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Posted: |
Aug 26, 2013 - 9:29 AM
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By: |
msmith
(Member)
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The Wizard of Oz is getting a 21st-century update — 3D and all. To celebrate its 90th anniversary, Warner Bros. announces a 3D re-release of the classic family film and rated PG. Fans are skeptical
The next time you're off to see the wonderful Wizard of Oz, you should probably bring your 3D glasses along. Warner Bros. announced that it will celebrate the company's 90th anniversary by converting its most beloved film — 1939's The Wizard of Oz — into 3D. The Wizard of Oz's fully remastered, 3D-converted re-release will arrive on DVD and Blu-Ray in fall 2013, and a 3D re-release in movie theaters is to follow on September 20th and in IMAX. Of course, not everyone is excited about this new twist on an old favorite. Fans have decried the decision as "the ultimate slap in the face" to devotees of the classic film. Is it really such a bad idea?
3D could improve The Wizard of Oz: "The Wizard of Oz is one classic-era film I'd love to see in 3D," says Lou Lumenick at The New York Post. The film's bold colors and otherworldly setting make 3D a perfect fit. And if you really don't want to see The Wizard of Oz in 3D, you don't have to. Though Warner Bros. hasn't made an official announcement about a non-3D Blu-Ray release, it's obvious that the studio won't miss the chance to release its "most valuable and lucrative catalogue title" in every format imaginable — including a version without 3D.
"DVD extra: 3D Wizard of Oz no cause for alarm"
3D won't make The Wizard of Oz better: "Can't we just appreciate this movie for the gem it's always been?" asks Britt Hayes at Screen Crush. There's a reason that The Wizard of Oz has endured for more than 70 years — it's a "beautiful film, and there's really nothing they need to do to make it better." Warner Bros. is crazy to think they can take one of the most beloved movies of all time, slap on a few 3D effects, and make it better.
"Warner Bros. is converting The Wizard of Oz to 3D, obviously, and releasing the largest Blu-Ray/DVD collection ever"
Either way, this is a cynical, moneymaking move: The really irritating thing about this story is the way Warner Bros. keeps trying to squeeze more money out of The Wizard of Oz, says Kevin Jagernauth at Indiewire. This movie has already had a "Two-Disc Special Edition" and a "Three-Disc Collector's Edition," not to mention another release on both DVD and Blu-Ray in 2009. Asking your biggest fans to shell out more money for yet another version of The Wizard of Oz is "a pretty appalling way" to treat the people who helped you reach a 90th anniversary in the first place.
"Warner Bros. converting classic The Wizard of Oz to 3D for yet another home video release"
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THE WIZARD OF OZ was the first film I ever saw on a theater's big screen. Can you possibly imagine a better introduction to the magic of movies for a small child? I've always been thankful for this kind kismet. And I've always encouraged people to see it on a theater screen if at all possible, because it really thrives there as nowhere else, it just goes over your whelm.
I'm looking forward to the 3-D version, not as a substitute for the original version but simply as a variation on a theme, and, it is to be hoped, one with its own particular magic.
If it's done well, I hope it does great business, and leads to converting other classic movie musicals into 3-D. When I saw KISS ME KATE in 3-D, I found the dance numbers had an additional, kinesthetic charge from the 3-D. I'd love to see what they can do with TOP HAT.
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Now I've got to tell you about two of the times I took someone to the theater with me to see OZ. The first time, it was my girlfriend and she had never seen it before. We watch the movie, she loves it, and it goes back to the last scene in Dorothy's bedroom, and when Bolger, Haley and Lahr poke their heads in the window suddenly my girlfriend gasps: "It's THEM!" She'd gone through the whole movie without recognizing the farmhands in their OZ make-up.
Another time, I went with a young lady who'd seen the film but only on her family's cheap television. When the twister lands Dorothy in Munchkinland and Dorothy steps out of the house, suddenly my friend gasps and says, "It's in COLOR!"
Both times, it was wonderful to experience the film through fresh eyes.
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Posted: |
Aug 27, 2013 - 9:49 AM
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By: |
Joe E.
(Member)
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So.....let me see if i've got this right....
Warner Bros. are celebrating their 90th Anniversary by re-issuing one of M.G.M.'s most successful movies ?
Hmmmmmmm .......? 
The ads I've seen for it actually note the release as marking the movie's 75th anniversary, not an anniversary for either studio.
Of course, the movie came out in 1939, meaning it's a year early for the 75th, but whatever. Presumably a subsequent 3D Blu-ray release will come some months later, during the actual anniversary year, and this limited theatrical release (one week only, as I understand it) is more of a preview for the actual "event" than the event itself (in this day and age, of course, a movie tends to have more of a life on home video than in theaters, since it can run in theaters only so long but be available on video for years or decades, and it's more the "format of record" for most viewers). It's already been released on Blu-ray, but I'd guess a more comprehensive release will come next year (having at least the 3D version, in addition to any number of supplements that might or might not already be available on the existing releases).
Edit: whoops, never mind; I just reread the initial post, noting the BD release was coming this fall. It's a bit early for the 75th no matter how one looks at it, then...
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Posted: |
Sep 27, 2013 - 7:20 AM
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By: |
Joe E.
(Member)
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So, who else went?
I finally went with my girlfriend; we'd originally meant to go Sunday, but a family issue came up and kept us from going. We therefore didn't get to go until last night, the last night of the run, and of course being a Thursday afternoon there weren't many people there. There were a few, though.
The movie looked great, and the 3d conversion was well-done. There were a number of places where it was utilized to add depth to the cycloramas and other painted set extensions, and this came off well, albeit a little more subtly than I'd anticipated. It also helped me notice aspects of the production I never had before, as background elements that might get swallowed up in a 2d image were suddenly isolated. Beyond the 3d, I was also pleasantly surprised at how well things like the makeup and effects held up on a big screen with contemporary digital projection, though there were a few instances where I noticed things I wasn't meant to, regrettably. With the 3d I did find myself getting pulled into the scene in a way I hadn't ever been before; at times it felt like I'd travelled back in time and location to the original filming at MGM's studios and was watching it as a first-hand observer, which was amazing.
Part of me still wonders whether it's an artistic desecration in principle, and whether I committed some sort of heresy by supporting it, but I have to admit it did add quite a bit to the experience, and I enjoyed seeing it this way. Obviously I'm glad it'll still be available in the original 2d, but I could see the 3d becoming my new "default standard" way of watching this movie.
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