The Wiz (1978)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

L. Frank Baum (novel)
William F. Brown (play)

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 | Broadway Musical | Teacher | Melancholy | African American

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 7 nominations

Cast

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) | 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 not ever had aldermen. They had a commission form of government and now have a mayor/council form of government.

Quotes:

Scarecrow: I'll think about you all the time, Dorothy!
Tinman: And I'll miss you... every day. Even if I had to go back to that junk pile... even as teeny's seat cushion... I wouldn't mind... because I have known... real love.
[cries]
Dorothy: Aww... don't rust yourself now.
[wipes away the tears]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kids in America (2005)

Soundtrack:

Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News

I Love this Movie

Okay...I never knew that other people did not love The Wiz until last year, 2004. I first saw this movie in the theater when it was released as a little girl. My mother, sister and I felt like we had been drawn into an urban fairy tale that we could relate to. As African-Americans, this was the first time we had witnessed a fantastical creation that had characters and images that we could relate too.

The singing, costumes, backdrop of New York city and choreography were magical. In fact, TV One just aired an all day marathon of The Wix on Thanksgiving and we watched the loop the entire day.

The Wiz provides the viewer with a sneak peek into the lives of Dorothy, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, and The Lion--all with some "SOUL." The cast of lesser characters are even more of a jewel...the crows--well, most of us can relate to the "crabs in a barrel" attitude that has plagues the inner city; Miss One--well she was a glitter bedecked "numbers runner"; the citizens of Emerald City remind me of the urban fashionista crowd...and the dance scene reflect the attitude of the bourgeoisie that you can find in any community of color in the United States; the Poppies--what a hilarious nod to the fact that often times, you don't even see women of color in movies unless they are playing the role of prostitute or drug addict; and the workers in Evilene's Sweat Shop...well, they are like so many of us who suddenly discover that there is someone beautiful waiting to come out of us...we just have to be free enough to be comfortable in our own skin.

OK. You get the picture...I love this movie. And so many others that I know do too. I am thankful that I can now share The Wiz with my own children.