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The Bootleg Files: The Wonderful Land of Oz

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BOOTLEG FILES 886: “The Wonderful Land of Oz” (1969 kiddie matinee feature).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain-friendly platforms.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: This is just what The Criterion Collection needs!

On this particular day – November 22, 2024, to be precise – most moviegoers are fixated on the release of the big-budget musical “Wicked.” But since I prefer the rat-a-tat-tat from a different drum, I am venturing to a lower rent corner of the Yellow Brick Road to celebrate the no-budget 1969 feature “The Wonderful Land of Oz.”
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: His Hare-Raising Tale (1951)

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His Hare-Raising Tale (1951)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Virgil Ross
Music by Carl Stalling

One of the relatively few Warner Bros. cartoons that mainly consisted of recycled footage from older shorts, “His Hare-Raising Tale” is an amusing endeavor that pointed to a potential scenario shift that, sadly, was never explored in depth.
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Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It (2024)

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I am trying to recall the last time that I saw a feature-length documentary that invigorated, entertained, provoked and moved me across the full spectrum of emotional responses. To borrow a line from George Harrison – it’s been a long, long, long time. And that is why I am grateful for the arrival of Paris Barclay’s “Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It,” a production of remarkable grace and power that deserves to be considered as the best film of the year.
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