Review on the Movie the Wiz

The Wiz

Sidney Lumet’s The Wiz, places an urban twist on The Wizard of Oz. Diana Ross, played Dorothy, a shy kindergarten teacher who's "never been below 125th Street". During a large family dinner, her dog Toto escapes into a blizzard. Dorothy chases him, and is swept up by a cyclone to the Land of Oz--which looks a lot like many parts of New York. After accidentally killing the Wicked Witch of the East, Evermeane, Dorothy is greeted by the Munchkins and the Good Witch Miss One. They tell her the only way she can get home is to see the powerful Wiz (Richard Pryor). They also give her Evermeane's magical silver slippers. Dorothy eases on down the road with a Scarecrow (Michael Jackson) who sometimes quotes from the magazine pages he's stuffed with; a TinMan (Nipsey Russell) who was once a carnie in an old amusement park; and a Lion (Ted Ross) who poses as a statue outside a library. The foursome have a lot to contend with before finally meeting the Wiz, including running into a poppy parking lot, a subway station that comes to life, and wrath of the Wicked Witch of the West, Evilene.
It is the most infamous and critically acclaimed fairytale-goes-soul crossover in movie history to date. It is widely known as "the black Wizard of Oz," but that seems unfair, as it's a lot more than that. It's a complete re-imagining of the classic, and it's a lot more fun in ways. It's a visual feast with some truly great performances and music.
Creative make-up and costumes, the costumes’ designer had to have enlisted the help of high fashion designers the looked he obtained was exotic fresh and colorful. The film's visual special effects are mundane by today’s standards but supreme for the 1970’s. The use of bold colors, like green, gold and metallic, they grab the eyes of the viewer and draw them in to the story.
The cast delivers some great vocal performances. With supporting musicians such as, Lena Horne, Mabel King, and Theresa Merritt it’s a wonder that the movie was not given high marks. Though it was good seeing Michael Jackson here, back when he still made good use of his admirable talent-the Scarecrow role really let him show off his dance moves.
The great songwriter and musician Quincy Jones wrote many of the films musical score. The songs are a mixed bag, but most of them are very good, though a few are instantly forgettable. There are some cool dance numbers, as well; especially the one following the Wicked Witch's death, but it was annoying to see the green/red/yellow song. It went on for way too long.
The only part that seemed a little out of place was the stretch between the Lion and the Emerald City was a bit dull, but that's only a small fraction of the movie, and the rest was very entertaining. Unfortunately, upon its original theatrical release, The Wiz was a commercial failure, and marked the end of the revival of African-American films in the 1970’s.