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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   4,148 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 22% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Sidney Lumet
Writers:
L. Frank Baum (novel)
William F. Brown (play)
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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:
Jawdroppingly bad...appalling is more like it!!! more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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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:
In his book "Making Movies," Sidney Lumet admits that the filming of the Emerald City Sequence on the plaza at the World Trade Center had to be cut short due to wind and scheduling. The Port Authority would not allow more time to fix the mistakes, the red sequence had to be shortened due to a lighting error, and there was no time to re-shoot. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: During the wide shot in "Slide Some Oil to Me" when Nipsy Russell is dancing in front of the mirrors, there's a large hole in the canvas behind him. You can see a camera through the hole, and a couple of times, you can see a reflection of him dancing in the camera lens. more
Quotes:
Evillene: [shouting as she threatens to burn Toto] Would you like sauerkraut or mustard, my dear, on your hot dog? more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in "Family Guy: Barely Legal (#5.8)" (2006) more
Soundtrack:
If You Believe In Yourself (Dorothy) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
8 out of 13 people found the following comment useful:-
Jawdroppingly bad...appalling is more like it!!!, 5 July 2006
2/10
Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.

What must have looked good on paper turned out to be a case of bad concept, bad design, bad acting, bad singing, and the worst choreography ever seen in a major musical!! THE WIZ is so appallingly bad in its execution, that it staggers the imagination to think that anyone would think this film could make money at the box-office.

Worst casting mistake: DIANA ROSS as Dorothy, a one-note impersonation of a frightened child (although she's supposed to be a young adult schoolteacher). It's hard to believe she won an Academy Award nomination for LADY SINGS THE BLUES, so bad is she in voice and manner to suggest the Dorothy image made famous in the Frank L. Baum original.

The others are so fully disguised as to be almost unrecognizable--yes, even MICHAEL JACKSON as The Scarecrow completely misses the mark. Whatever laughs are attempted, they barely conjure up a chuckle.

The big production numbers are a complete mess, either too intricately staged or filmed at such a distance ("Ease On Down The Road") that there's no intimacy with the characters.

Lumet was obviously the wrong director for this kind of material. And of course he had obstacles thrown in his way by the miscasting of all the major characters.

A friend of mine used to use the phrase "Looks like two-cents worth of God Help Us!" It's an apt description of this God-Awful mess of a movie.

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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
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
DO A REMAKE!!! tmacafitso7
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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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