- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,397
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
To my mind, the new release of The Wizard of Oz on DVD, is much like the latest new Ferrari.
The last one was SO good, its difficult to make major strides forward.
Let's recall the history of this film on Warner video in the post VHS era.
The original laser disc was followed by the George Feltenstein produced boxed set, with its myriads of extra soundtracks and miscellaneous materials. The transfer was beautiful for the era, but from older elements.
That boxed set weighed in at what seemed to be about thrity pounds, and had a street price of somewhere around $100.
Then the DVD release, with beautiful color, and the gamut of original track material from the boxed set, all in a tiny little DVD box.
Now we have the newest incarnation, and presumably the final non-high definition release of the film.
The studio has returned to the original elements and given them a new digital transfer using their Ultra Resolution process.
As far as I can tell, everything from the previous versions is included, along with the added attractions of both new and old documentaries, as well as re-created deleted scenes, and everything else that Mr. Feltenstein and his Ozites could find in the studio vaults.
For lovers of the film, this is nirvana.
But the interesting thing is that we seem to be hitting that wall that you hear about in The Right Stuff.
With current video technology, there is no way that we can see the full quality of what the studio has created in the master for this new release.
Like that Ferrari, what we're seeing here is something beautiful and of the highest quality, but still an incremental increase, held back by the limitations of the video system via which it is played back.
Sure to be one of the great gift packages of the 2005 Holiday Season, and recommended.
The last one was SO good, its difficult to make major strides forward.
Let's recall the history of this film on Warner video in the post VHS era.
The original laser disc was followed by the George Feltenstein produced boxed set, with its myriads of extra soundtracks and miscellaneous materials. The transfer was beautiful for the era, but from older elements.
That boxed set weighed in at what seemed to be about thrity pounds, and had a street price of somewhere around $100.
Then the DVD release, with beautiful color, and the gamut of original track material from the boxed set, all in a tiny little DVD box.
Now we have the newest incarnation, and presumably the final non-high definition release of the film.
The studio has returned to the original elements and given them a new digital transfer using their Ultra Resolution process.
As far as I can tell, everything from the previous versions is included, along with the added attractions of both new and old documentaries, as well as re-created deleted scenes, and everything else that Mr. Feltenstein and his Ozites could find in the studio vaults.
For lovers of the film, this is nirvana.
But the interesting thing is that we seem to be hitting that wall that you hear about in The Right Stuff.
With current video technology, there is no way that we can see the full quality of what the studio has created in the master for this new release.
Like that Ferrari, what we're seeing here is something beautiful and of the highest quality, but still an incremental increase, held back by the limitations of the video system via which it is played back.
Sure to be one of the great gift packages of the 2005 Holiday Season, and recommended.