Emerald City: Season One [DVD]

I didn't find out about this until about 2 years too late. I'm a huge Oz fan, all Oz, books, movies, no matter how varied. I live the atmosphere of Oz. It's the best series for us "landscape is our fav character" fans. Yes, landscape is always my favorite character of any story.. This was a great version! Very different use of characters, very unique settings, great acting and visuals.Someone please continue this series, or make a whole new one!!

Liked it

It was okay. Weird, but good. Could’ve been fantastic with another season!

English literature offers many novels and short stories that have been adapted into film. Many of these that have gotten the screen adaptation have received it multiple times, such as The Wizard of Oz. However, few know that the Wizard of Oz is actually part of a series of novels, and almost all the film adaptations have focused on 1 - 2 of the books. This series by Indian director Tarsem Singh actually tries to encompass much more of the book series, and does a good job of it, while also putting his own touches to the stories and characters in the books.Set in early 21st century America, the character of Dorothy gets transported via tornado to Oz. Over the course of 10 episodes, each about 41 minutes long, Dorothy meets multiple witches, knights, munchkins, and various other characters that entangle her in the power politics and smaller dramas of this land. Toto follows along, though he is now a well-trained police dog who got caught up in the tornado. The scarecrow is actually a bewitched knight who Dorothy rescues. The lion is a fallen knight who sacrificed honor for survival. And tin man is a lost teenage boy who is saved from death by Dorothy's biological mother. Unlike all prior adaptations I have seen of the books, this one really has no heroes or villains outside of Dorothy. All the other characters are just trying to survive, acting in shades of gray.The show does a great job of allocating screen time to a vast cast of characters, exploring their pasts and developing their relationships with each other. The cinematography, set design and costume design are exquisite, as to be expected from this director. The dialogue is also incredibly well written, as each character speaks in a unique way, quite unlike the standard American or British English served up in TV and movies. Joely Richardson's portrayal of Glinda is amazing, capturing the essence of timeless beauty that masks nerves of steel and a cunning reminiscent of Tilda Swinton as the White Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia films. And the Wicked Witch of the West is modernized with Wicked => amoral and immoral, yet sultry and lustful.This Blu-Ray package has several deleted scenes included in the bonus features. I just wish these were added to the episodes themselves, as they are complete; i.e. no green screens in the background. Overall, a great watching experience.Though released in primetime, this TV miniseries is not meant for children.

Loved when it was on network(NBC)TV. Taken off too soon and there was a fan base and they wanted . Great acting, plot, and singer, actor Shaun Cassidy was a co Producer.

Not enough people found out about this show, IMHO -- the costumes are fantastic, the settings surreal (yet real) and the story engrossing.I did not know there was more than one story concerning the Wizard of Oz outside the one told in the 1936 masterpiece. Evidently there are many books involved. This particular series evidently makes use of some of them, and brings the story forward to a "current" time.I found the series to be first-rate. And wanted more. But the placement during the week more or less guaranteed low viewer participation. Also, it isn't aimed @ children, so that may have been a shock for some.As another reviewer commented --"What I did like about the show was that it incorporated many different characters from the Oz books, such as Lady Ev, who ruled the kingdom next to Oz, and had her own ax to grind with the Wizard. And I did like the alternate takes on the characters we know, such as making Scarecrow have amnesia as opposed to no brain. I think many people were expecting a retelling of the same story from the movie, or almost a sequel to the movie where Dorothy returned, and this is definitely not that. All the characters are different from what you would expect. If you can accept that the show will most likely be enjoyable, but if not you will probably hate it. It is very violent and has as much sex as prime-time network TV would allow."Anyway, as with so many others, I recommend it as very entertaining TV.

One of the most underrated, underappreciated series in recent years. Truly visionary and chock full of Easter eggs for those who have read the Oz books. This series brather fresh life into these stories the kind which we have not seen since 2007's Tin Man. It's a shame it was canceled too early as the series had an enormous amount of potential. Brilliantly reinvented and directed by Tarsem Singh this series was struck down by reviewers by being unfortunately measured against Game of Thrones. To those reviewers I say you can't measure all fantasy properties by the same rule. Though measuring this against its source material and the scads of Oz reinventions out there, this rises high above them all. This extremely modern take deals with the very present issues of gender equality, race, science vs. religion and gender fluidity, which is in fact taken directly from Baum's books, and does so deftly. Adria Arjona stars as the first Hispanic Dorothy and so far the most feminist interpretation of the character yet. Vincent D'Onofrio plays the deeply insecure white, male tyrannical Wizard and you will not be able to take your eyes off Joely Richardson and Ana Ularu as Glinda and Mistress West, respectively. The production design and costumes clearly spared no expense and are a visual feast for the eyes. Please ignore the poorly measured reviews and the early cancellation and give this a try. You won't regret it. Remember, over at NBC they only ever cancel the great ones these days [see Hannibal for reference].

Dinero tirado. Hay que mirar la zona de video de donde vienen los videos que no siempre se indica claramente. Pongo 4 estrellas por poner algo, pues me quedé con la ilusión de verlo.

Too bad it only ran for one season, but it was probably enough...

One more variation on the OZ theme