A Few Words About A few words about…™ The Wizard of Oz — in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Timothy A Goldich]

I don't consider a better alignment of the 3 strips of negative an alteration. The other things you are describing, especially creating fake widescreen, are.

"Limitations of the past"? The 1925 version didn't even have sound or Technicolor!

That's your opinion, but they weren't able to digitally align the strips in 1939 and therefore doing so could be considered an alteration (but I understand what you're saying). Creating a widescreen version is definitely an alteration, and you would presumably refuse to see it (you might even protest to prevent anyone from seeing it). But I would be happy to check it out and form my own opinion about it. If it were done perfectly enough, I would LOVE it! And so would millions of others who find the 4X3 practically square aspect ratio annoying.

It's bean counters that would order the work done, but it would be Wizard of Oz besotted movie obsessives, with extraordinary skills and dedication that would perform the task with love. I'll see what they come up with. I'll give it a chance. If it doesn't pan out, I won't watch again. No harm done.

The 1925 version is 99% forgotten; few have ever even heard of it, even fewer have actually watched it all the way through. That's exactly what I don't want to see happen to the 1939 version.

 

[Worth]

If it were done perfectly enough, I would LOVE it! And so would millions of others who find the 4X3 practically square aspect ratio annoying.

I don't know if widescreen is the future anymore. If anything, 4x3 is closer to the square Instagram frame, as the smartphone increasingly becomes the screen of choice for most people.

 

[Carlo_M]

So 16x10 is the future...

And studios will have to shoot "notch-safe"

 

[Mark Booth]

Yesterday, Amazon's page for 'The Wizard of Oz' 4K showed that if I purchased the film (within the next x hours) the film would be delivered TODAY (Oct 30). Yet, the copy that I ordered in early Sept hadn't even shipped yet. Amazon was showing that it wouldn't be delivered until Thursday, Oct 31.

I was feeling pretty miffed about that. Why should someone that purchased it AFTER me get it BEFORE me. I initiated a call with an Amazon support rep. You won't believe what he told me.. He said because I paid $3 less (I ordered it at $19.96, it is now $22.96) I was getting slower shipping.

HORSE MANURE! Prime is prime.

When I received the "how did we do" survey email (after the support call), I gave a scathing review. That led to me eventually chatting (text) with a supervisor. He apologized for the poor customer service and assured me that my copy would arrive TODAY (Oct 30). He was so confident that it would arrive today, he promised me that if it didn't, Amazon would refund the entire purchase price and let me keep the 4K Blu-ray. I have his promise in a copy of the text chat.

Amazon shipped it last night. The email and my orders page at Amazon's site say it is arriving Thursday. Maybe it will show up today anyway? But, at this point, I'm rooting for it to show up tomorrow!

Mark

It didn’t arrive Weds as promised, it arrived on Thurs. True to his word, the Amazon rep refunded my money on Friday and told me to keep the 4K Blu-ray anyway. Sweet.

Mark

 

[Colin Jacobson]

It didn’t arrive Weds as promised, it arrived on Thurs. True to his word, the Amazon rep refunded my money on Friday and told me to keep the 4K Blu-ray anyway. Sweet.

Gotta love screw-ups that result in FREE!

 

[ghostwind]

Got my copy, and for sure the 4K is much improved over the included Blu-ray. But the sepia seems to me to be more natural/brown on the Blu-ray and more reddish on the 4K. The 4K also has a cooler white balance overall. Seems consistent with the grabs from caps-a-holic.com but not sure which is the "correct" one. I know that my HDR input it perfectly calibrated, but for the 4K/UHD, I have to trust my TV's controls. Hard to say which is "better", just interesting to note.

 

[Mark Booth]

We watched the 4K disc today. Fantastic!

I redeemed my digital code directly at Vudu. Vudu’s My Movies page shows I own the UHD. However, when I play it using the Vudu app on my Apple TV 4K it plays in HD only.

Conversely, the digital copy that showed up in iTunes (thanks to Movies Anywhere) DOES play back in 4K (Dolby Vision) on my Apple TV 4K. That surprised me.

Mark

 

[Andrew Budgell]

I watched my copy this evening and sat spellbound for the duration of the film. This film means more to me than any other, and I never thought I'd be able to watch it looking this good at home. It's beyond gorgeous.

 

[usrunnr]

I noticed that at the end of the film, after the cast list title, a document appears from the Government of India stating that the film has been passed as a children's film. Has anyone else noticed this? How odd.

 

[Tino]

I noticed that at the end of the film, after the cast list title, a document appears from the Government of India stating that the film has been passed as a children's film. Has anyone else noticed this? How odd.

