Rare is the occasion where the week biggest release isn't a new blockbuster but rather a septuagenarian, but that's the case this time as a young girl from Kanas eclipses anything New Hollywood has to throw at us. This is your DVD Report for Tuesday, September 29, 2009.
Since the advent of Blu-ray, studios have casually mined their catalogues for suitable re-releases, and while the results have often been notable, they're usually nothing to stop the presses over. But every once in a while, that little extra effort is made that blows something out of the water and we get something like MGM's timeless "The Wizard of Oz," which breezes into its 70th birthday with one of the best Blu-ray collections of all time.
Presented in a large hardbound rectangular case, the 70th Anniversary Edition of "Oz" comes as a three-disc Blu-ray set featuring a whopping 20+ hours of bonus content, and is highlighted by a completely remastered audio and video package that transports the 1939 fairy-tale into the high-def realm. The musical classic has never looked or sounded better; the film pioneered the use of color and that achievement is heralded in this release with unparalleled ease.
But what's equally as impressive as the delivery is what's attached to it, and that's dozens of special features surrounding every facet of "The Wizard of Oz" filmmaking process and its principal players. There's the feature-length commentary track that pulls from archival interviews, and the hours of celebratory retrospectives narrated by luminaries like Sydney Pollack and Angela Landsbury that detail every interesting factoid surrounding the making of the film. There are the featurettes that detail the digital restoration of "Oz," and the original home movies from the set. There is the six hour long documentary chronicling the rise and fall of the erstwhile mega-studio MGM. There are the half-dozen other interpretations of "The Wizard of Oz" from 1910 to 1922, including an hour-long adventure directed by none other than the book's author L. Frank Baum.
There's the hours of radio plays and songs, and the film's original trailer. There's a 50-page hardcover book featuring photographs and screenplay drafts...there's even a watch. When all's said and done, if you count yourself even a nominal fan of "The Wizard of Oz," this is a spectacular collection to own, and easily sets a new bar for the release of archival treasures.
So what else filled the DVD shelves this week? Well the only wide release offering is Dreamworks' "Monsters vs. Aliens," an animated family adventure film starring the voices of Seth Rogen, Reece Witherspoon, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd and about a million other folks from the comedy world. Unfortunately I missed this in theaters and Paramount opted not to provide a review copy, so that's all she wrote on this one.
"Away We Go" comes from the able hands of "American Beauty" director Sam Mendes and stars "The Office" resident John Kraskinski and "SNL" alum Maya Rudolph as budding parents to be criss-crossing across the nation in search of the perfect home. This pleasant-enough indie fare is lifted by the likable screen presence of its stars and its on-the-nose acting, and hits both DVD and Blu-ray.
Over in the DC Universe, "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" collects the first story arc from the "Superman/Batman" comic book and launches an animated film from it. You can read an in-depth review at our sister blog, Splash Page.
"The Wizard of Oz" isn't the only film getting the restoration treatment this week: Jim Henson's cult favorite double feature "Labyrinth" and "Dark Crystal" also get cleaned up for Blu-ray. Both collect the extras from previous releases and add in some new Blu-ray specific fare: "Labyrinth" gets "The Storytellers," a picture-in-picture track featuring interviews with Cheryl Henson, actor Warwick Davis and assorted puppeteer and make-up crew. "The Dark Crystal" gets a picture-in-picture storyboard track an intro on the Skeksis language and a trivia game.
DVD AND BLU-RAY NEWS:
Judd Apatow's Adam Sandler/Seth Rogen-starring "Funny People" takes the stage November 24. The Blu-ray of Antonio Banderas' "The Legend of Zorro" slashes its "Z" onto store shelves on December 1, along with Guy Ritchie's "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels." The biggest comedy of the year -- "The Hangover" -- drops on Blu-ray and DVD on December 15, the same day as Disney's "G-Force" (admittedly, not exactly the same crowd). Fox releases a nine-disc Mel Brooks collection on Blu-ray on December 25 -- collecting such classics as "Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein," "Spaceballs" and "Robin Hood: Men In Tights."
NEXT WEEK:
The Michael Cera/Jack Black-starrer "Year One" marks the big release of the week, but just as notable are the considerable amount of catalog titles making their way to Blu-ray: "Snow White," "Wolf," "Home Alone 2," "Bram Stoker's Dracula," "Contact," etc. It should be a fun Tuesday.