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The Wiz
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The Wiz (1978) -- An African American adaption of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the inner-city experience.

Overview

User Rating:
4.4/10   4,158 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 31% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Sidney Lumet
Writers:
L. Frank Baum (novel)
William F. Brown (play)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Wiz on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 October 1978 (USA) more
Tagline:
From the book that's an American tradition...from the smash-hit Broadway show...the entertainment of the year! more
Plot:
An adaption of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African American experience. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 7 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(49 articles)
L.A. Hotspot Doing the 'MoonWalk'
 (From The Insider. 8 July 2009, 7:04 PM, PDT)

‘The Wizard Of Oz’ Two-fer In Today’s eBay Prop-Watch
 (From MTV Movies Blog. 8 July 2009, 8:00 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
I Love this Movie more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

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 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Fun Stuff

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. more
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. more
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]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Kids in America (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
35 out of 51 people found the following comment useful:-
I Love this Movie, 25 November 2005
10/10
Author: bibi-25 from United States

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.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Wiz (1978)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Broadway Footage? JoshuaEadsBrown-1
RIP to all of them JheanSoSolid
Disturbing IrockGswift
Am I the only one who finds it really racist? who_is_in_charge
Keke Palmer would make a great Dorothy larriemickey
Ross's performance + the designs redheadedfool
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
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The Wizard of Oz Return to Oz Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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