Judy Garland’s daughter has gushed about a “magnificent” new release of The Wizard of Oz.
Lorna Luft found the new Las Vegas premiere of her grandmother’s classic movie “overwhelming”, she told People Magazine this week.
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The re-release of the 1939 film uses The Sphere – a 160,000-square-foot, domed screen – to create a sense of immersion in the imagery.
“It was overwhelming for all of us because it’s so massive and you are actually in the movie,” Lorna, 73, told the outlet.
Lorna’s daughter Vanessa O’Neil, who attended the premiere alongside her mother, added they were especially moved by the level of detail newly visible in the large-format screening.
Judy, who died in 1969 from an accidental barbiturate overdose at the age of 47, could be seen more clearly than ever.
“The first thing she said,” Vanessa recalled, “is when Grandma came on: ‘Oh my God, you can see her freckles’.”
She added the newly visible detail brought home how young Judy, who was 16 when she made the movie, actually looked.
“It’s because it’s the first time where she does look her age,” Vanessa explained. “You can really tell her youthfulness.”
Lorna, herself an actress, said the large-scale screening was a way to bring joy into people’s lives.
“We’re in an odd time in the world right now,” she declared. “I think that’s what people need. They need to see that there is hope.”
Judy, who was married five times, shared daughter Liza Minnelli, 80, with director Vincente Minnelli, and children Lorna and Joey Luft, 71, with film producer Sid Luft.
