Disney's Journey to Oz, part 1

Walt Disney, the man who people thought should adapt
the Oz stories, with Shirley Temple, the girl who people
thought should play Dorothy. This was at the 11th
Academy Awards, the award being for Snow White in
an honorary move: "a significant screen innovation which
has charmed millions and pioneered a great new
entertainment field."

Today is the 90th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, which started as a tiny cartoon studio and is now a multimedia empire.

Earlier this year, Disney released a movie titled Oz the Great and Powerful, but that was far from Disney's first trip down the yellow brick road. It is actually Disney's third Oz movie and just the latest of a handful of completed projects.

Walt Disney made several strides for animation: the Disney studio created the first cartoon with synchronized sound, the first color cartoon, and pioneered many animation techniques. The animated shorts eventually led Disney to create the first feature-length fully animated film: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released in 1937. (A silent film with cutout animation was completed in 1926, but was scarcely seen: The Adventures of Prince Achmed.)

Disney had been one of the major animation studios at the time, and many Oz fans began to realize that perhaps animation would be a great way to visually depict the wonders and magic of Oz. Even before Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered, some fans thought Disney would find Oz a good match for his skill. Afterward, the studio noted that they received more suggestions to tackle the Oz stories in animation than anything else.

According to The Wizardry of Oz, the studio drew up a synopsis for each of the fourteen Baum books, and even dreamed up a cartoon concept in which Mickey Mouse would be blown to Oz instead of Dorothy.

However, it was not to be. Maud Gage Baum and Ruth Plumly Thompson had already been entertaining the idea of Oz cartoons, but were interested in animator Ken McLellan's pitch. While McLellan eventually got permission from Maud, he could not secure funding. Walt Disney did approach Maud, but she refused his request. She was not a fan of his animation. (I hate to presume, but did she completely miss seeing Snow White?)

Anyway, after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hollywood studios began looking for fantasy properties to bring to the big screen. 1939 would see the second fully animated cartoon feature: Gulliver's Travels from Max Fleischer's Studios, and 1940 would see The Thief of Bagdad as a full color fantasy epic.

However, the push for fantasy led Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to try to equal the animated spectacle of Snow White with live action. They purchased the rights to a certain famous children's book from Samuel Goldwyn (who had sold his old studio of Goldwyn Pictures and had begun again as Samuel Goldwyn Productions) and also picked up the film rights to any of its previous adaptations to avoid competition. I scarcely need to tell you that this book was, in fact, The Wizard of Oz.

So, with a big studio already making a movie based on the first Oz book and the executor of L. Frank Baum's estate refusing to work with him, it became clear that Walt would have to wait before he could attempt to step down the yellow brick road.

The Wizardry of Oz

The wonderful thing about films is that so much work goes into them from so many angles. Often we focus on the script, the directing, the music and the cast and sometimes forget the massive amount of work it can take to make the film look just right.

The Wizardry of Oz, by Jay Scarfone and William Stillman, was assembled to highlight the creation of the sets, props, costumes and makeup of MGM's The Wizard of Oz.

Like fantasy epics of today (The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Harry Potter), most of what was seen onscreen in The Wizard of Oz had to be created specifically for that picture. The costumes and set pieces and props to depict the Land of Oz had to be made for the picture: they were depicting another world. Yes, they made it a dream world so they were a little free from adding a level of complete reality to it. But still, the fantastic look of Oz couldn't be found in a store.

The book starts with a look at where the MGM film owes its origins: the original book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and other adaptations of it and also Disney's groundbreaking fantasy film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It makes it clear that when MGM set out to make The Wizard of Oz into a movie, they were trying for a new spectacle that audiences had not seen before. Today, these films are such classics in our collective psyche that we forget that what they were doing was breaking new ground. Like Snow White, Oz would draw in audiences with an engaging story, lovely music and songs, and spectacular visuals that had never been seen before.

The book is, of course, highly illustrated with sketches, art, stills, on-set photographs, test photographs, but very rarely actual frames from the film. These are beautifully put together and the book is as much fun to look through as it is to read.

We then move straight into the makeup. Highlighted is Jack Dawn's challenge to take the faces of the stars of The Wizard of Oz and turn them into the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion and the Wicked Witch and yet have people be able to recognize them as Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr and Margaret Hamilton. Although they were less challenging, the detail of the makeup of the citizens of Oz, Frank Morgan, Billie Burke and Judy Garland are not ignored.

Next is the costumes: surprisingly, costume designer Adrian had been drawing Oz character designs since childhood and worked with the vivid fantasy MGM was aiming for in creating costumes not just for the principal cast, but also for the Munchkins, the Winkie Guards and the people of the Emerald City.

Third is set design, how MGM's artists turned soundstages into the fantastic world of Oz and the farm in Kansas. The surprising thing about the film is that if you think about it, you can see how it's a soundstage, but it doesn't matter if you're not. The effect is sold that well.

The fourth and last section on the film's production is about the special effects from matte paintings to creating the cyclone to moving trees and flying monkeys, it's all there.

