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The Wiz (film)

The Wiz
Four characters from the film dancing on top of a logo "THE WIZ". A city skyline just after dusk is seen behind them, and the entire scene is mirrored in water before them. The people are Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion.
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySidney Lumet
Screenplay byJoel Schumacher
Based on
Produced byRob Cohen
Starring
CinematographyOswald Morris
Edited byDede Allen
Music byCharlie Smalls
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • October 24, 1978 (1978-10-24)
Running time
133 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$24 million[2]
Box office$21 million[3]

The Wiz is a 1978 American musical fantasy adventure film directed by Sidney Lumet. Adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical of the same name, the film reimagines the classic children's novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum with an African-American cast. Dorothy, a 24-year old teacher from Harlem, finds herself magically transported to the urban fantasy Land of Oz. On her travels seeking help from the mysterious Wiz, Dorothy befriends a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion.

Produced by Universal Pictures and Motown Productions, filming took place in Queens, New York City from July to December 1977, with a cast starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson (in his feature film debut), Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor. The story was reworked from William F. Brown's Broadway libretto by Joel Schumacher, and Quincy Jones supervised the adaptation of songs by Charlie Smalls and Luther Vandross. A handful of new songs, written by Jones and the songwriting team of Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, were added for the project.

The Wiz was theatrically released the following year on October 24, 1978, to critical and commercial failure.[4][5][6] The film received generally negative reviews from critics, with many unfavorably comparing the film to its source material. Some critics criticized the casting of Ross as Dorothy, while others criticized the direction of Lumet who was considered a poor choice for directing a musical.[7][8][9] Despite its initial failure, the critics became more favorable in recent years, and became a cult classic among audiences, Ross's fanbase, Jackson's fanbase, and Oz enthusiasts.[10][11] The 2015 live television adaptation The Wiz Live! was influenced by the film.[12]

  1. ^ "The Wiz (U)". British Board of Film Classification. December 7, 1978. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference sharp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference harpole was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Moon, Spencer; George Hill (1997). Reel Black Talk: A Sourcebook of 50 American Filmmakers. Greenwood Press. xii. ISBN 0-313-29830-0.
  5. ^ Benshoff, Harry M.; Sean Griffin (2004). America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. Blackwell Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 0-631-22583-8.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference George was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Opinion | The Wiz wasn't so wonderful for Black cinema". thestar.com. March 21, 2018. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  8. ^ Culver, Peter (February 21, 2017). "Big Bads: 'The Wiz' adaptation tarnishes Broadway classic". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  9. ^ "Commentary: On its 40th anniversary, a look at how 'The Wiz' forever changed black culture". Los Angeles Times. October 24, 2018. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference cultclassic1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference cultclassic2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Ne-Yo (actor) (November 25, 2015). "The Wiz LIVE!" Cast! (live television interview). Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2015. This is a kind of blend of the Broadway musical and the movie, so it's like both of them combined.

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