“I’m going to be a great film star! That is, if booze and sex don’t get me first”
The Wildey isn’t the only place in town to see old movies on Tuesday nights! Landmark’s The Plaza Frontenac Theatre (210 Plaza Frontenac, in the Plaza Frontenac Shopping Center, Frontenac, MO, 63131) has announced RetroREPLAY for Tuesdays in April. Tickets are only $7 and can be purchased in advance HERE
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 film was an overwhelmingly popular and critical success upon its initial release and repeated its ability to captivate audiences when M-G-M reissued the film in 1949 and 1955. The film made a new kind of history with its network television premiere in 1956 on CBS. Nearly 45 million people tuned in for this initial telecast, marking the beginning of an annual tradition. Ever since, The Wizard of Oz™ has been shown virtually annually on network (and then cable) television; 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.
Marking the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz™, Warner Bros. has produced a 3D remastered version of the film which will launch a comprehensive, cross-divisional campaign encompassing theatrical, home entertainment, consumer products and a number of promotional partnerships.
The IMAX® release The Wizard of Oz™ will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX 3D Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX®‘s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.
The Wizard of Oz™ will return to the big screen for an exclusive one-week engagement in IMAX theatres across North America beginning September 20, 2013.
WAMG is giving families a chance to see it early on Sunday, September 15 at 10 AM in IMAX 3D. Enter below to win a family 4-pack of passes.
Instead of our usual cool contest, we want you to register to win using this link:
Here’s your first look at the trailer for THE WIZARD OF OZ which will be presented in the immersive IMAX 3D format. It will return to the big screen for an exclusive one-week engagement in IMAX theatres across North America beginning September 20, 2013.
Marking the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, Warner Bros. has produced a 3D remastered version of the film which will launch a comprehensive, cross-divisional campaign encompassing theatrical, home entertainment, consumer products and a number of promotional partnerships.
“We couldn’t be happier to partner with IMAX® as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of this iconic film,” said Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. “The Wizard of Oz IMAX® 3D Experience is an integral part of our studio-wide anniversary initiative and we are excited to give fans the rare opportunity to see this stunning version on the big screen.”
“The Wizard of Oz is one of the most beloved films of all time and we are thrilled that our longtime partners at Warner Bros. have made IMAX® a part of this exciting milestone event,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX® Entertainment. “This film revolutionized the use of color and special effects in cinema, and we’re excited to add another ‘first’ – bringing this timeless classic to moviegoers through the power of The IMAX 3D Experience® for the very first time.”
The IMAX® release The Wizard of Oz will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX 3D Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX®‘s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.
Following the IMAX® theatrical release, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) will release a limited and numbered The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Collector’s Edition on October 1, 2013, featuring the 3D version of the film and more.
“Seventy-five years later, The Wizard of Oz continues its reign as a multi-generational favorite, with nearly 100 percent awareness among adults and more than 80 percent awareness among children,” said Jeff Baker, WBHE Executive Vice President and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog. “In this new 3D version, the film is bound to make history all over again—with both past and future fans.”
The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Collector’s Edition will debut as a five-disc set that will include Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD and UltraViolet versions of the film; a new documentary, The Making of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; bonus features and premium collectibles ($105.43 SRP). Three more editions will be available separately: a two-disc 3D/Blu-ray ($35.99 SRP), a one-disc Blu-ray ($19.98 SRP) and a two-disc DVD ($16.95 SRP). All four will contain the new documentary and extra content.
SPECIAL FEATURES will include all previously released special features along with:
ALL-NEW Documentary! The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz—This candid overview of how a troubled production overcame the odds to become an integral part of American culture features contributions from historians John Fricke and Sam Wasson, composers Stephen Schwartz and Marc Shaiman, critics Leonard Maltin and Michael Sragow, Bert Lahr’s son John as well as revealing interview clips with Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Buddy Ebsen, Margaret Hamilton and Mervyn LeRoy, among others.
NEW! Exclusive Collectible Memorabilia —Acollectible 75th Anniversary journal; Sparkle RUBY SLIPPERS™ Globe; Noble Collection 3-piece enamel pin set, a Map of Oz and a 48-page hardcover book. Collection is limited and numbered.