Next, the book showcases the promotion campaign for MGM's movie. Having spent $2,777,000 on the movie, they wanted to be sure people were excited and would go see it. The book discusses the lavish campaign with many, many images of surviving examples of advertising from covers of magazines to posters to cards found in packages of candy cigarettes. A surprising piece is a newspaper page drawn by artist Michelson. It very quickly brings to mind John R. Neill's Oz artwork, though the designs are clearly of the movie.

The book then talks about the impact the MGM movie had on Hollywood after its release from films that tried to mimic its format by bringing full-color fantasy to life onscreen (Shirley Temple's The Blue Bird and the 1940 production of The Thief of Baghdad) to Oz tributes in cartoons and films to re-use of props and costumes in later MGM movies. An especial favorite photo of mine is Shirley Temple at her desk, typing. Next to her is her bookshelf with all of the Oz novels on it in order, except they are in order with the oldest to the right and the latest (The Giant Horse of Oz) to the left. (Giant Horse and Land are the latest and earliest seen. As the photo is dated 1941, we can assume Shirley actually did keep up on the series, and surely she had a copy of The Wizard of Oz.)

The book was originally released in 1999 for the movie's 60th anniversary. My edition was released in 2004 for the otherwise generally ignored 65th anniversary. (The special edition DVD came out in October 2005.) The new edition is listed as "Revised and Expanded" with a number of new material. I haven't seen the 1999 edition. There is a section that gives a brief biography of Terry, the little dog that played Toto, as well as her filmography. The back cover lists the filmography as a new feature.

The Terry section is preceded by a section of never-before printed photos of filming of the movie by Peter Stackpole. It's followed by a complete credit listing for everyone they could identify who worked on the movie.

Overall, The Wizardry of Oz gives a nice look at the creation of the visuals of one of the most important fantasy films of all time. Definitely recommended.

The Wizard of Oz: The Screenplay

The screenplay for MGM's The Wizard of Oz is, today, available in a variety of editions. Copies of the screenplay were included with The Ulitmate Oz laserdisc collection and the Gift Set Edition of the DVD in 1999. But the first time it was published was in 1989 by Delta, a division of Dell Publishing.

The screenplay included was based on the continuity script prepared for the movie's original cut. Editor Michael Patrick Hearn (who had previously become famous in Oz world for The Annotated Wizard of Oz and had also annotated Huckleberry Finn and A Christmas Carol, and was already at work on his yet to be published biography of L. Frank Baum) reduced it to what was in the finished film. Deleted pieces of dialogue and scenes showed up as footnotes and appendixes.

Hearn writes a foreword that discusses how the script came to be written. The rejected drafts are mentioned, but it details how the final script it mainly the work of Noel Langley, revised heavily by Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, revised by Langley again, and finally a few uncredited (but important) tweaks from John Lee Mahin.

Included is the script for the deleted "Rainbow Bridge" sequence which was an alternate version of occurrences in the Wicked Witch's castle, cutting in right after Dorothy sees the Wicked Witch in the crystal ball. The Witch puts Dorothy to work, and she sings "Over the Rainbow" as she cleans the Witch's castle as the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion come to her rescue. The Witch is inspired by the song to create a rainbow bridge leading from one tower to another that would support one for awhile before they fall to a gruesome death, which she tests with a Winkie guard. Dorothy's friends arrive and wait in the opposite tower, as Dorothy tries the bridge. The Ruby Slippers keep her safe, though, and so the chase we know from the finished film ensues.

Also included are additional lyrics that were never intended for the movie: additional opening lyrics for "Over the Rainbow," "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead!," "Off To See The Wizard," "If I Only Had A...," "The Merry Old Land of Oz," and alternate lyrics for "The Jitterbug." A lot of those will be familiar with Oz audiophiles, but Hearn surprises with an additional British sheet music verse for "Over the Rainbow":

Once by a word only lightly spoken
All your dreams are broken
For a while,
Sadness comes and joy goes by;
But ev'ry tear like the rain descending
Finds a happy ending
In a smile,
Doubts and fears all fade and die
To the blue beyond the grey
Love again will find its way...

This book as it is seems to be unavailable in a new edition. Looking at used copies on Amazon tonight, third-party copies went from under $1 to $40. No other edition of the script I've seen online has a credit for Hearn, but that doesn't mean that the additional material might not have been included in any others, or if the complete continuity script was reprinted. I have not seen any other editions in person, so I can't say for sure. If you have any more information on these, I'd be glad to hear about them. Otherwise, this is the only edition I can recommend.

EDIT: I have been informed that the script included with the Ultimate Oz collection is the complete continuity script. The same script was reprinted in 1999 for the DVD Gift Set, and a "Loose Leaf" edition is listed on Amazon. Premiere Magazine reprinted the script, but it appears to be only the script of the finished film. Any edition published by Faber and Faber is simply a United Kingdom edition of the book I have detailed above with Hearn's work. (Thanks, Kurt Raymond.)

