El mago

I remember hearing about this, but finally thanks to Netflix, I now experienced The Wiz. This actually was a gigantic production and is a black urban 1970's take on The Wizard Of Oz. The result is a interesting and out and out insane experience. The combination of social commentary, fantasy and theater might not always land as what was probably intended, but it does make for a unique and interesting experience. I normally hate musicals, but this is a Motown production so I really enjoyed that aspect of the film. Michael Jackson and Diana Ross also appear here and have memorable, iconic performances. The rest of the cast is filled with classically trained theater actors . The music and dance choreography was first rate. The sets and costuming were really impressive and while the film was aiming for a highbrow approach, the film plays out in a really campy way. It's understandable that this movie initially bombed at the box office, but also that it got appreciated later and is a cult classic. There really is not anything like The Wiz.

Let me establish a few things at the start: 1) I love disco, soul, and R&B, 2) I love the '70s, 3) I love bad movies, 4) I have a healthy admiration for Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, as well as many of the other luminaries in this film. All that said, this film is APPALLING IN EVERY RESPECT!

I knew this movie was poorly regarded, and I expected to like it anyway (I'm certainly not sorry I've seen it) but the ratio of potential to realization is like 100:1. I'm really surprised it has so many defenders on this site. Let's discuss:

Yes, many people have said that Diana Ross is too old. What's not mentioned is that she looks TERRIBLE! She looks like a refugee! Also, she just has the wrong voice for this part. Stephanie Mills had a strange, nasal voice, but she was a BELTER, and you need a belter for these songs. Poor Diana and her thin voice just couldn't cut it, and she had no physical charm to fall back on. Oh dear.

I was really surprised how lame the musical renditions and sound quality were. I have surround sound, and I just couldn't believe how muffled and distant the sound was. And, in my opinion, ALL of the musical performances were misfires. You could see how many of the songs could have been good in a good performance, but those just weren't to be found here.

Many people single out Lena Horne's performance as fantastic, but to me, like the rest of the movie, she was BADLY misused. Lena Horne is a nuanced jazz singer, so to hear her try to go all low-down gospel was rather painful, especially with her impeccably-enunciated "Woo! Yeah!"'s. She also looks utterly ridiculous.

I didn't get much of a sense of the old Michael Jackson we all used to love between the layers of makeup and the lack of focus of the movie and scenes.

I love how Dorothy alternates between being worried that Toto is out of her sight for even a moment because he is so precious to her, and completely forgetting about his existence for long periods of time.

Also, apparently the scarecrow's owner shredded the works of the great philosophers (or at least his copy of Bartlett's Famous Quotations) to stuff his scarecrow with?

And WHAT is happening in the sequence where the subway comes to life and attacks our heroes? WHAT is that? Also, the cowardly lion doesn't get much of a character arc, does he? One scene he's going on about how he doesn't have any courage, the next he's ferociously defending Michael against the saber-toothed garbage cans.

Now think about that: saber-toothed garbage cans. Hmmm.

I understand that during this movie our quartet go through tableaux of the issues affecting blacks in the 70's, fine... so then what's with the emerald city scene where the Wiz dictates fashion to the people below? Am I to understand that one of the major cultural issues African-Americans faced in the 70's was the tyranny of imperious fashion designers?

I was surprised that of all the things they kept from the original Wizard of Oz film, they jettisoned the device that Dorothy is just dreaming about all the people she knows, and at the end there's no "And you were there, and you were there, and you were there" scene.

I was kind of stupefied by how HUGE some of the sets were. Many looked like actual NYC locations that they has just laid a yellow-brick floor on. I would love to know if they actually did that, or just built these enormous sets.

Well, that's it! This film is not a total waste of 2 hours, but it is... quite an oddity.

--- Check out my website devoted to bad and cheesy movies at: www.cinemademerde.com

Wow.. The reason why this movie is defended is because its overlooked for its value.

#1. It is not a remake of the Wizard Of Oz.The Wizard Of Oz's music is a Classic, so is the Wiz.

#2. The Wiz does try to teach values:

After seeing the movie on a basis i've noticed that it tries to teach:

-Family Togetherness(First Scene of the Movie) -People shouldn't put other people down, otherwise they'll never get __anywhere(When dorothy rescues the crow) -You can always have a heart(Tin Man) [the Wizard of Oz's tin man __relates to the Industry of the Great Depression that needs to grow a __heart] -There's no true courage unless you can stand up for yourself(Lion) -Anything related to Eviline is simple Opression.

There's other symbols as well: Silver slippers instead of ruby. (Silver is rare, very rare for Dorothy's family)

#3. The musician casting for this movie is all Top Notch Motown. Diana Ross, Michael Jackson... every actor was a singer/dancer. You can't beat that in a movie attempting a Broadway approach.

#4. If you just listen to the music instead of hearing it, you would notice the score isn't simple. I have the feeling Quincy Jones has his involvement in it. Also there are way more instruments, more of a get you off your feet feel. "He's the Wiz" from the smooth jazz feel with conflicting and resolving chorus and the switch to march theme. You cannot tell me that is not thoroughly composed! Then the Emerald City Scene, i would rewind that over and over again.