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. This was followed by the long process (with the use of a rotoscope) to further refine viewer distances and fully layer shapes and objects.
“People have asked for years about The Wizard of Oz3D conversion. My answer was always, ‘We’re not doing it until it’s perfect.’ And now it is,” said Ned Price, Warner Technical Operations’ Vice President of Mastering. “As a kid, I was so enthralled by this film. Watching it, you just want to enter the frame, enter the Land of Oz. This new version will allow you to do just that.”
On our nation’s birthday, may I present the new poster for Disney’s OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL. The fantastical adventure is from the Producer of “Alice in Wonderland” and the Director of the “Spider-Man” Trilogy.
I like it. The poster has an old style about it – something you would’ve seen decades ago.
Disney’s fantastical adventure OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.
OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is produced by Joe Roth and written by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire (credit not final). Grant Curtis, Philip Steuer and Palak Patel are serving as executive producers. OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL opens in U.S. theaters on March 8, 2013.
So I guess Deadline got it wrong. Yesterday they reported that Warner Bros. was in talks with the director of FORREST GUMP and BACK TO THE FUTURE, Robert Zemeckis, to direct the remake of THE WIZARD OF OZ. As of tonight, Entertainment Weekly says for everyone to calm down on the notion.
While a source at the studio confirms to EW that Zemeckis did indeed take a meeting to bat around the idea of an Oz remake, Zemeckis’ rep tells EW that the filmmaker is definitely not going to pursue the project, saying, “The reports that Robert Zemeckis is doing The Wizard of Oz are absolutely false.” Discussions about the remake were still very preliminary and nebulous — and Zemeckis (who is currently working on a 3D remake of The Yellow Submarine) was the studio’s first choice if it was going to proceed — so odds are the idea will be shifted to the back burner for now.
So what’s everyone think? Who was curious about the Zemeckis version of the Yellow Brick Road & the Emerald City?
Trying to decide on something new, different or just plain fun to do for the holidays? Do you love live orchestra? Do you love ‘The Wizard of Oz’? Well, this is naturally the coolest holiday event you could possibly have the pleasure of attending.
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will be performing live to accompany a special screening of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Powell Hall. The event will be taking place on two dates over the weekend of Saturday, December 27 (7:30 pm) and Sunday, December 28 (3:00 pm).
Here’s a quick bit about the even from Cinema St. Louis:
We’re off to see the Wizard! The 1939 classic has been stunningly re-mastered and restored, and now, the wonderful Harold Arlen score has been removed from the original print and will be played live, to picture, by the SLSO, with David Robertson conducting. The Wizard of Oz will be as enchanting to those who’ve seen it dozens of times as to those who are seeing it for the first time. Judy Garland singing “Over the Rainbow” with the SLSO: We’re off!
The above painting was done by the amazing Dave McDowell and if you are as crazy about movies as I am then you MUST OWN some of his paintings! You can get the above painting, or you can grab some of his other pop culture/movie paintings. Go and do it now!
AICNÂ got some new artwork for John Boorman’s ‘Wizard of Oz’Â CGI remake. Now this isn’t exactly the kind of remake I was hoping for, but I will see it just because I am a fan of original movie/general story. I thought it would be super badass to see a modern remake a la ‘Romeo and Juliet’ that Baz did in the 90’s. However this is what we are left with and you can see more below. The above photo is of Munchkin Land..
Not bad, huh? What do you guys think about these? Will you shell out the bucks to see it? Is the movie still relevant?
Sometimes you gotta sit back and look at some of the golden geese of films, films that you never think will be remade. Â I can’t imagine anyone thinking they are going to remake ‘The Godfather’. Â ‘Jaws’ seems like a pretty safe property. Â I thought the same about ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Â That is, until today.
John Boorman, the director behind such lighthearted classics as ‘Deliverance’, ‘Exorcist II’, and ‘The Tailor of Panama’ is set to direct a CG-animated update called ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. Â Needless to say, this will be Boorman’s first animated film.
The screenplay was written by Boorman along with Ron Mita and Jim McClain of ‘Robots’ fame. Â Right, ’cause ‘Robots’ was the end-all be-all of great animation.