The Wizard of Oz Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Deluxe Edition

Even the toughest critics of MGM's The Wizard of Oz find it hard to fault the music. One major fan of the Oz books says that even though he doesn't care for the look of the movie or the story adaptation, he does like the songs. As with every other part of the movie, the songs and score went through a long development process before finally becoming the familiar tunes we know and love today.

MGM of course recognized that the songs were viable outside of the movie and sheet music was made available with the movie's premiere of the songs and "The Jitterbug." Decca Records released a set of records that featured their own singers covering most of the film's songs. ("If I Were King of the Forest" was dropped.) Fortunately for them, they had Judy Garland contracted and she sang "Over the Rainbow" and "The Jitterbug." Both of these early commercial versions contained additional and alternate lyrics to help the songs be sung outside of the film.

In the mid-1950s, MGM finally released a proper soundtrack album, featuring most of the songs. Since the songs would be too short for a full record, actual audio from the film was included to retell the story. The sound on the record is severely chopped as can be expected. Eventually, other record albums showed up with more proper "soundtrack" tracks and pieces of score, and soon went over to audio cassette and CD. And, of course, the songs were licensed for covers on record albums not by MGM.

Rhino Records finally came around with new CD releases in the 90s. They issued a single CD with the songs

Almost indicating what's on
each disc, Billie Burke's Glinda
graces disc 1 as she appears in
the finished film. Margaret
Hamilton wears an early
version of the Wicked
Witch's costume on disc 2.

and major pieces of score from the movie, utilizing some audio from the MGM archives to present extended versions of "If I Only Had A Brain" and "If I Were King Of The Forest," as well as "The Jitterbug" and "Ding Dong! Emerald City." They also issued a new CD version of the dialogue and songs album, which took advantage of the longer running time of CDs to present a better edited version.

But most desirable of all was a 2-disc Deluxe Soundtrack set. Instead of releasing the complete score of the finished film, Rhino went back to that archival audio and recreated the score and songs of the movie's original two-hour cut. The tracks were all seamlessly extended where available. The audio was not remastered in stereo, but it could easily be argued that this is representative of the intentions of the original composer since it wasn't made to be heard in stereo. (The same archival recordings would later be utilized by Warner Brothers to create the multi-channel audio track you can hear on today's home video and theatrical releases.)

The complete score and songs is excellent enough, but after one hour and forty-three minutes of music representing the movie (which is actually about two minutes shorter), there is over half an hour of alternate versions of the score, including instrumental-only versions of "If I Only Had A Brain" and "The Merry Old Land of Oz." (It's almost like they predicted the karaoke trend.) Probably the track a lot of people will want to hear is Buddy Ebsen's version of "If I Only Had A Heart." While the orchestration and arrangement is the same, Buddy's voice lends itself well to the character of a man who's been living in the woods. (But one could also imagine this same voice playing the Scarecrow, the role Ebsen was originally cast to play.) We can also hear demo and rehearsal versions of some of the original songs and a partial take of "Over The Rainbow" in which Judy suddenly coughs right after starting to sing the song. Although these audio elements aren't exactly the most complete selection of Oz audio outtakes (owners of The Ultimate Oz laserdisc note audio that is not on the CD set or on any subsequent Blu-Ray or DVD release), they present a good look at the evolution of the classic movie music that has delighted generations.

The set has one of the best liner notes ever: a booklet by John Fricke, detailing the creation of the music of The Wizard of Oz and how the movie was made, focusing on how changes in the script, casting and editing affected the music. A complete track listing with notes is included, as well as a synopsis of the movie. About the only thing that could have made the book more complete would have been the lyrics. But even without that, it's hard to complain about this lovely little book.

This set is now out of print and it seems that Rhino no longer has the rights to re-release it. It can be found online, but it's hard to find for under $40. (I luckily got my copy before the price went up.) Collectors hope that the set can be re-released soon. Hey, Warner Music, the 75th anniversary of the movie isn't quite here yet! I'm sure there's plenty of time for a reissue!

The Film Grain of Oz

Screengrab from the 2009 Blu-Ray edition
Pictures from DVDbeaver

In a couple recent blogs about MGM's The Wizard of Oz, you may have noted me use the term "film grain." Some questions might arise: what is it? Why is it important?

"JUDY'S GOT THE POX!"
Nope, that's film grain.

Some people haven't been quite so enamored with the HD print of the movie released in 2009, and it comes from a big misconception about film prints and video transfers. The complaint is that the film looks grainy and (because they forgot what it looked like) they say it looks like a bad VHS copy. But, this is quite the opposite of the case. Film has a fine grain texture that holds the image. When this was reproduced onto videocassette, laserdisc or even DVD, the resolution wasn't high enough to show film grain. When Blu-Ray and high definition video came out, we were finally able to see this fine texture. Most of us know The Wizard of Oz from seeing it on television or home video. We didn't notice film grain there because it didn't show up.

