THE DVD SHELF: "The Wizard of Oz," and a Loaded Gift-Box Full of Paul Newman

By Steven Suskin
October 4, 2009

Christmas comes but once a year, but it seems to be starting in October this time round. At least to those who dream up holiday gift packages of DVDs.

This month's releases of interest include two grand, and completely different, boxes that should appeal to those on your list. Some of 'em might understandably want both, yourself included. We've also got Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" and the TV series "Fame."

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"You're out of the woods, you're out of the dark, you're out of the night," chirp those Optimistic Voices on the outskirts of Oz, "step into the sun, step into the light." The step from the dark into the sunny light of Technicolor, in the truest color sense, describes the effect of the new Blu-ray release of The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition [Warner]. All those Munchkins along that road of yellowest brick positively gleam in colors that could only be dreamed up by representatives of the Lollipop Guild. (Leave it to socially-conscious Yip Harburg to unionize makers of lollipops and lullabies.) At any rate, the Blu-ray "Oz" is truly splendiferous, as one might imagine; an "Oz"-of-a-different-color, as it were.

The film has been entirely remastered, with the Technicolor original camera negatives scanned using 8K resolution. From this scan, a final "capture" master was created in 4K, yielding twice the resolution seen in the master utilized for the film's previous DVD release. That's Greek to me; the preceding sentences come from the press release, and I suppose that accurately describes why the thing looks so good. They go on to say that the net result is of such unprecedented quality that it is sure to make this a benchmark in the history of the Blu-ray format. And maybe so; the film itself, in 1939, marked a stepping stone for the folks at Technicolor, so there is a precedent here. For me, the thing looks mighty good.

The "Ultimate Collector's Edition" includes 16 hours-worth of Oz, with four hours that are all-new and exclusive to this box.

Special bonuses included for fans start with a 52-page hardcover book, "Behind the Curtain," by historian John Fricke; facsimiles of the original press campaign book full of advertisements; and even a replica of the original movie budget. (Final cost $2,769,230 on an estimated budget of $1,721,154 — which is quite an overage. The director line, budgeted at $32,650, swelled to almost $150,000; but hey, they wound up with — what? — four directors?) What more can you want, bonus-wise? How about a "collectible 70th Anniversary watch"? With a picture of the five stars gazing out at you, "enhanced with genuine crystals." That's something you're not likely to see on every other wrist, are you?

The bonus material — four discs on the DVD version, three on Blu-Ray — include a documentary on director Victor Fleming (who did much of "Oz" but left to take over "Gone with the Wind"); a piece on seven of the original Munchkin actors; two complete 1914 silent films produced by L. Frank Baum himself, "The Magic Cloak of Oz" and "The Patchwork Girl of Oz," along with four other celluloid versions of the tale; the 1990 television film "The Dreamer of Oz," starring John Ritter; and for fans of Ray Bolger, the full version of "If I Only Had a Brain" (which is quite something). This 70th Anniversary "Wizard of Oz" is available in three alternatives. The plain, two-disc "Special Edition" features the remastered film along with already-seen bonuses and a new, sing-along track. The DVD Ultimate Collector's Edition includes just about everything mentioned above. The Blu-ray Hi-Def Ultimate Collection also includes the six-hour documentary "MGM: When the Lion Roars." Both of the Ultimates also include a digital copy of the film. Any way you look at it — DVD, Blu-ray, or Digital — it's a lot of "Oz," and it's never looked better. (Well, maybe on the big screen in 1939?) But it sure makes a special gift.

"Somebody up there likes me" might well apply to the career and work, and public persona, of Paul Newman, who succumbed to cancer on Sept. 26, 2008. People like him up there, down here and in between; and a significant portion of his career is included in the monumental Paul Newman: The Tribute Collection [Fox]. Thirteen films are included on 17 DVDs (four in two-disc "Collector's Editions"). Heading the pack are three of his best: "The Hustler," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," and "The Verdict." Also on hand — the set ranges from 1958-to-1982 — are "The Long, Hot Summer," with Joanne Woodward (and Orson Welles, Lee Remick and Angela Lansbury); "Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!" with Woodward; "From the Terrace," with Woodward (and Myrna Loy); "Exodus," with Eva Marie Saint; "Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man," which is something of an oddity; "What a Way to Go!" starring Shirley Maclaine (with Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly and Dick Van Dyke, and a Comden & Green screenplay); "Hombre"; "The Towering Inferno," with Steve McQueen, William Holden and Faye Dunaway (and a stellar parade of featured players ranging from Fred Astaire to O.J. Simpson); Robert Altman's "Buffalo Bill and the Indians"; and "Quintet."

This Newman library comes in a handsome box (although I might as well report that when I opened the package, eight of the DVDs came crashing out of the thing — none the worse for wear — having slipped from their cardboard slipcases). What's more, there is a wonderful 132-page book, jammed with photos and wonderful essays but no authorship indicated. Product placement mavens will no doubt appreciate the final full-page photo, of a beaming Mr. and Mrs. Newman reading scripts in their 1960-ish den with Oscars on the mantel and — on the coffee table — a pack of Marlboros and a bag of Frito's Pretzels.

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With column space running out, let me mention two additional items of interest. Fame: The Complete Seasons 1&2 [Fox] contains — well, the first two seasons of the TV version of "Fame." As opposed to the 1980 motion picture, the 1988 stage musical, the just-released motion picture-remake, and who knows what else might be floating around. Specifically, that's the abbreviated early 1982 season (when the mid-season replacement won five Emmy Awards) and the 1982-83 season (when they won one). I used to occasionally catch this show, mostly to watch Debbie Allen, who won two of those Emmys, and character actor Albert Hague, who in an earlier time composed the scores for Plain and Fancy, Redhead, and a bunch of flops headed by Cafe Crown and Miss Moffat. The TV series "Fame" takes us back to the early 1980s, whence we might not actually wish to return. But the 38 episodes remain effective today — although present-day teenagers might think these guys are so old-fashioned.

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Robert Altman's classic M*A*S*H [Fox] has now been added to the Blu-ray bin. Today's audiences are understandably more familiar with the long-running TV series, and for good reason; but the 1970 film came along just at the time when an increasingly large segment of the younger generation were beginning to see the folly of the goings-on in Vietnam. Altman had been struggling, mostly in TV, for more than a decade; his new-style direction — and his impressive band of players including Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Gary Burghoff and Rene Auberjonois — resulted in a surprise hit with lasting resonance (due in part to the sitcom, which began in 1972). Blu-ray features include a new "Complete Interactive Guide to M*A*S*H," which should entertain and engross fans.

(Steven Suskin is author of "The Sound of Broadway Music: A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations" as well as "Second Act Trouble," "Show Tunes," and the "Opening Night on Broadway" books. He can be reached at Ssuskin@aol.com.)