerald and Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD and Blu-Ray
- 2013 3D Collector's Set and Exclusive Target Edition

The Wizard of Oz (1925)
 Also public domain, this title has been available on several releases and can be seen for free on Archive.org and video streaming sites. However, since it shares a title with several other Oz films, you will have to look for identifying marks to identify that this is the version you're getting.

The best version is unquestionably the version Warner Brothers bundled with the 1939 Wizard of Oz in certain editions, beginning in 2005. It contains different title cards and a longer opening sequence. The picture is clear and it features a new score written specifically for it by Robert Israel. Like the previous titles on this list, no high definition version is available.

Releases:

The Wizard of Oz (please ensure that the video tape or DVD indicates that it is the Larry Semon version or a silent version or features Oliver Hardy)

The World of Oz DVD collection

The Wizard of Oz Collection DVD

The Wizard of Oz: The Lost Original L. Frank Baum Versions DVD

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- 2005 3-disc DVD edition
- 2009 Emerald and Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD and Blu-Ray
- 2013 3D Collector's Set and Exclusive Target Edition

The Land of Oz (1932)
This title, though existing (but missing the second half of the sound track), has not been released to home video in any form. 

The Wizard of Oz (1933)
 This Ted Eshbaugh cartoon has been made available on several VHS and DVD compilations of public domain cartoons. It is also available through streaming sites and probably Archive.org. In 2014, it received a Blu-Ray restoration by Thunderbean Animation, creating the definitive and best home video release so far.

Releases:

It is almost impossible to note every DVD and video release this has been featured on. Many such releases feature a list on the back of the package, and if it seems to contain public domain cartoons, a "Wizard of Oz" in the list surely contains this cartoon in its rough shape. It is the feature title on some VHS tapes, playing first. The cover art may or may not reflect the actual cartoon.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- 2005 3-disc DVD edition
- 2009 Emerald and Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD and Blu-Ray
- 2009 Exclusive 2-disc Walmart DVD
- 2013 3D Collector's Set and Exclusive Target Edition

 Technicolor Dreams and Black and White Nightmares Blu-Ray/DVD edition

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
This title has actually been released to every conceivable home video format.

The Wizard of Oz (Super 8)
The Wizard of Oz (VHS, several issues)
The Wizard of Oz (Betamax)
The Wizard of Oz (CED)
The Wizard of Oz (Laserdisc from the Criterion Collection, The Ultimate Oz laserdisc, and a later issue)
The Wizard of Oz (Video CD)
The Wizard of Oz (DVD, several issues)
The Wizard of Oz (Blu-Ray, several issues)
The Wizard of Oz (Digital copy)
The Wizard of Oz (Ultraviolet)
The Wizard of Oz (3D Blu-Ray)