Product Description

NTSC/Region 0. This DVD contains the original theatrical release as envisioned by the director, Victor Fleming! Take your family on a fun-filled journey down the yellow brick road where lions sing, tin men talk, scarecrows dance -- and children of every age are reminded that in all the world, there's no place like home. Whisked away by a swirling tornado, 12-year-old Dorothy (Judy Garland), her dog Toto -- and even her Kansas farmhouse! -- sail over the rainbow and into the dazzling land of Oz. Filled with playful munchkins, enchanted forests and endless surprises, this dream-come-true world is one great adventure after another. But the most wondrous adventure of all begins when Dorothy and her new-found friends go in search of the kingdom's mysterious wizard... and the secret that will lead her home.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43299 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-08-04
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Import, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Korean
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 102 minutes

Customer Reviews

Somewhere over the rainbow
Another flawless classic that withstands the test of time. Most people have forgotten that the movie starts off in black and white, then turns to color when Dorothy reaches Oz. This is the way it was shown originally in 1939, and that's the way this import version presents. The only minor distraction is the default foreign subtitle. But that's what the DVD remote is for. Click the "subtitle" button a couple of times, and the subtitle is completely gone. Heck, what could be easier. The best thing about this import is it's a lot cheaper than the domestic version. Same quality picture, and sound.

The Wizard of the Odyssey
I've been thrilled and enchanted by the Wizard of Oz since I was a small child.

This version has MANY advantages over the others available. First, it is playable on ALL DVD players and you can exchange this DVD with friends in other countries, or, play it on DVD players and computers from other countries.

Second, the black and white and color on this DVD are true to the original screen version. (I once saw it on the big screen in Scottsdale in 1989 when an old theater had closed - the Wizard of Oz was the first movie shown at the theater when it opened in 1939).

Third, the version is the true screen version first shown to audiences in 1939. Why is that good?

The first screen version was edited to be a gentle portrayal of the essence and spirit of the book the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

As popular as the movie has been in history, few have read the book.

The book is L. Frank Baum's version of Homer's "The Odyssey" with Dorothy as hero (heroine). Baum was a minor scholar of the Classics (he studied Greek in military school when he was a teenager). He took the story line, conflicts, antagonists and protagonists of the Odyssey, and, put them into a compelling context for readers at the turn of the twentieth century.

Dorothea is, in ancient Greek, the name of the goddess of truth and wisdom. "Toto" (meaning "everything"), the faithful dog, is a metaphor for our "faith" as we journey through life in search of home (as did Odysseus). Brains (the scarecrow), heart (the tin man) and courage (the lion) are what all of us use in our lives to find our home and our soul mate (as did Odysseus - as does Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz).

When Dorothy is in peril in the Witch's castle, she relies upon "Toto" (her faith) to summon her brains, her heart, and her courage.

Many commentators have mused about the name "Oz." I've read some conjectures that border on the ridiculous. (One biographer of Baum speculated that "Oz" came from the O-Z on lower drawer of Baum's two drawer file cabinet).

"Oz" is the correct ancient Greek abbreviation for the Odyssey. In English, and in the Greek from about 400 BC to the present, the abbreviation for the Odyssey would be "Od". However, in attic Greek (from about 800 BC - the time Homer wrote the Odyssey) if the "d" is surrounded by two vowels, it is changed, in ancient Attic Greek, to "z" or "djeta". Hence, the first two letters of the original ancient Greek for the Odyssey are not "Od" but "Oz".

And that's how L. Frank Baum came up with the name of "Oz".

Buy this version. You can't go wrong at this price.

This is a Great DVD!
The box is covered in Korean characters, but don't let that scare you from buying this DVD. It's the original "Wizard of Oz" movie that we grew up with! Even Judy Garland's name got goofed up as "Jody Garland" but still, the DVD is clear, crisp, beautiful and sounds wonderful. And it's a lot cheaper than the the "Wizard of Oz" alternative DVD's. You only get one DVD - just the movie, no extras or games or behind the scenes information. But I didn't want any of that. I just wanted the movie.

When you pop this movie into your DVD player go first to "Set-up" and under Subtitles click on "none". The movie is in English since it's the original and there is absolutely nothing about it I can find to complain about. I loved it! Though it took a few days longer for it to arrive than I expected, it was well-packaged and the plastic case is as good as any other DVD case.