#5. Eviline IMO is a much better bad guy than the Wicked Witch of the West in Wizard Of Oz. She is ugly and mean: someone really hit her with an ugly stick.

#6. "Oh no, not the flying monkeys!"

#7. The crows are breakdancers(at least one of them) from another infamous movie.

-#1. I do know the plots are similar and the characters are similar. However, Motown has a big involvement: the 100% creativity comes from the music and choreography.

-#2. Some people miss the black family jokes. Example the Lion's full name being the name of an actual Mobile Home/Car house except Devile("FleetWood Coupe Devile, Mama had high ideas") she wished to live a luxurious life but can only do so by naming her children by what she desires. You see this in a few children's names. The good thing is there are very few jokes and they are not corny.

-#3. Yes the guy with the puppets did scare me, not to forget tin man being electrocuted and the chomping trashcans.

If you try to look as this movie as a parody(or remake) of the Wizard of Oz you have the wrong idea. When i first saw this movie I try not to think of the Classical Oz - its more of watching a live musical performance. It's michael jackson in his earlier days! His Prime! Not to forget he didn't do a bad job as being the crow! Why do everyone dispise this movie?

I just watched this for the first time, I've was expecting a true spectacle of "bad" cinema. I was surprised to find there is a decent movie here.

Some people have remarked Diana Ross was too old to play Dorothy, OK, well, so was Judy Garland. True. There's really nothing wrong with this musical--The songs are excellent, performed by some great talents. The production design is spectacular (maybe a little dated, but still something to look at). The sets are a little nightmarish looking, true, but I liked that. I reminded me of "Return of Oz", a favorite of mine too. The real problem with this movie is the damn direction and cinematography.

What were they thinking? The Munchkin scene is not only lit horribly (too dark!), but all the musical numbers seem like they're just comprised of master shots. Very few close ups of dancers, other singers, and even main characters. During the "Ease on Down the Road" number Lumet has us staring at Diana Ross and Michael Jackson's back from far away in the distance for two minutes. It felt like I was watching this movie from the cheap seats. Thus, I always felt distanced from the characters and situations, and just couldn't get into the movie.

I read Sidney Lumet's book "Making Movies" and I remember him writing in detail about shooting to get proper coverage. What happened here?

Normally, I feel that it is a travesty to remake an older, classic film (sequels excepted). Profits aside, what is the motive? What is there to add? "The Wiz," however, is one of the few exceptions to my belief. Whereas "The Wizard of Oz" is more of a child's film, the intended audience for "The Wiz" is a few steps above that. Like its predecessor, "The Wiz" is both visually stunning and musically engaging. It compliments the seriousness of its themes and situations--both of which it has in more abundance than its predecessor--with a copious amount of humor. Seldom have I witnessed a more creative work of adaptation than that which is presented by "The Wiz," which is, of course, adapted from L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." A few others that spring to mind are "Logan's Run" and "The War of the Worlds." I mention these not because they were simply a good translation of book to film, but because they maintained the book's overall story (plot, theme, characters, etc.) while retailoring the environment and/or situation. "The Wiz" focuses on the "black situation." It redresses all of the elements from its source material to meet the needs of its revamped, modern, social subject matter. From the Scarecrow, who represents a pitiable, underachieving product of his environment; to the poppies, which represent drug addiction; to the denizens of Oz, who are ready to follow the latest trend just to be "in;" the story presents its audience with a generalized glimpse at the breakdown of "black" culture and society. Though "The Wiz" does not convey the same childlike wonder, magic, and fantasy that both the original film and the novel do, it translates those elements into more of an industrialized, mechanical, inner city playground. Unfortunately, albeit appropriately, the Oz we witness is through an older Dorothy's eyes. Interestingly, due to her advanced age, the circumstances that befall her must be harsher in order to invoke the necessary change of heart. Unlike the setting in "The Wizard of Oz," which exists in our dreams, "somewhere over the rainbow," the setting in "The Wiz" occupies our nightmares. The contrast between Judy Garland's Oz and her native Kansas is many times greater than that between Diana Ross' Oz and her native New York. The incentive to return home is greater for Diana--even though the colorful lure of a fantasy land is not present--since her Oz may be merely a preview of things to come (back home), if she does not start to make a difference. One of the few things for which I did not care was all-too-recognizable, yet modified New York as Oz. Though the entire film's art direction was brilliant, I found New York to be too distracting and too contemporary to be an adequate Oz. Another subject of distaste for me was the "end of slavery" segment after Evillene's liquidation. The song and dance were nice and full of energy, but the symbolism was too literal and seemed out of place with regards to the rest of the film. I could have also enjoyed a bit more denouement and perhaps even an epilogue about Dorothy's reunion with her family. Three interesting notes: 1) The landscape of Oz in "The Wiz" actually does change after Dorothy intervenes to make a difference; this does not happen in "The Wizard of Oz." 2) While Judy's visit to Oz seems to be concussion-induced, Diana actually appears to visit that fabled land, which is closer to the book. 3) "The Wiz" contains all four witches presented in the book; "The Wizard of Oz" only contains three. Though it seems rather dated today, "The Wiz" is still a fun movie to view, and it contains a number of known (Motown) celebrities.