The Wiz
by Sidney Lumet
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DVD details
Actor: Diana Ross, Mabel King, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted RossDirector: Sidney Lumet
Brand: Universal
Producer: Berry Gordy
Producer: Burtt Harris
Producer: Kenneth Harper
Producer: Rob Cohen
Writer: Joel Schumacher
Writer: L. Frank Baum
Writer: William F. Brown
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 4.0; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Letterbox, 1.85:1
Running Time: 134 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-04-13
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of The Wiz
DVD Review: Ease on Down the road with Ross & Jackson
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a classic family friendly take on the original Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland. Starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson this African American spin on the Wiz is fresh and cute. A must see for the family!DVD Review: The Wiz
Summary: 5 Stars
It was delivered on time and in excellent condition and I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again,Thank you!2 thumbs way up!DVD Review: Favorite
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my all time favorite movie. I recently purchased it for the younger generation and it was a hit with them as well. This movie transcends time and ages. Very entertaining with a positive message. Two thumbs up!DVD Review: "Ease on Down the Road!"
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Wiz" gave the Wizard of Oz a new musical life with its jazzy R&B and soul-inflected score,along with an African-American cast. The songs are catchy, especially "Ease on Down the Road." It's a Quincy Jones classic. Diana Ross is Dorothy,a schoolteacher in the ghetto of NYC. She magically finds herself in Oz, traveling down the yellow brick road with the help of Glinda the Good (a luminous Lena Horne),the tenderhearted Tin Man (Nipsey Russell) and the wise Scarecrow (Michael Jackson,then starting out as a solo artist)
"The Wiz" is incredibly campy. Its premise--an inner-city schoolteacher seeking out the Wizard (Richard Pryor)makes the story at once adult and childlike. Quincy Jones is famous for knowing his musical audiences. He made Michael Jackson's "Thriller" the bestselling album in history. But with "The Wiz",he didn't know if he should appeal to adults or children. It's a dark fantasy,an urban dystopia until Dorothy comes to the Emerald City (the plaza that was once between the Twin Towers of the WTC) The fantasy is melancholy now in retrospect.
"The Wiz" was revolutionary in 1978. After three decades,it's still an underrated classic. Ease on down the road...
DVD Review: One wizzer of a movie
Summary: 1 Stars
I remember seeing this movie when I was younger and I think I liked it then. Looking back on it now, I can't remember why I liked it. I thought the movie was very draggy and boring and at some points a bit creepy. The whole scene where they're running through what looks like an abandoned parking garage and are being chased by garbage cans and columns still creeps me out. I agree with some of the other reviews that said the songs in this movie were out of place. They did not advance the plot or give further explaination they were just there. I especially despise the song when Dorothy arrives at the emerald city. "You've got to be seen, green." It just went on and on. It's like they took the concept of the horse of a different color and just made the people change color instead. The ending with the sniveling, whiney Wiz was the worst part of this movie. A depressed wizard is just not appealing. The costumes in this movie where also strange. the lion is wearing a fur coat and looks like a pimp, and it looks like Micheal Jackson's scarecrow has the wrapper of a Reese's candy on the end on his nose. My favortie character in this movie was Toto, who did not get enough screen time. I'd rent this before buying it. If you can sit through it once, you probably won't want to watch it again.
Description of The Wiz
This soulful musical adaptation of the wizard of oz stars ross as a new york city schoolteacher whisked off to a fantasy version of the big apple. Features dazzling visuals and a hot score. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 06/01/2004 Starring: Diana Ross Michael Jackson Run time: 135 minutes Rating: GDirected by Sidney Lumet (Serpico) and penned by Joel Schumacher (Batman and Robin), this lavish 1978 adaptation of the Broadway hit The Wiz was the biggest production filmed in New York City up to that point, utilizing the newly revamped Astoria Studios and locations around the city. Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross (reprising his Tony-winning role as the Lion) star in this Academy Award-nominated musical for the whole family.
The Wiz is probably the grandest take on L.?Frank Baum's classic tale The Wizard of Oz. The production team created sets with a sense of urban magic and spectacle: a New York subway station literally comes to life, and the massive plaza between the World Trade Center towers is transformed into the Emerald City, featuring nearly 400 dancers with three costume changes. Like all good musicals, the Quincy Jones arrangements are highly hummable long after viewing (especially the funky "Ease On Down the Road" and the inspirational "Brand New Day"). In an era before MTV, the camera stays nearly stationary as Ross and Lena Horne vocally soar through their numbers. Their stage-like performances successfully make the leap to film, making The Wiz a testament to their singing talents and star presence. The then-thirtysomething Ross raised some eyebrows playing the traditionally teenaged Dorothy, but she and her supporting cast (including Richard Pryor as the Wiz) carry the tunes with an infectious verve that will appeal to folks of all ages. --Shannon Gee
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