Streaming: Showtime/Prime Video
Rating: G
The Wiz is an adaptation of the Wizard of Oz that tries to capture the African American experience through a whimsical story. The fantasy film features joyful music, energetic choreography, and stunning art direction. Despite The Wiz flopping in the box office, the film later became a hit. Starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nispey Russell, Ted Ross, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor, The Wiz became a cult classic. The Wiz was Michael Jackson’s film debut, Diana Ross’ last film, and it was the director Sidney Lumet’s only musical. Produced by Rob Cohen and screenplay by Joel Schumacher, The Wiz was a commercial failure and marked the end of the resurgence of African American films that began with the blaxploitation movement of the early 70s. After the theatrical release of The Wiz, The New York Times stated, “The Wiz might be the last gasp of what had been steadily expanding black presence in mainstream filmmaking.” The film’s failure steered Hollywood Studios away from producing all-black film projects however, some argue that without blaxploitation there might not have been another generation of Black actors to emerge, or they would have taken longer to appear in Hollywood. The Wiz is an important film because of the representation it provided in the 1970s, and even with the negative reception, it was still nominated for awards. It was nominated for the Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Song Score and Best Cinematography by the 51st Academy Awards.
The acting in the film wasn’t necessarily viewed as “stunning” or “perfect,” either. Some critics thought that The Wiz was too scary for children yet too silly for adults. Diana Ross in particular received harsh criticism for her role as Dorothy. Many people believed that she was too old to play the 14-year-old Dorothy and eventually her role was changed to a 24-year-old schoolteacher. The original director John Badham decided not to direct the film upon learning that Diana Ross was going to play Dorothy. Badham told Cohen that he thought Ross was, “a wonderful singer. She’s a terrific actress and a great dancer, but she’s not this character. She’s not the little six-year-old Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.” Most critics agreed that what had worked in the theater did not translate well to the screen. The Grove Book of Hollywood noted that, “the picture finished off Diana Ross’s screen career.” Michael Jackson’s performance as the scarecrow was one of the only positively reviewed elements of the film stating that he had, “genuine acting talent” and “provided the only genuinely memorable moments.” A lukewarm criticism from Rotten Tomatoes states, “This workmanline movie musical lacks the electricity of the stage version (and its cinematic inspiration), but it’s bolstered by strong performances by Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.” Personally, after re-watching the film Diana Ross in particular didn’t seem to deserve the disrespectful reviews she received, and Michael Jackson certainly portrayed the scarecrow in a unique and playful way.
The music is something that needs to be addressed because it carried the film to another level. The Music was produced by Motown Productions, from the film/TV division of Berry Gordy’s Motown Records label. All but 5 songs were written by Charlie Smalls for the film, Quincy Jones wrote “Can I Go On,” contributed to the “Emerald City Sequence,” as well as “Is This What Feeling Gets?” American bassist Anthony Jackson created the, “Poppy Girls Theme.” Charlie Smalls however was the main composer for the film, he is a best known for writing the lyrics for the Broadway musical The Wiz. It is important to note that Charlie Smalls was considered to be a musical prodigy, he attended the Julliard School at age eleven in 1954 staying until 1961. Smalls won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Score for his work on the Broadway musical version of The Wiz. With all of that being said, it isn’t a huge surprise that the music in The Wiz is uplifting, inspirational and overall great.
The art direction and set design was nominated at the 51st Academy Awards and the nomination is well deserved. The art direction and costume design were by Tony Walton and Phillip Rosenberg and the set direction was executed by Edward Stewart and Robert Drumheller. It is understandable that some critics said that The Wiz is too scary for kids because at times this film is comparable to a drug trip. There is a part of the film where the actors literally come off of the walls when Dorothy first arrives in Munchkinland. They look like shadows at first and when they come into the light, they are covered in what seems to be graffiti from being stuck on the walls for so long. One could surmise this would be terrifying to see as a kid, however as a child in the 90s who watched The Dark Crystal, I was not phased. The Wiz was possibly ahead of its time with the art direction and creative costumes. From the garbage monsters, flamboyant poppy girls, and even the color changing fashion show in Emerald City, The Wiz doesn’t disappoint.
It is completely understandable why The Wiz is now a cult classic. The actors involved in the film are iconic, the art direction is something to aspire to, and the music is inspirational. Even though the film has numerous negative reviews, this validates the statement, “opinions are just opinions”. The Wiz is a family film that should be enjoyed by everyone regardless of the negative criticism is received in the past.