The 1939 MGM classic The Wizard of Oz is heading back to theaters, but since a screening of the film as it was originally intended might not bring enough attention, the film is getting an IMAX 3D release.
The Wizard of Oz is the oldest film to get converted to 3D, a process that has been mostly reserved for action blockbusters like Jurassic Park and Top Gun. But Oz is a musical, filmed in three-strip Technicolor. According to USA Today, Warner Bros., which now distributes the film, has also remastered the audio tracks and also did a traditional restoration before bringing it to IMAX.
Greg Foster, chairman and president of Imax Entertainment told USA Today that the film is as “iconic as they come. It was one of the first movies that truly came out at you with an explosion of color.”
Foster added, “The sound was exceptional, the sharpness was exceptional...But it's the color that stands out. What they could do is truly amazing, maybe what people felt when they first saw it."
Oz has gone on to become a perennial classic, recognized as one of the most important films of Hollywood’s Golden Age and its best year, 1939. It airs on TV every year and was previously released on Blu-ray in 2009. A new edition will be out on Oct. 1 and it will include bonus material, the 2D Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and a DVD copy. There will be a new documentary in the collection.
The film features classic songs like “Over The Rainbow” and “We’re Off To See The Wizard.” It starred Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr and won Oscars for its music and score. Victor Fleming, who also directed Gone With The Wind in 1939, directed the film.
Deadline reports that the film’s one-week IMAX run will start on Sept. 20.
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