Is it possible to remove film grain? Yes, however, the results are often held to be detrimental as this basically blurs the image so the grain disappears. Sure, in high definition, the image may look sharp, but a lot of detail has actually been lost in this process.

"The grain's gone!"
And so's the whites of her eyes...

Furthermore, film enthusiasts believe that since movies like The Wizard of Oz were filmed on film, the grain should be retained so it still looks like film. There are people who believe movies should be tinkered with until they "look real," but can any of us really say that we should mess that much with a film, particularly one so classic as Oz? Would making the movie look like a live sporting event really improve it?

I say, NO. The look of the film—even if limited by the time it was made—was how the crew wanted it to look. If we remove that, the film is no longer what people saw in theaters. Would The Wizard of Oz be as magical if we recolored it to look like modern photography instead of Technicolor?

Furthermore, such a conversion simply would not be possible. At least, not in high-definition. The loss of detail that would happen by eliminating film grain would actually require making the picture smaller so as not to look artificial.

Screencap from the 2005 DVD release

If you want to see The Wizard of Oz without film grain, dig up a copy of the DVD from 2005. This is actually a fine-looking transfer, nice, clear, sharp and rich in color. But if you want to see the movie in high definition, that film grain will be part of it, at home on your HDTV or in a movie theater.

The new Oz Blu-Ray!

 So, my copy of the new 75th anniversary Blu-Ray edition of The Wizard of Oz arrived. It's actually titled The Wizard of Oz 3D since it features the new 3D conversion of the movie on its home video release.

Also, this is the first time the movie's been released with an Ultraviolet code for its digital copy. I've mentioned Ultraviolet before, and I find the idea of streaming a movie to watch it on a computer or digital device to be more preferable than the old Digital Copy concept (which Warner Brothers used in the last re-release in 2009) of placing a large video file on your computer.

Now, to be exact, this is 2013, so this is actually the 74th anniversary. However, we simply have to consider this edition to be released in anticipation of the 75th anniversary. As I said on Facebook once, if you have a 3D setup, you can enjoy the new 3D version all through 2014.

I do not have a 3D setup, but I decided to get the new box set anyway. I enjoyed the 3D version at a theater, so I assume that the disc version looks just as good, just the screen is smaller. (Also your specific 3D setup might affect how the movie looks.)

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The movie's presentation

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MGM's The Wizard of Oz debuted on Blu-Ray in 2009 and was met to much critical acclaim, and sure, the film grain is presented, coming as close as you'd get to actually screening a film copy in your home as we'll get until Ultra High Definition comes out. (I joked about that, but turns out it's actually being developed.) This same transfer has been re-utilized in this new set.

However, sharp eyed viewers have noted issues with the lauded transfer: there's a few lines present during the opening credits (not too badly noticeable, but still there) that were likely "scratches" from a projector. This is removable, so I assume Warner Brothers' restorers missed it. Other issues were noticed, mainly problems with how they felt the movie should look. Probably the biggest is that as Glinda leaves Munchkinland, part of the picture has a stuck portion. These issues are not major, but, as film enthusiasts note, these errors should be corrected to maintain the integrity of the movie, one of the biggest movies ever made.

To the indignation of film enthusiasts, these errors were corrected for the 3D version of the movie, leaving us with the baffling issue, why wasn't that restoration used for the new 2D disc? The disc has been re-authored and is not a straight reissue of the 2009 disc.You can view the 3D version as a 2 dimensional image, but you'd need a 3D disc player and 3D television or adapter to do so.

The audio, however, is actually a new mix. All dialogue is in the center audio channel, while the music has been remixed for surround sound home theater systems. For a very long time, movies only had monaural (one channel) audio mix, so this isn't exactly how the movie sounded in 1939. A tiny portion of audio has been missing from the movie since the 1998 theatrical release and subsequent home video releases. As Miss Gulch is taking Toto, Dorothy said "Oh, To, oh Toto." In 1998, it was considered an accidental stutter in the audio mix due to a reel change at that point so it was excised. However, film enthusiasts note, as the film was exhibited with that audio for over 50 years, it at least should have been made available, like, say, on the "original mono track" feature.

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Special features, discs 1 and 2

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Onto bonus features! The 3D disc contains all of the alternate audio tracks that the standard Blu-Ray disc contains. These are the 2005 audio commentary with John Fricke, a "music and effects" track (allowing you to view the movie without dialogue) and the "original mono track."

The press release wasn't in depth about the special features, saying that "all previously released special features" would be retained. This, however, was found not to be the case as observant fans got their copies: the Angela Lansbury-hosted TV special The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic (present in all DVD and Blu-Ray releases since 1999) has been dropped in favor of a new 70 minute documentary titled The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. For the completist home video collector, we shall be hanging onto our old DVD or Blu-Ray editions to keep it.

That said, the new feature is not a brash usurper, offering a more focused look at the creation of the movie than the Lansbury special, as well as a number of experts and Munchkins and archival audio and footage. The tiny extant bit of the deleted "Triumphant Return" sequence (from a trailer) is presented in likely the highest quality possible. All footage from non-widescreen sources (except a couple zoom-ins) have a curtain design on the sides to fill in the picture on widescreen television sets.

