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It's difficult to think of a film that has inspired more urban legends than Victor Fleming's 1939 children's classic The Wizard of Oz. Depending on who you believe, Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon syncs perfectly with the action (not true), the production was cursed with a series of horrendous accidents (true), and the Munchkins were all shag-happy party animals (also untrue, but a favourite talk show gag of star Judy Garland). Perhaps the tall tales have something to do with the hellish shoot, which involved five directors and at least 15 writers, or maybe it's because The Wizard of Oz is watched by a lot of stoned people.

What many don't seem to realise is that The Wizard Of Oz is itself a remake. L Frank Baum's original 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz (the first in a series of more than a dozen books) was filmed...

Photo: MGM

Movie: The Wizard of Oz Release Year: 1939 Studio: MGM Director: Victor Fleming, George Cukor (uncredited), Mervyn LeRoy (uncredited), Norman Taurog (uncredited) and King Vidor (uncredited director of the Kansas scenes) Starring: Judy Garland as Dorothy, Frank Morgan as Professor Marvel, The Wizard of Oz, The Gatekeeper, The Carriage Driver and The Guard, Ray Bolger as 'Hunk' and The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as 'Zeke' and The Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as 'Hickory' and The Tin Man, Billie Burke as Glinda, Margaret Hamilton as Miss Gulch and The Wicked Witch of the West, Charley Grapewin as Uncle Henry, Pat Walshe as Nikko, Clara Blandick as Auntie Em, Terry as Toto and The Singer Midgets as The Munchkins Cinematographer: Harold Rosson (Singin' in the Rain, The Asphalt Jungle) Note: Today's entry is running as a contribution to Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series at TheFilmExperience where several others have...

Viewers who haven't read the novel on which the movie The Hunger Games is based will not find themselves in unfamiliar territory. The concepts in the film are as old as science fiction.

Fans of the series by Suzanne Collins will already know the setup for the story. In a post-world-war setting, one boy and one girl from each of 12 districts are chosen to compete in a live televised fight to the death. In poverty-stricken District 12, which includes the coal mines of the former Virginia, the candidates are chosen by random drawing. Starving children can purchase food at the cost of additional entries in the drawing.

Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields), having just come of age, has only a single entry in the drawing but is unlucky enough to be chosen. Her 16-year-old sister Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) steps up as the district's first-ever volunteer so Primrose will not have to compete and inevitably die.

New Zealand actress Elizabeth Moody starred as Mum in Peter Jackson’s 1992 horror-comedy Dead Alive. She was Vera Cosgrave, Lionel’s domineering mother, who became a flesh-eating fiend after being bitten by a rabid Sumatran Rat-Monkey in the film known as Braindead in the United States.

She was daughter of Yvette Bromley, a founder of the Court Theatre, and began performing on stage as a full-time actress in 1976. She appeared in several films including The Scarecrow (1982), Turn of the Blade (1992), and Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures (1994). She was featured as Lobella Sackville-Baggins in the extended edition of the 2001 fantasy classic The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Moody died in Christchurch, New Zealand, on January 12, 2010, at the age of 70.

"The Wizard of Oz", L. Frank Baum's family friendly fantasy in which a young Dorothy travels over the rainbow after a twister hits her Uncle's farm, is one of the most popular stories of all time due to the iconic film version. While the film celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, the stage version of the musical based on the movie claims The Media Theatre stage as its home this holiday season (Nov. 24, 2009-Jan. 10, 2010).

The Media Theatre will produce The Royal Shakespeare Company's version of the musical, which includes all of the well-known songs from the film ("Over the Rainbow", "If I Only Had A Brain", "Follow The Yellow Brick Road") and a number cut from the original movie ("Jitterbug"). Temple University's Peter Reynolds, who directed Media's popular "Altar Boyz" last season, will take the helm for "Oz".

Kim Carson, a Barrymore Award winning actress who was seen last...

If I only had a brain, I would have asked for The Wizard Of Oz: 70Th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’S Edition (Warner, $69.92) three months before it premiered on DVD last Tuesday instead of three days before. But, like the Cowardly Lion, I lack courage, and couldn’t muster the resolve to ask Warner Home Video for this stellar (and extras-packed) four-disc set so far in advance. If you read Part One of my review, then I guess you have a lot of free time. Speaking of time, I’m running Out of it, so let’s get back on that Yellow Brick Road as I break down the bonus features on Discs Three and Four. (And remember: I Have watched Everything on this whole set! Really!)

Disc Three starts things off with Oz director “Victor Fleming: Master Craftsmen.” How many directors can claim to have directed two of...

Warner Bros Home Video and Fathom Entertainment have announced a one-night only event which will bring The Wizard Of Oz back to the big screen in High Definition on September 23rd. The event is to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the film classic. You can find a movie theater near you by entering your zip code in on the Ncm Fathom website. Full press release after the jump. You won’t believe your eyes and ears on this brand new magical journey down the yellow brick road with Dorothy, her dog Toto, The Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. On September 23rd, Ncm Fathom, Warner Home Video and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will give theatergoers the opportunity to experience this family classic for the first time in high definition on the big screen. The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Hi-Def Event, a special one-night only, nationwide in-theater presentation, will be held on Wednesday,...

Warner Home Video just announced this special, one-night event. You can order your tickets directly here by filling in your zip code and selecting the closest theater! You won.t believe your eyes and ears on this brand new magical journey down the yellow brick road with Dorothy, her dog Toto, The Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. On September 23rd, Ncm Fathom, Warner Home Video and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will give theatergoers the opportunity to experience this family classic for the first time in high definition on the big screen. The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Hi-Def Event, a special one-night only, nationwide in-theater presentation, will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 23rd at 7:00 p.m. local time. The unforgettable cultural icon has been entirely re-mastered and...