Though today's audiences might consider this a dusty relic, in its day it was virtually revolutionary - not only was ballet integral to a Broadway show - a shocker to audiences of the time - but, more significantly, the songs were embedded in the action and served to further the plot. This musical changed forever the way such shows were written.

Still, the musical opened on Broadway over 70 years ago, and so you can't fault those caught in the maelstrom of the ever-sprinting zeitgeist, for whom last year's hot musical is already hopelessly passe, for relegating Oklahoma to the cultural equivalent of their great-grandmother's attic.

But one thing pop culture never acknowledges is that quality is timeless, and the movie, made a long 12 years after the play premiered, retains the original's magic quality; indeed, it has aged remarkably well in the years since. It is a gorgeous piece of filmmaking and a joyous dip in the refreshing pool of unabashed Americana, with innovative camera work, a sumptuous palette of color, iconic performances all around and a ballet-within-the-musical that is so evocative and satisfying that, even if you're not a particular fan of ballet, will mesmerize you with its lush expressiveness and the scope of its rendering of the totality of the human condition - our aspirations, our fears and, especially, the evil that tends to brush up, however fleetingly, against even the sunniest of lives.

The ballet is essentially a restatement of the arc of the play writ in dance, and a lovely arc it is.

I won't get into the plot here, but I will say that the performances are all outstanding; it was Shirley Jones's first movie, and it rightfully made her a star. She is lovely and strikes just the right tone as the skittish Laurey, who badly wants to marry Curley, but whose games of hard-to-get almost get out of hand.

Gordon McRae is excellent as well - yes, there might be more dynamic actors out there, but none who can sing as well as he, or who can do it while exuding unbridled, unapologetic alpha-male charisma as he.

Gloria Grahame is one of my favorite female film actors of all time, and she almost steals the entire movie as the would-be trollop Ado Annie, whose sexual appetite is somewhat tempered with her essential innocence.

Eddie Albert, another underrated actor who often spun pure gold, is a wonderful comic counterpoint to the dark Rod Steiger as Jud. I'm sure many think Steiger was too leaden or hammy as Jud, but he succeeds marvelously in making your skin crawl.

And no, nobody's ever going to mistake Eddie Albert's Ali Hakim for a real Persian, but who cares?

Charlotte Greenwood as Aunt Eller is a wonderful presence throughout the film - she may be one of the "old folks," but the light behind her eyes and her physical vitality are a joy; she is, in fact, the sun around which all of the other characters orbit.

Gene Nelson's rendition of Kansas City - along with the wonderful staging and use of the chorus - is as good as any dance number ever caught on film - and I'm a huge Fred Astaire/Gene Kelly fan. So I don't say that lightly.

The rest of the cast is appropriately homespun and distinctive.

The plot is quite simple - it all revolves around the box social dance that's going to occur that night, and the love machinations that ensue as folks attempt to pair off.

This movie is, quite simply, a delight. If you can transport yourself to a simpler time (when sentimentality wasn't an embarrassment and irony wasn't the oxygen that pop culture breathes), you will be richly rewarded.

I held off buying this for a long time because it wasn't available on Blu-ray without having to buy a whole collection of films I didn't care for. Nonetheless, it remains a tad bloated as it includes DVD versions of the film that any fan would certainly have by now...

Having said that...

This Blu-ray is the FINEST print I have ever seen; (TODD-AO version). I don't even like to use the word, "print" as there is no film grain, no dirt, no scratches...it is like looking through a pane of glass! You can see bugs fly by and see details in the background a half mile away. After taking in this visual feast, I looked at a DVD for comparison and was HORRIFIED by how crappy it looked. If you have a Blu-ray player and enjoy this film, this is the version to have! The other version of the film is included on Blu-ray as well, and looks better than the DVD, but is no match for the Todd-AO version; still it is worth seeing for the alternate performances.

Many of the reviews of this Blu Ray/DVD/Digital HD have been based on the DVD version. I haven't seen the DVD versions, but I am watching the Todd-AO widescreen Blu Ray version. The remastering is absolutely stunning! Todd AO was a sort of precursor to 3D. It was filmed with a special super wide-angle lens that was designed to show on a curved screen. The result was, among other things, a superior picture to ordinary Cinemascope (which it was also filmed in). Cinemascope images were wide, but not very tall. Watching the Todd-AO version on a widescreen TV, you notice that the "black bars" at the top and bottom of the TV are smaller; in other words, the picture is "taller." Though it was designed for a curved screen, the image on an ordinary LCD TV (46" in my case) shows no more distortion than the typical widescreen movie filmed today.
In terms of sharpness, overall quality, graininess: the picture is stunning! no artifacts, graininess! Super sharp. I set my BR player to the sharpest picture setting, and the picture is absolutely perfect. It looks as though it had been filmed yesterday. I highly recommend paying a few more bucks and getting the Blu Ray set over just the DVD set. I haven't seen the DVD versions in this 4-disc set, so I can't comment on that. There is a second Blu Ray disc with the Cinemascope version, which is the one the vast majority of us are familiar with. (The Todd-AO has some scenes designed especially for the process, including the opening scene, with the camera moving between rows of corn, to highlight the semi-3D effect of the Todd-AO process; one example). Highly recommended.

