Posted by The “2018 Year in Review” is here at long last!
View the online interactive version here.
You can also view/download the print-ready PDF version here.
Enjoy!!
A few page previews (the links take you to the online interactive version):
View the online interactive version here.
You can also view/download the print-ready PDF version here.
I’m acquainted with a guy who works for Warner Brothers, and he told me that to the best of his knowledge, 4K will definitely be the very last “upgrade” for physical media. He’s more technical than I am, but he said that anything more that could be improved above 4K wouldn’t be noticeable to the human eye. He said he’s heard that in the next ten years, films are really going to be promoted for streaming. He also offered that he’s pretty surprised that the DVD has lasted this long. He feels Blu Ray is already “antiquated” marketing.
I personally would never bother with a 4k “Oz.” There’s only so much rehashing that I can take. I have the Blu Ray, which I enjoy every few years. I’ve seen the film so many times, and in so many different forms, I can’t just throw it on. It’s both too rich a film, and too “viewed” for me. It never works for casual viewing. Oddly, while not nearly as great a film, I become transported when I watch “The Harvey Girls” SEVERAL TIMES a year. I don’t know why. Thanks for all the info!!
Thank you for sharing. That’s some great insight into how WHV looks at things. I can see why they think DVD is “lasting” because so many classic films (and others) are only available on the standard DVD format via the Archive. So, fans will buy them for that reason even though the MOD discs are not reliable and are inferior. For everyone else, DVD has been dead for a long time.
It would seem that their Classics Division hasn’t been interested in Blu-ray in general. My belief is because it’s too expensive to remaster/upgrade film for Blu-ray for a limited audience. However, they ARE fine with rereleasing standard DVDs in budget priced (and formatted) boxed sets. Those must be very cheap to make. They should know that the fans, at least Garland fans, feel as though WHV has abandoned upgrading Garland films into true HD. Their last true HD Garland release (not counting the Oz sets every 5 years) was “Easter Parade.” In other words, only those films that were previously given the “Ultra-Resolution Process” treatment have been released on Blu-ray. Everything else has been re-released in single-disc DVD format in the various aforementioned budget sets under various themes.
Streaming is definitely the way to go. But even with that they still need to upgrade the film or they’ll end up looking like old VHS tapes, much like most of the video extras in the Oz sets do.
Speaking of which, it makes sense that the next step for a home media release of Oz would be 4K. That’s logical. What I’d like to know is, will they ever upgrade the extras? Most of that stuff has been copied over and over and over from the 1993 laser disc set “The Ultimate Oz” and it looks it. Instead, they spend money on physical extras like snowglobes and other junk when they SHOULD concentrate on the digital extras. One example: The “photo gallery” is pathetic. One can find better photos, and a greater variety, in any Oz group on Facebook. They just copy everything over without looking at it because they know people will buy it regardless. Even the 75th anniversary digital file of the film itself still had the coding “70th anniv” on it.
Finally (sorry this is so long), will we ever get any “collector’s edition” of any of her films, on physical disc, similar to the “Golden Years” laser set with those wonderful audio extras? There IS a collector’s market for physical discs. Most collectors like having things like that in addition to digital copies of the films. There is still money to be made there if done properly and everything is (this is key) upgraded and not just lazily copied over. So Blu-ray isn’t really antiquated, it’s still a viable format (ask Disney) and if done properly (with real HD upgrades) will sell and make the label a profit. I think their attitude on that compared to DVD lasting is laziness and cheapness on their part.
I wish they would release HD of The Harvey Girls, The Pirate, and Summerstock. Also a box set of her B&W features would be great. I don’t want to ‘stream’ a movie. I want to have it on my shelf and not need internet connection to watch it. I very much look forward to the upcoming CD release of Lost Tracks Part 2 Part 1 was great. This year marks the 50th anniversary of her passing, it would be a nice tribute to her lasting legacy if WB would release her films in HD. Lets hope!
I completely agree! I understand that streaming is great, I have a lot of films in my iTunes digital library, but having the physical item to watch, with all the extras, anything one wants is better. Especially for collectors – and collectors are legion!
A boxed set of say 5 films in true HD, with new extras (all that audio they have would be a great start), would be amazing. Instead, we get a “new” Oz boxed set every 5 years. 🙁
It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years since her passing. Wow.
OMG OMG OMG This “Year in Review” is positively SUMPTUOUS!!!!! I’m pouring a glass of wine and curling up with my laptop. I’ll be here awhile…… What a lucky sonofagun I am! THANK YOU FOR THIS, and for all your hard work, your expert eye, your fitting tribute and your obvious appreciation of all your fellow Judy fans!
Oh wow, thank you! I’m so glad you like it. I have fun doing it and it’s always nice to get feedback (especially positive). I hope you’re looking at the interactive version (https://indd.adobe.com/view/1842eebb-7d96-41c5-a431-59572d17213f) because it looks better than the printable PDF. I think so, anyway. And the videos play in it but don’t in the PDF. I always have the PDF though for easy viewing and/or for people to save to their files.
Thanks for sharing your pleasure. It really does mean so much to me.
Yes, I am looking at the interactive version and it is so great! Of course I saved the PDF with all my other ones.
And as for me “sharing my pleasure….” GET USED TO IT !!! I can’t withhold my appreciation and gratitude for this kind of thing. It’s what Judy always deserved. In my mind’s eye I can imagine her scrolling through these web pages and smiling to herself as she says, over and over, “Marvelous…..just marvelous!”
She loved that word, and it fits!
LOL – I think I can get used to that. I can hear Judy saying “marvelous” for sure. I would hope that she would get a kick out of looking back on her life and career. She’d most likely crack jokes, “Did I look like THAT?” and such! 🙂
Check out the past yearly reviews at: http://www.thejudyroom.com/yearinreview.html (if you haven’t already).
Thanks again!