The rest of the re-authored disc contains familiar bonus materials from previous releases, but dropping some major stuff. The audio-only features, supporting cast career profile videos, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook, stills gallery and trailers have been retained, but the remaining features from the 2009 disc have been moved to disc 3. This was probably done due to the fact that the new making of feature is in high definition. This means, though, that the more affordable standalone disc has less special features than its 2009 counterpart.

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Special features, disc 3

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So, yes, everything else is on disc 3: the remaining documentaries and featurettes introduced in the 2005 DVD and 2009 Blu-Ray, the deleted scenes and home movies, the far from pristine transfer of The Dreamer of Oz, vintage featurettes for MGM studio publicity, excerpts from Off To See The Wizard, and the same versions of the silent Oz films and the 1933 cartoon that we've had before. I find it rather disappointing that the only way to get this disc is to purchase this large set. Unlike 2009's DVD, English subtitles are included on most features.

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DVD Copy

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The fourth disc is a DVD copy of the movie, and to be honest, I kind of wish it hadn't been included. Although I stuck with DVD for a very long time, this disc is a simple reissue of the 2009 DVD, which was a modified version of the 2005 DVD. I still have my DVD collection from then, so I actually have no use for it. It exclusively contains "Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz," a featurette from the 2005 DVD restoration that was obsolete and yet retained in the 2009 editions as they used the new high definition print as the source. (In my own opinion, as film grain doesn't look good on DVD's limited resolution, the 2005 version is the best the movie has looked on that format.)

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Disc 5

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Disc 5 I have yet to peruse, but it is the four-hour documentary MGM: When The Lion Roars on a dual-sided DVD. There are a number of features I now think could be added to a future re-release: the 1932 Land of Oz Meglin Kiddies short, existing celebrity wraparounds from early TV showings of the movie, expanded audio features including the audio commentaries from the "Ultimate Oz" and Criterion Collection laserdisc editions of the movie ("Ultimate Oz" also contained a number of audio outtakes from the movie not included on any subsequent DVD or Blu-Ray), a biographical piece on Judy Garland, and now that it's gone, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic, hosted by Angela Lansbury. If the next re-release is still on Blu-Ray, I'd like to see all of the features in this paragraph on a disc.

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What else is in the box?

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 Like the 2005 and 2009 collector's sets, non-disc goodies are included. Pictures from a friend's set can be seen at this blog entry, so I won't be photographing my set.

The physical bonuses include a hardcover journal, a timeline of the film's production by John Fricke that has been heavily illustrated and presented as a book, a Ruby Slipper sparkle globe (that lights up with a red glow), and a pin collection.

There is also a print showing Dorothy standing on the bridge in Munchkinland that is listed as a "photo card," but on the back, it doubles as an advertisement for the new book by Jay Scarfone and William Stillman. The same advertisement can be found in the timeline book.

There is also a map of Oz, which mashes up the Oz geography from the books (the four countries and their colors), the film's plot and location names from Wicked. I was not too pleased to see that. The route of the Yellow Brick Road is far too winding and complicated: instead of going straight to the Emerald City, it winds around Oz, showing the Scarecrow in a Gillikin Cornfield and the Tin Woodman in a Gillikin Forest that reaches into the Winkie Country and turns into the Haunted Forest. The northern part (which isn't so bad, I guess) is where the Cowardly Lion lives. Finally, the approach to the Emerald City runs through the Quadling Country, where Glinda's palace is shown.

Whoever designed this map should think about what it means to the plot of the movie. Dorothy went on a long, winding road that actually takes her into the domain of the Wicked Witch of the West to get to the Emerald City. She could have cut across country and made a far shorter trip. The straightforward road Baum created makes far more sense. And the inclusion of locations from Wicked is going to be irksome to any Baum fan, though the nutty fans of the musical who want to see it as "canon" with the movie are going to be glad.

My major gripe is that there isn't a printed index of the discs' rather extensive contents, much less a chapter list for the movie. They did stop making those a while ago, but I rather miss them as it was nice to have them on hand to refer to. (The menus also no longer title the chapters, they only give them numbers.) One would think that this could have been included in the timeline book. Or perhaps instead of the journal (a plain affair), they could have presented another edition of the movie's shooting script with that index included.

The discs come housed in a standard Blu-Ray case that's just a little thicker than average cases. This means it won't stick out too badly if you put on a shelf with your other Blu-Rays.

My current collection of Oz Blu-Ray titles.

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Should I buy it?

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Perhaps, as they did in 2009, Warner Brothers will release the discs on their own from this massive set, but no announcement has been made yet.