If you're a fan of musicals, Oklahoma is a must for your collection. It's dated in some ways, but it's still among the best musicals made for stage or screen. The Blu-ray contains both the Todd-AO print (generally considered better, and I agree) and the CinemaScope print that was made to accommodate more theaters when the movie was released. (If you've the movie on TCM, you've most likely seen the CinemaScope print.)

BUT BEWARE THE DIGITAL COPY: the digital transfer in Prime Video is weak. It's the Todd-AO version and it's listed as HD, but it looks like SD, most likely being the transfer that was used for the DVD edition from several years ago. It has the Samuel Goldwyn Company just before the credits, and the overture card has the movie's title over the word "overture." The newer HD transfer has neither.

Now, Oklahoma is owned by 20th Century Fox (now under Disney) which is linked to Movies Anywhere (MA), so if you have an account there (which is free) you can also get digital copies in Vudu, iTunes, Google Play, and FandangoNow if you have accounts there and link them to MA. However, only iTunes and Google Play have the crisp and rich HD transfer found on the Blu-ray. Vudu has the same weak transfer you'll find here, and FandangoNow delivers the weak transfer without the overture.

Recommendation: buy a new copy of the Blu-ray for the best picture and sound at home, redeem the digital copy via Movies Anywhere, and watch on Google or Apple TV on the go.

Wholeheartedly recommend. One of the absolute best classics of all time. My dad played the soundtrack in our house growing up so I’m very familiar — and delightfully haunted — by these magnificent R&H songs, but I hadn’t seen the movie in many years, so after a few weeks of suppressing my desire to buy it, I finally caved & decided to treat myself, and boy it does not disappoint. A larger-than-life, vivid, epically gorgeous movie. I don’t know of anything else like it. It is an undeniably timeless work of art.

Just for giggles I read some of the 1 star reviews. We all know there’s no accounting for taste but how anyone could outright dismiss it — even after only seeing that EPIC opening scene where the camera is gliding through the cornstalks to reveal the vast open landscape, when Oh What A Beautiful Morning drops — is baffling. It’s very hard to miss the in-your-face beauty of this production. If anyone reading this is on the fence, I recommend you watch the opening scene on YouTube for a taste, or rather a big gulp of the pleasures that await.

I myself was on the fence, because $15 for entertainment wasn’t in my budget this month, but evidently, I can’t say no.

The Todd-AO Blu-Ray is the one to watch. Don't waste your time with any other format.
I have seen Oklahoma in every format since I was a child in the 50's and I can tell you this is the best ever.
The only thing that could ever top it is a native 4k version.

I first saw this film on a crappy television in the late 1950's
Then on VHS, Laserdisc and DVD
Through all those years I always felt that there was a pristine movie hiding under all of those horrible format releases.
Finally, after waiting for 61 years, this Blu-Ray is awesome, excellent, incredible and perfect in every way.
I watched it on a 65" Sony Bravia 4K TV with Pioneer Elite THX amplifier.
Both the video and audio are stunning.

THE GOOD
Oklahoma blu-ray is a very special release because it contains two completely different versions. And I don't mean an extended cut, one version was shot in 35mm Cinemascope and the other was shot in 70mm Todd-AO. Each version contains different performances and establishing shots. While the 70mm version looks great, it was shot at 30 frames per second and creates the motion blur effect (not that most TVs don't). This is a rare case where I consider the 35mm version instead of 70mm.

Truthfully, this movie isn't my cup of tea but I found it enjoyable. The songs are well composed and surprisingly dirty. This also contains a song that is so bad it's good, "I Cain't Say No". It it amazingly bad.

THE BAD
I'm not a fan of clean cut American westerns and this film is way too wholesome. I get it, it's supposed to be an over the top stage play, it's just not for me.

THE UGLY
Truthfully this film is very tame (even with the constant sexual innuendos) and doesn't really do anything particularly horrible. I get why this has a fanbase, it's a sweet little wholesome musical and if that's for you, enjoy this!

Was curious about this musical, seemingly a classic yet unlike Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and Jesus Christ Superstar had never seen it (much less dozens of times like the previously, mentioned musicals) and now I know why. Ugh, can't even start how badly this film has aged (seems a fantastic celebration of.... ) Well, let's just say I didn't make it through (even tried 3 times) as it was so creepy and out of sync. Wish I could get my $4 back - it was not worth it...