Liza With A Z - Re-master and DVD Release

Re-master and DVD Release

After the initial broadcasts in 1972 and 73, the negatives were stored in the vaults of NBC, only occasionally being brought out for Minnelli's own personal use. In the 1980s, the original negatives were lost and feared destroyed. Michael Arick and Minnelli eventually tracked down the original negatives in 1999, in Los Angeles and New York. In 2005, Minnelli revealed to Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, producers and friends of hers (who had produced the film of Chicago — another Fosse and Kander & Ebb collaboration), that she owned the rights to the film and that she had been restoring it with Arick. They introduced her to Robert Greenblatt, the President of Entertainment for Showtime, who then agreed to finance the restoration, broadcast the film, and release the DVD.

The re-mastered film was accepted into both the Toronto International Film Festival and the Hamptons Film Festival for 2005 and premiered on September 9, 2005 at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres in Toronto. The television premiere was on Showtime on April 1, 2006.

As well as a restored picture, the DVD also offers the viewer the option of a 5.1 surround sound soundtrack. This was made possible due to a new mix being created from reels of sound recordings Minnelli had personally archived after the original production in 1972. The DVD also includes a commentary track recorded by Minnelli, a performance of "Mein Herr" (cut from the original film), an interview with Kander recorded by Minnelli, a recording of Minnelli and the restoration producers discussing the film at the Toronto Film Festival, and a separate performance by Minnelli at the GLAAD Awards in 2005.