If you're not interested in the non-disc goodies this time around (understandable as it contains little aside from Fricke's timeline book to interest a film buff), and you have the Ultimate Collector's Edition or Emerald Edition from 2009, then you can get the 3D version and the new documentary simply by purchasing the standalone 3D edition. If you want to pass on the 3D one but still get the new documentary, then get the new standalone Blu-Ray or the new 2-disc DVD set if you don't mind that documentary not being in high definition. And if you're not interested in that documentary at all and you do have the 2009 set, then feel free to pass this time.

As this is my first time purchasing the movie on Blu-Ray, I do feel a little more justified in the purchase, but considering the dropping of a major feature from past editions and the rather underwhelming new content, it wasn't an entirely exciting re-release.

The Wizard of Oz: The Official 50th Anniversary Pictorial History

I haven't really done a lot of reading up on MGM's classic adaptation of L. Frank Baum's famous Oz book, but this year, I've finally rescinded and picked up a few books about the making of the movie.

This is one of the big ones, and one I think I would have enjoyed as a child due to how heavily illustrated it is.

The Official 50th Anniversary Pictorial History details the origins of The Wizard of Oz story briefly but details the making of the film much more. It actually shows the covers of all of the Famous Forty Oz books and then some (Who's Who in Oz, the Reilly & Lee Visitors from Oz, Yankee in Oz, The Enchanted Island of Oz, The Forbidden Fountain of Oz and Dick Martin's The Ozmapolitan of Oz).

The section on pre-production of the movie proved very fascinating, with the different adaptation concepts nicely detailed. (At one point, none of Dorothy's friends were going to be actually a Scarecrow, Tin Man or Lion, but only people who thought they were brainless and heartless, and a man who'd been transformed into a lion.) Even some pages from abandoned screenplay drafts are included, making me wish some of them would be published in their entirety. Although modern critics sometimes say that the MGM film is nothing like the book, surprisingly, a lot of what it got right was simply stepping back to the source material.

The casting is detailed along with the long, arduous production schedule that went through several directors, a complete scrapping of filmed footage, and the studio almost shutting down the production due to high costs.

Finally, the premiere and re-releases and TV airings are discussed, as well as noting the passing of the principal cast.

Other books have been produced about the making of the film since (Stillman and Scarfone even produced a book dedicated mainly to the design of the production and are coming out with a new book at the end of the month), but this one is an easily readable one if not fully comprehensive. Although out of print, used copies in paperback and hardcover (mine is an ex-library with minimal markings) can be found easily and inexpensively.

The Characters of Oz — Zeb and Jim

As Dorothy and Uncle Henry headed home from Australia, Dorothy decided to stay with some new friends in San Francisco.

There's been some debate about the continuity here. Some Oz fans have read Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz in that Dorothy is on another trip with Uncle Henry. However, it makes much more sense to see this as their return from Australia. Baum opens the fourth Oz novel with the line "The train from 'Frisco was very late." Now, there is a city in Texas called Frisco, but since it says "'Frisco," we may assume that this is the nickname for San Francisco. It also wouldn't make much sense for Dorothy and Uncle Henry to visit Texas, then return home to Kansas by way of California. Considering what The Emerald City of Oz tells of their financial situation, we can imagine that this entire trip was planned very frugally.

Uncle Henry went on to Hugson's Ranch. Dorothy went by train later, and arrived late, very early in the morning. She met Zebediah ("Zeb"), who explained that they're second cousins. Aunt Em's sister married Bill Hugson, who is Zeb's uncle. (For this to work, Dorothy is Uncle Henry's blood relative, just as I've always thought.) Zeb's last name is never revealed. It could be Hugson, but only if his father is Bill Hugson's brother. Baum never explores that part of the family.

To pull the cab that is on Hugson's Ranch is an old horse named Jim. Apparently, he's retired from pulling cabs in Chicago to only pulling the Hugson cab when needed. Dorothy notes that he's skinny and bony and his head looks too large for his body. Still, he seems to be well-cared for.

Thanks to an earthquake, Zeb and Jim accompany Dorothy and her kitten Eureka (next blog) underground where they meet the Wizard as they face the Mangaboos, the Invisible Bears of Voe, the Gargoyles of Naught and the Dragonettes in their quest to reach the surface before Ozma finally brings them to Oz. Both Zeb and Jim get to prove their resourcefulness by fighting enemies or by stealing the wings of the Gargoyles. These wings are attached to Jim and the buggy and he must make the daring attempt. In addition, Jim (who can talk as soon as they begin to fall into the earth) befriends the Wizard's tiny piglets and even threatens to eat Eureka if she harms one.

However, while Dorothy welcomes adventures in fairyland with enthusiasm, Zeb is hesitant. Jim makes it clear that he would far rather be back at home, enjoying his retirement.

In Oz, Jim attempts to befriend the Sawhorse, but they are later pitted against each other in a race, which Jim loses. When he tries to attack the Sawhorse in frustration, the Hungry Tiger attacks him, letting him know that he will look out for his friends. Jim begins to tell Zeb that they don't really belong there.

Zeb is part of the jury in Eureka's trial, and while the jury's process is not detailed, we might assume that his interaction with Oz citizens made him feel out of place.

