The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition (Blu-ray)

Director: Victor Fleming

Cast: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Burt Lahr, Jack Haley, Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton

(MGM; US DVD: 29 Sep 2009)

 Amazon

Many of the stories surrounding the making of this amazing movie are just as compelling as the film itself, and Warner Brothers has seen fit to fill out this astonishing four disc set with as many of them as possible. There is so much added content here - early silent film versions of the Oz stories (including one helmed by Baum himself), TV movies based on the material, documentaries and full length features discussing the film’s creation and lasting impact, as well as numerous critical, scholarly, and specialty (F/X, music) overviews - that we get wrapped up in the history. About the only thing not addressed here are the numerous urban legends and conspiracy theory rumors surrounding the final product.

And what a magnificent movie it is, a true endeavor of the human spirit that seems to resonate through every pore of your being down deep into the very core of your sunny, sated soul.

—Bill Gibron