Jonathan Takiff: 'Oz' at 70: Kinda Blu

THE GIZMO: 70th Anniversary "The Wizard of Oz" Ultimate Edition.

Hollywood studios are reissuing hits by the hundreds on high-definition Blu-ray Disc, but few are likely to score as well as "The Wizard of Oz," out this week in a 70th anniversary "Ultimate Collector's Edition" on drop-dead-gorgeous Blu-ray ($84.99) and conventional DVD ($69.92), or a two-disc special DVD edition ($24.98).

OZ ON THE BRAIN: Considered one of the top 10 movies of all time and certainly the best-known, the 1939 musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum's beloved children's books has been translated into more than a dozen languages and viewed by more than a billion people worldwide.

Despite its age, the film that made Judy Garland a superstar is "still referenced constantly," noted Oz historian John Fricke at a recent launch event for the new home-video packages.

"Not a year goes by," he said, " when some writer or producer isn't proposing a new spin-off. ["The Wiz" and "Wicked" most successfully]. People are constantly rerecording 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow.' " Most recently Ashanti, Rufus Wainwright and "American Idol" Jason Castro.

"And you can't go a week without the movie script being referenced in a sitcom, another film or in an editorial," said Fricke. "Everyone instantly knows where the lines are coming from."

What doting family (present company included) hasn't celebrated the charms of a newborn "Munchkin" in their midst? And, no, we're not talking about mini doughnuts. Or the vintage actors encountered at the Oz launch party (see sidebar).

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE OZ: Of course, "Oz" fanatics already have a copy or two of this film. An annual TV special for decades, it's probably been taped on your VCR, too. Fricke calculated that hyperactive film owner Warner Bros. has delivered "about 20" editions on assorted media.

The last treatment came out on standard definition DVD a mere four years ago, noted Ned Price, vice president of Warner Bros. Technical Operations, to show off an "amazing" digital picture restoration process called Ultra Resolution. "But every time we do a state-of-the-art treatment, within five years the technology has improved and we're doing state-of-the-art all over again."

This time, the WB folks are still employing Ultra Resolution but with improved signal coding, more refined hardware and with the six-times-higher (than DVD) resolution of Blu-ray.

Ultra Resolution deals with the deterioration of early Technicolor films that were shot "on three separate black and white negatives running through a camera with color filters in front to capture the true color information," explained Price. "Over time, the film stock shrinks and starts warping, each strip a little differently. So what we have to do is scan the strips [digitally] and composite them together into one image."

Before that, about 100 WB film restorers spent two months hand-cleaning and repairing every negative frame. Three or more months were then devoted to color correction.

"We recently found an answer print from 1939 - a print approved by the production group that says this is the ultimate look of the film - and we then altered our color to match it," explained the tech guy. (And, no, he swears, Technicolor prints don't fade over time.)

OVER THE RAINBOW: The new Blu-ray "Oz" has finer detail than even the new prints exhibited at the film's premiere.

Who knew Dorothy - er, Judy - had so many freckles? That the Munchkinland flowers glistened so brightly? That intricate mosaics decorated the Wicked Witch's castle?

All this adds presence and immediacy to the viewing experience, though, in some instances, the new Blu-ray transfer revealed almost too much information. Price spotted a cable holding the Scarecrow to his post. "While our general rule is to not mess with the image - even the grainy look of a film - that, we had to remove," he said.

Improvements to the soundtrack were also wrought, as restorers dug up separate recordings of "Oz" orchestral, choir and sound-effect parts to create a new 5.1 surround-sound mix. The 2009 edition also has higher-resolution Dolby Digital TruHD sound encoding on the Blu-ray version.

The soundtrack doesn't exactly explode like a current action adventure, but the cyclone that lifts Dorothy and Toto out of Kansas also whips up some sonic dust in a home-viewing room.

EXTRAS, EXTRAS: Film buffs will be equally pleased by the hours of visual and audio extras packed on the three-disc "Ultimate" edition, including several silent-film and cartoon versions of "Oz" made before the '39 film; a new documentary; an unearthed TV movie (starring John Ritter) on author Baum; sing-along-with-"Oz" options; rehearsal recordings of the music (including three Garland performances of "Rainbow"); and footage of two production numbers cut from the film.

Other lures for "Ultimate" box buyers include a "Wizard of Oz" watch, a 52-page book by Fricke and a booklet on the film's original advertising campaign.

So what could WB possibly do for the 75th anniversary?

"I hope they don't try a 3-D version - that would wreck it," said Lorna Luft, Judy Garland's daughter, who also attended the press event. "I'd have the same feeling I did when they colorized classic films. . . . You can't improve upon perfection."

E-mail Jonathan Takiff at takiffj@phillynews.com.