The Wiz (1978)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

L. Frank Baum (novel)
William F. Brown (based on the book "The Wiz" by)

Release Date:

24 October 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

From the book that's an American tradition...from the smash-hit Broadway show...the entertainment of the year!

Plot:

An adaption of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African American experience.

Plot Keywords:

Wizard | New York City | Sadness | African American | Melancholy

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 7 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Diana Ross	...	Dorothy
Michael Jackson	...	Scarecrow
Nipsey Russell	...	Tinman
Ted Ross	...	Lion / Fleetwood Coupe de Ville
Mabel King	...	Evillene
Theresa Merritt	...	Aunt Emma
Thelma Carpenter	...	Miss One
Lena Horne	...	Glinda the Good
Richard Pryor	...	The Wiz (Herman Smith)
Stanley Greene	...	Uncle Henry
Clyde J. Barrett	...	Subway Peddler
Derrick Bell	...	The Four Crows
Roderick-Spencer Sibert	...	The Four Crows
Kashka Banjoko	...	The Four Crows
Ronald 'Smokey' Stevens	...	The Four Crows

Runtime:

134 min | Finland:136 min (uncut version) | Finland:118 min (cut version) | UK:128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (uncut) (1979) | Finland:S (heavily cut) (1980) | Netherlands:6 (new rating) | Peru:PT | Sweden:11 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | UK:U | USA:G | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:AL

Filming Locations:

Astoria Studios, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

According to her unauthorized biography, "Call Her Ms. Ross," Diana Ross was hospitalized and nearly blinded by a lighting effect used in the movie.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Wiz, when discovered, says that he was an alderman in Atlantic City. Atlantic City does not and has never had aldermen. It had a commission form of government, and it has a mayor-council form of government.

Quotes:

Glinda the Good: Hello, Dorothy.
Dorothy: Please, is there a way for me to get back home?
Glinda the Good: Well, Dorothy, you were wise and good enough to help your friends to come here and find what was inside them all the time. That's true for you, also.
Dorothy: Home? Inside of me? I don't understand.
Glinda the Good: Home is a place we all must find, child. It's not just a place where you eat or sleep. Home is knowing. Knowing your mind, knowing your heart, knowing your courage. If we know ourselves, we're always home, anywhere.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

Soundtrack:

Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News

Sheer delight.

This movie is nothing short of wonderful.

It is not the best movie ever made. It is not technically perfect or flawlessly acted. There are things wrong with it, some more egregious than other movies, some less.

But here's the thing: The Wiz has taken an old, beloved classic of literature and rewritten it just enough to make it completely new. I was as absorbed...if not moreso...with these new characters, reborn into another world, so familiar and yet so unknown, as I was taken in by the original Judy Garland film.

Suspension of disbelief is a necessary ingredient for all storytelling, and the more fantastic the more imagination one requires to enjoy it. Diana Ross too old? So what? I thought she was marvelous, and I thought she perfectly portrayed Dorothy in this alternate universe. In fact, I thought all the actors were terrific.

The story of the Wizard Of Oz has been in my top five favourite stories of all time for as long as I have been alive. I include Diana Ross' The Wiz right up there in an unbreakable tie with Judy Garland's Wizard Of Oz. They are both charming and well told versions of a brilliant literary classic, and they both deserve their due at the top of the food chain as far as fantastic storytelling goes.

And I haven't even touched the stunning aspect that an all Black cast chose not only to make this film, but actually rewrite it enough to show the point of view of the lives of the folks who lived in the ghettos and inner cities.

Even today, Black actors must struggle to receive equal treatment in film. Back when this movie was released, accomplishing this film was nothing short of a mind-boggling achievement, and one to be lauded.

I suspect a lot of the bad reputation this film has gotten over the years, especially at the beginning, was because the inherent racism and sexism in the industry was offended that the folks who made this film had the temerity to do so with an all-Black cast. It's happened before, and I'm afraid it will continue to happen until we grow enough intelligence to finally put discrimination behind us at last, and move beyond into a brighter future.

This movie will remain one of my favourite films. I couldn't recommend it any more highly. If you are a child at heart, if you love good stories made new, if you live in the imagination, this film is for you.

Just beware of that subway scene. If your kids are young and/or easily frightened, preview the movie before you watch it with them. It still creeps me out when I see it, and I know a lot of people who still get nightmares from it. But it's one of the best scenes in the film, and a testament to how creative the folks who put the film together were.