The Wizard of Oz is quickly coming up to its 75th Anniversary and to celebrate that a digitally restored version of the film in 3D will be released into cinemas on September 8th & 9th.
This is fantastic news for fans of Oz and the original film and the process that they underwent to get the best digitally restored version possible is quite impressive! Check out the full press release below.
Chapel Distribution is excited to announce that much loved classic THE WIZARD OF OZ will screen in 3D for the first time ever in Australia on September 7 and 8 at participating cinemas.
Warner Bros. has produced a 3D remastered version to mark the 75th anniversary of THE WIZARD OF OZ. The 3D conversion was a long and complex project which Warner Bros. initiated with a very high resolution (8k) scanning of the original Technicolor camera negative. The restored 2D image was then transformed by creating a depth-map of each frame to construct 3D imagery and determine distances from the viewer’s vantage point. Needless to say, it’s going to burst off the screen immersing viewers in a world of Technicolor beauty.
Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s timeless children’s tale about a Kansas girl’s journey over the rainbow, The Wizard of Oz opened at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939. The film was directed by Victor Fleming (who that same year directed Gone with the Wind), produced by Mervyn LeRoy, and scored by Herbert Stothart, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. DOROTHY™ was portrayed by a 4’11” sixteen-year-old girl who quickly earned her reputation as “the world’s greatest entertainer”—the incomparable Judy Garland. Ray Bolger appeared as the SCARECROW™; Bert Lahr as the COWARDLY LION™, Jack Haley as the TIN MAN™. Frank Morgan was seen in six different roles, including that of the wonderful “Wizard of Oz” himself.
THE WIZARD OF OZ received five Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture (Outstanding Production), and captured two Oscars® – Best Song (Over the Rainbow) and Best Original Score – plus a special award for Outstanding Juvenile Performance by Judy Garland. Its magical story and heartfelt performances have enabled it to grow from a perennial classic to its current status as a treasured icon of popular culture.
Participating cinemas include Event Cinemas, Hoyts Cinemas, Village Cinemas, Greater Union, Birch Carroll and Coyle, Wallis Cinemas, Grand Cinemas, Cinema Nova, Classic Cinemas, Peninsula Cinemas plus other leading independent theatres. Session information available on cinema websites soon.
Following the theatrical release in Australia, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) will release a limited and numbered The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Collector’s Edition on October 30. The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Collector’s Edition, will debut as a three-disc set that will include Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD and UltraViolet™ versions of the film; a new documentary, The Making of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, collectables and additional bonus features ($99.95 RRP).
Four more editions will be available separately on October 2: a three-disc 3D/Blu-ray/DVD ($29.95 RRP), a one-disc Blu-ray ($19.95 RRP), a single disc DVD with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum paperback book ($19.95 RRP) and a single disc DVD ($14.95 RRP). All five will contain the new documentary, extra content and Ultraviolet™ copy. For more information, visit www.warnerbros.com.au