Zeb explains that he would like to go home, and that "not being fairies," he and Jim just don't belong in Oz. And he's right. Oz might be open for all, but it is not the place for everyone. Zeb has grown up outside of fairyland, and while he enjoyed the fantasy in The Arabian Nights, a land of fantasy isn't for him. He and Jim do not reappear in the remaining Famous Forty Oz books. Dorothy longs for adventure, Zeb just wants to be a regular working man and Jim just wants to enjoy being a regular horse.

As a young reader, I felt sorry that Zeb and Jim didn't get to go back, and later, my earliest ideas for new Oz stories involved bringing them back to Oz. In reading Oziana, one story had them returned to Oz to stay. But as an adult, I have come to peace with the fact that Zeb and Jim didn't go back to Oz and yes, grew old and eventually died while Dorothy lived on in the Land of Oz. But sometimes the fairytale ending of living happily forever after isn't for everyone, and it certainly wasn't the case for these two characters.

I do believe that Zeb and Jim did end their days quite happily indeed. Likely their experience in Oz gave Zeb new perspective on how to care for the horse, and when it came for Jim to die, Zeb probably did everything in his power to ensure his old friend would be comfortable until the end. Zeb either got his own ranch or took over Bill's ranch and probably married and maybe he had children. And since it became obvious that the Oz books existed in the universe they told about, maybe he picked up some of those for them.

In any case, a few years later when his Uncle Bill heard that Uncle Henry, Aunt Em and Dorothy had vanished without a trace, Zeb most likely knew exactly what had happened.

Oz in 3D

So, 2013 has presented us twice with Oz movies to see in 3D. And I went to see both in theaters. The first was, of course, Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful, which was filmed with the intention to be shown in 3D. Director Sam Raimi wisely chose not to have a lot of "in your face" 3D moments. Yes, flying baboons fly straight at the viewer, but largely, the 3D added depth to the world of Oz and made it draw viewers in more.

And I don't know if it was certain techniques or beginning the film in black and white and subtle 3D, but the effect didn't bother my eyes. I did not go to bed with a headache.

But in late 2012, Warner Brothers announced that the MGM classic The Wizard of Oz would be restored once again for a 3D version to be released to 3D Blu-Ray. At the time of announcement, I hoped that they would release it for at least a limited release in theaters. Well, only a few months ago, they announced that that would be the case. It would play nationwide in over 300 IMAX theaters. Screening events have been announced for other countries, though they don't seem to have received a lot of press.

Making a 3D version of a classic film has proved controversial to film fans. It is, admittedly, retrofitting an old film for a modern market trend. However, The Wizard of Oz is a visually rich film. Perhaps such a conversion would not be such a bad thing. And in any case, it would not replace the original version, but only be a different way to view it.

Today is the fourth of the seven days that you can go see it at a theater and the day I finally went to see it myself. It was also the first time I've been to an IMAX theater. I was actually the first customer there, arriving before the doors were unlocked. (Six other customers for Oz would follow.)

I've seen the MGM movie on a big screen before, but it was a screen on the smaller end of projection screens, and it seemed to have been a tired, faded film print. While the screen I saw today wasn't a legendary huge IMAX screen, it was definitely bigger than any other screen I'd seen.

Some have noted seeing no film grain on the picture, but I noticed it in its full glory as soon as Judy Garland and Terry appeared onscreen. Most people had thought the 3D conversion would reduce the film grain and make everything look waxy, but it was delightfully not the case. The film looks as great as it ever has, just now in 3D.

A word on film grain: it is very much a good thing. Prior to Blu-Ray, you didn't really see film grain at home due to low resolution on very much every home video format. High definition, however, can show the fine details of a film transfer. The image is in the film grain, because that is what makes up the image on the film. The Wizard of Oz was shot on film and in Technicolor and should look that way. Film grain can be removed digitally, but the result looks glossed and unnatural.

Rather than try to make the 3D really pop out of the screen, the people behind the conversion wisely just broke the image into layers, accurately spacing them apart to give the properly-spaced illusion of depth. Even the matte paintings that turned the empty space of the MGM studios into the spectacular Land of Oz were broken into 3D landscapes. This is a case where less is more.

The depth shown allows viewers to recognize more detail (though the huge IMAX screen and a 4k film transfer definitely help as well) in the film. For the first time, I noticed that when we first see the Winkie guards, two of them are beating drums and one is sounding a pair of cymbals. However, we only hear the drums on the soundtrack. Sharon Ray notices that Dorothy curls Toto's hair at the Wash and Brush Up Company. And that's definitely a bird and not a suicidal Munchkin! Who knows what else has been eluding us all this time?

After Thursday, the only way to see The Wizard of Oz in 3D will be in the new 3D Blu-Ray. And since the last time I posted about it, some new details have come to light about this release and its four home video editions.

