The Wizard of Oz 4k is a must-have for fans of the film. The new transfer makes an already perfect film all the more stunning.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of this Blu-ray/DVD that I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own.
“One of the best-loved movies of all time, THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) stars Judy Garland as Dorothy, a young Kansas farm girl who is whisked away by a twister to the land of Oz. Accompanied by a brainless Scarecrow, a heartless Tin Man and a Cowardly Lion, Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, follow the Yellow Brick Road seeking the Wizard of Oz, in order that he may grant her wish to return home.”
The Wizard of Oz is not only one of the best musicals of all time, it’s one of the best films of all time. What other film can possibly live up to one that is still a staple of childhood and culture 80 years after its release? As I’ve kept up with acquiring this film on all the different medium over the years, I hadn’t been more excited to see it as I was this time around on 4k. For a film which its biggest achievement is the transition between black and white to color after the first act, that breathtakingly beautiful sequence when she steps out of her house into Oz was the moment I was looking forward to the most.
What I’ve always loved about this film is the world it created. I’m a fan of L. Frank Baum and the Oz books, and the stark differences between the books and this film never really bothered me. The film has an air of levity to it, something magical that the filmmakers were able to capture that made the book come to life for people of all ages, during a time when Hollywood was more interested in the art and not churning out blockbusters. If The Wizard of Oz was released today, there is no doubt it would be swept under the rug and deemed a flop. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case and it remains a classic.
That being said, there’s an appreciation and sacredness attached to the film that somehow prevents any other incarnations from being explored. Although Return to Oz flopped (almost 50 years later), despite it being a wonderful film, in my opinion, that brought in some amazing characters from the other Baum books and gave it a much darker tone, there haven’t been any indications that any other Baum books will ever be adapted. Whatever the exact reasoning is, I’m not sure, but there are so many other great characters and stories from his series that I wish we would get the same type of treatment for his books that we do from other fantasy series of late. If I ever get to see The Saw-Horse come to life on screen, I’ll forever be grateful.
You don’t need me to keep telling you what’s so great about this film. It’s a classic, period. If there is anyone out there who, heaven forbid, hasn’t seen it and are on the fence, the 4k is definitely the way to go, as it only adds to the perfection of the film.
Video
The Wizard of Oz is presented in 4k 2160p Ultra High Definition Widescreen 1.37:1 featuring Dolby Vision. Getting to see this in 4k was exciting enough, but the fact that they used Dolby Vision raised the bar even higher, as the dynamic metadata is perfectly adjusted to ensure the best picture for each scene. When Dorothy steps out of her house into Oz it’s a breathtaking sight to behold. Colors are insanely vibrant, deep and rich, perfectly balanced to provide the best look that it can achieve with this technology. Grain is present and kept at manageable levels, with one of the clearest and most detailed pictures I’ve seen for this film. To think this film is 80 years old is mind-blowing, as it looks as though it could have been filmed just recently. The Wizard of Oz is such a colorful film, all the sequences you’d think would stand out do: the yellow brick road, the ruby slippers, the emerald city, and the poppy sequence. Even the Wicked Witch’s green face is so bright and detailed, you can see the makeup lines in the prosthetics, which fortunately doesn’t detract from any enjoyment of the film. If there was one film I wanted to see upgraded to this new medium, it was this one, and I’m so happy to have it in my collection. (Note: The added screenshot is from the Blu-Ray disc and not the 4k)
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. As far as I can tell, this isn’t a remix and includes the same track as previous high definition releases. Still, the track sounds fantastic, with clear and concise dialogue from the center channel, some great atmospheric effects through the surrounds, especially in the tornado sequence, and the songs are outright phenomenal.
Special Features
Nothing new in terms of extras that haven’t been included in previous releases. These are still impressive extras, especially the commentary, which includes excerpts from archival interviews with the cast.
4k Special Features:
- Commentary Featuring Oz Historian John Fricke with Barbara Freed-Saltzman (Daughter of Arthur Freed) and the Film’s Cast and Crew (Also on Blu-Ray)
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic
Plus on Blu-Ray:
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook
- We Haven’t Really Met Properly…
- Music and Effects Track
- Original Mono Track
- Sing-Along
- Audio Jukebox
- Leo Is on the Air Radio Promo
- Good News of 1939 Radio Show
- 12/25/1950 Lux Radio Theater Broadcast
- Still Galleries
- Trailers
The Wizard of Oz 4k is a must-have. With all the work that went in to the fantastic new transfer, it’s like seeing the film for the first time. That phrase gets thrown around a lot, especially by me while watching older films remastered in UHD, but I’ve never meant it more than I do now.