Why is that odd??

 

[Malcolm R]

Yeah, I've seen those on a few discs. I assume it just allows them to sell the same discs in different territories.

 

[Wayne_j]

Tour of Motion Picture Imaging at Warner Brothers.

 

[Matt Hough]

I've never heard someone refer to an animated short as an "episode." Did she think this Bugs Bunny cartoon was produced for TV?

 

[usrunnr]

There is always something new to notice in this film. For instance: The Lullaby League (Ballerinas). Just as they exit, Dorothy sends them a sweet kiss with her hand.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I am the last person on earth to see this 4k UHD.

Been actually waiting for about two weeks for a promised arrival.

Going to have to go to BestBuy and pick up a copy tomorrow.

 

[usrunnr]

I am the last person on earth to see this 4k UHD.

Been actually waiting for about two weeks for a promised arrival.

Going to have to go to BestBuy and pick up a copy tomorrow.

It is beautiful from start to finish.

 

[MatthewA]

That's your opinion, but they weren't able to digitally align the strips in 1939 and therefore doing so could be considered an alteration (but I understand what you're saying). Creating a widescreen version is definitely an alteration, and you would presumably refuse to see it (you might even protest to prevent anyone from seeing it). But I would be happy to check it out and form my own opinion about it. If it were done perfectly enough, I would LOVE it! And so would millions of others who find the 4X3 practically square aspect ratio annoying.

It's bean counters that would order the work done, but it would be Wizard of Oz besotted movie obsessives, with extraordinary skills and dedication that would perform the task with love. I'll see what they come up with. I'll give it a chance. If it doesn't pan out, I won't watch again. No harm done.

The 1925 version is 99% forgotten; few have ever even heard of it, even fewer have actually watched it all the way through. That's exactly what I don't want to see happen to the 1939 version.

If they could fake info on the left and right side, why couldn't they recreate the lost "Jitterbug" footage?

 

[Robert Crawford]

I am the last person on earth to see this 4k UHD.

Been actually waiting for about two weeks for a promised arrival.

Going to have to go to BestBuy and pick up a copy tomorrow.

From whom? I ordered it from Amazon on October 31st and received it on November 2nd.

 

[Will Krupp]

Creating a widescreen version is definitely an alteration, and you would presumably refuse to see it (you might even protest to prevent anyone from seeing it). But I would be happy to check it out and form my own opinion about it. If it were done perfectly enough, I would LOVE it! And so would millions of others who find the 4X3 practically square aspect ratio annoying.

As long as the original ratio is available for those who want it (myself included), I don't know why I would even care how you watched it, let alone take the time and energy to somehow prevent you from seeing it?

Same thing with the 3D version. It's not for me but if it's your thing then that's great.

 

[Robert Harris]

Actually, the sound *has* been improved a bit. Probably the same tweaks to the audio that were made for the 3D version: "There are a few subtle differences on this new 4K disc. The most obvious are boosted channels in several key scenes, including the Wicked Witch's "Surrender Dorothy" warning and the flying monkey attack, as well as stronger amounts of LFE during the pre-Oz tornado touchdown. Additionally, several animal sounds during the opening farmhouse sequence seem to be more pronounced."

I'm glad not EVERYONE is adamantly against improvement.
Preserve the original as is, it will always be the most authentic version of the film. But that means offering a version of the film that's cleaned up, but nothing more. No digitally aligning the three strips of film, no drawing the sound from the first-generation sources and remixing into stereo, just the original muddy mono sound and slightly blurry image. That's what they managed to accomplish back in 1939 and that's what should be available to the purists.

But I'm ecstatic that the picture and sound have been radically improved from what people saw and heard 80 years ago. Some of us get tired of seeing and hearing the exact same thing endless times. Others can't get past the limitations of the past and, without modern improvements, will turn their noses up such an old movie. Like it or not, it's the trend of the future, and I'm delighted! If they decide to synthesize strips of image that go on either end of the 4X3 image to transform the aspect ratio into widescreen, I would LOVE to check it out. "How much should one change an 80-year-old film?" I say, keep those tweaks coming boys. Change it as necessary. Let the Wizard of Oz be an ongoing living thing. Keep Oz alive on into the far future!

Alignment of the matrices in 1939 was perfect, within the exigencies of the dye transfer imbibition system at that time, inclusive of the slightly soft bi-pack record.

There is no difference between analogue alignment and digital, which is helpful in correcting shrinkage, and thereby attaining the original alignment.

The only difference between a 1939 print and a 4k presentation is the increased resolution, which creates its own set of problems, that must be addressed.