Codes for a Ultraviolet version of the movie will be available with some if not all editions. Ultraviolet is a service that allows you to stream movies to TVs, computers, and mobile devices for free through certain vendors, including my favorite Vudu. (Disney titles are not available on Ultraviolet, but Oz the Great and Powerful and Return to Oz can be purchased on Vudu, so you could watch all three in a marathon.)

The DVD edition is a single disc version and will probably be very similar to the first disc of the 2009 DVD editions. Possibly features from that version will be dropped to make room for the new 1-hour documentary about the making of the movie.

If you still haven't gone to Blu-Ray or don't want the new 3D version or just want to see that new documentary, this is likely the one to pick up.

It is unknown if the Ultraviolet version will definitely be included with this one, though I'd be surprised if it didn't.

The Blu-Ray standalone release is also a one-disc affair this time around. Early reports say that this is a re-authored version of the first disc of the 2009 Blu-Ray editions with the new documentary added.

The drop of the second disc from the 2009 Blu-Ray sets is a little sad, meaning that if you want that disc, you have to hunt for one of those or go for the "big box" edition.

It also hasn't been confirmed if the Ultraviolet copy will be included on this.

The 3D Blu-Ray copy is a 2-disc version, featuring the 3D version on a disc and the above Blu-Ray standalone disc is one case. This will also be available from Best Buy in a steelbook case. Other retailer exclusive editions have been confirmed, but will only differ in packaging, not content.

Early photos of this edition confirm that the Ultraviolet code will be included here.

This year's "big box" edition contains five discs: the 3D Blu-Ray, the standalone Blu-Ray, a third Blu-Ray of special features re-released from the 2009 sets, the standalone DVD, and the dual-sided DVD of the documentary MGM: When the Lion Roars. Personally, I would have liked it better if they had put this on a Blu-Ray with some new bonus features. (I'm already suggesting that next time

they dig up wraparounds that were used for early TV broadcasts.) Also, you get the Ultraviolet code. The discs will come housed in a standard case, meaning that you can take it out, put it on the shelf with your other normally-packaged Blu-Rays and put the big box into storage.

The 1999 deluxe release of the DVD came with a reproduction of the movie's script. The 2005 Collector's 3-disc edition DVD came with reproduction 1939 Kodachome photos, a premiere ticket and program, MGM studio news and the Photoplay Studies guide, and a card showing tiny images of 1939 posters. The 2009 Ultimate Collector's Edition came with a watch in a tin, a 52 page book by John Fricke, and reproductions of the film's budget and campaign book.

Photos courtesy of Zachary Ryan Allen

This new edition will not have any reproductions. It comes with a hardcover journal and a hardcover book that shows the timeline of the film's production, most likely profusely illustrated. It also has a map of Oz, a "sparkle globe" (think snowglobe with only glitter inside) that features the Ruby Slippers on the top and a set of pins showing a diploma, heart watch and courage badge. These contents are confirmed by people who received the sets early at the premiere of the 3D version. Publicity pictures have proved confusing, with Amazon featuring an exclusive Wicked Witch of the East flash drive if you buy it from them and the official Facebook page showing a picture that showed a soundtrack CD included. If the soundtrack CD is a retailer exclusive, I don't know who it's from.

So, head on out and take in the classic MGM film in 3D while you can, decide if you want to take it home on 3D Blu-Ray, even if you don't have a set up yet.

Review: 'The Wizard of Oz' in IMAX 3-D

Last night, I watched The Wizard of Oz on a huge IMAX screen and in 3-D. As soon as the opening credits began, it was clear that this was going to be a very different experience than watching it in my bedroom on Blu-ray.

The movie has never looked better. It looks so much clearer and sharper than any other version of the movie I've seen. You can see every Munchkin's face, you can see every sequin on Dorothy's shoes, and you can see amazing texture on the Scarecrow's face, the Lion's hair, and even Dorothy's dress. It's incredible to be able to watch the movie and be able to see every detail.

I was very skeptical about the 3-D going into it. The movie is 75 years old. Most new movies that are converted in 3-D don't even look good (i.e. this year's Man of Steel). I am very happy to say though, that the 3-D here is stunning. All of the flat, painted backdrops have been given depth and volume, giving us an effect similar to a pop-up book. The first shot we see of the Emerald City is beautiful in 3-D, and the transition from sepia into color is much more effective in 3-D. The Wicked Witch was also much scarier with the added dimension. The scene where she appears in the roof and threatens the trio is more intense. She looks like she is right in your face and her hand is so close it could touch you.

I noticed a lot of things watching this version of the movie that I've never noticed before, like a lot of the Munchkins aren't enthusiastic at all and look like they're about to fall asleep, just waving their hands left and right pretending to sing. It was much more obvious that the Scarecrow isn't moving his mouth at all when he meets Dorothy for the first time, and yes, it was much clearer that there is no hanging munchkin and that it's just a bird wandering around in the background! I heard a few whispers from the people behind me when that scene came along.

The Wizard of Oz in IMAX 3-D is the definitive way to experience the classic, so if you have the opportunity to see it this way, see it! It's pure magic.

Get tickets here.