WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

Some people value the extra stuff, but for those who don't, it is "junk" (I could never imagine wearing the watch, and it seems silly to stuff it in a drawer somewhere, never to be seen).  Those who view the items strictly as something to auction off obviously don't value them either.

If you're just interested in watching the movie, then all the useless memorabilia is junk.

It's great that it is available to those who want it; the problem is there are few options for those who don't.

There's [i]two[/i] "junk"-less options, available at the the largest retailer in the country and the world, and it's close competitor.  That's not a "few options".

Depends on where you live. I don't really think that a store you have to drive a half-hour or more to, depending on where you live, an "option".

 Of course it's an option.  Unless you're physically unable to drive, the only thing stopping you is, well, you.

Only two stores - and no online retailers - most certainly counts as "few options."
 
If you want the 3-disc version, you have 1 option. Even if you have a Target nearby - as I do - and they have it in stock - as they did when I bought mine - you're still likely to pay a higher price for it than if its availability hadn't been restricted to 1 store.

I'm sure the box of junk version would have cost more if it had been limited to 1 retailer.
Edited by Marvin - 10/2/09 at 10:57am

No it's not. It's stuff you don't want.

I don't particularly want a Mercedes, but that doesn't make them junk.

At least you have options in the U.S. Here in Canada there is one option, the big box. Oh, you can also wait like I am for the U.K. release, or what I did with Casablanca....wait out the year and purchase the single disc. The Warner Marketing department must be run by students , who haven't finished Marketing 101 yet.

Just because some things you don't want aren't junk doesn't mean anything you don't want isn't junk.

Yes, having few options is preferable to having no options.

I have no idea whether or not forcing consumers to spend more on an overpriced box of junk just to get the movie generates more revenue than what is presumably lost by a lower volume of units sold. Maybe it's a good business decision, though it's probably not beneficial for "customer satisfaction."

That's like bemoaning the fact that you can only get something like a caramel mocchiata (sp?) at Starbucks.  Sure, they're limited, but they're also everywhere.


Perhaps, but there's several different price points depending on location and SKU, ranging from under $20 to $60+.  I can't see the pricing moving from that regardless of availability.

i watched Gone w/the Wind Bonus not long ago, and i read that Selznick lured Victor Flemming AWAY from Wizard of Oz during production, do you guys know which director finally finished Oz or did Flemming come back and finish Oz after the conflict w/Gone w/Wind?

it's pretty interesting both box sets are linked by Flemming ;).

King Vidor reshot the Scarecrow scene, song, and dance. He also shot almost all of the Kansas footage, including "Over the Rainbow." Fleming returned to help get the rough and final cuts of Oz into shape.

thanks eric,

i'm pretty sure all of this stuff is covered extensively in this huge box set. just waiting for the price to come down (hopefully) on amazon.

I watched the movie last night (looked great!) but none of the extras yet. I noticed on the main menu of disc 1 (I have the 3 disc Target version), the list of extras, going across the bottom of the screen has an "X" at the right.  It allows you to click on it but it didn't do anything (I thought it might bring up a second screen). I don't have it hooked up to the internet so I don't know if it's related to "BD Live." Anyone know anything about this?

One bad thing about the case is that the flap that holds disc 2 made a small scratch on the 2-sided MGM doc that it sits on top of. Probably not enough to affect playback, but still...

I don't know for sure but it sounds like that's the 'X' that you hit to get rid of the menu when you bring up the menu during the movie. I don't know why it would be there on the main menu though.

That makes sense, I guess. I tried this after the movie ended.

It's also covered in the bonus material included with the 3-disc Target set, which is identical to the box content-wise save for the digital copy on the 4th disc.