She then comes across the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion on her journey to Oz, so that she can see the Wizard who will hopefully take her back home again. These four lessons that are displayed through these fictional characters are important to remember in our daily lives. It had a great concept (an African-American take on The Wizard of Oz in which the characters dont follow the yellow brick road, they ease on down it), a strong director (Sidney Lumet, whod just done Dog Day Afternoon and Network) and a solid cast (Diana Ross as Dorothy, Richard Pryor as the Wiz, Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man). It may represent the part in the book where Dorothy and company are pursued by the Kalidahs, a kind of bear-tiger chimera. Before there was NBCs The Wiz Live!, starring Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, David Alan Grier and Stephanie Mills, there was The Wiz, a 1978 movie based on the musical of the same name. Oooh yeah! The Tin Man shows us that it is okay if we feel that we cannot empathize with others sometimes, or get back to the strong individuals that we once were. Stanley Kubrick never directed a musical film probably because as talented as he was, musicals weren't his thing, so I wouldn't be surprised if he would end up doing Lumet's similar mistakes had he ever made one. He was a great fan of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, says Johnson, who is in his early eighties, by phone from his New York home. It's full of big swings, wild interpretations, and deranged set pieces (still having nightmares about the subway scene). Saw this on the tv in the late 1980s. Possible reasons include using Baum as source material, not The Wizard of Oz (1939), and silver slippers better matching Diana Ross' complexion and costuming. One of the fascinating things about The Wiz is that it is a strange, delightful hybrid: a super-soul fantasy and a pointed gloss on '70s black life in reality. The single just missed the Top 40 radio pop charts, stalling at #41. The characters of The Wiz. We often stray off of our paths, and we can't always find our way back easily. When this movie debuted on CBS, the network trimmed several scenes to fit in a 3 hour block with commercials. Looks to be one of the abandoned outer platforms and mezzanine of the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts station in Downtown Brooklyn. With Evilene's signature song, the gospel-tinged "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News," the thesis is right there in the title, so I won't belabor an explanation or too heavily underline how closely it echos the ethos of a certain national leader. In other words, we're watching prostitutes trying to kill our heroes by making them overdose. The basic storyline is the same, with Dorothy being taken from her home by a large storm and being dropped down in Oz, surrounded by colors, sights and sounds she has never experienced before. If youre going to create a work inspired by L. FRANK BAUMs THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ chances are you are going to end up with something kindertraumatic. Ross was 33 when The Wiz was filmed, two decades older than 14-year-old Dorothy. UNK SEZ: Subway scene, YOU are truly insane but lest we forget, there are many freaky images to withstand in THE WIZ. The Wiz also has 2 two good witches, Addapearle and Glinda, like the original book, not the 1939 film. When The Wiz began filming in New York, the 27-year-old producer moved Michael and La Toya into a Manhattan apartment, and Michael was on his own for the first time. Comedian Doug Benson cites this as his movie debut, claiming to have been an extra. They are always there for us, they love us unconditionally, and they treat us a whole lot better than most humans do. When it came time for the Scarecrow part, Michael stepped to the microphone and began to sing, not the bright-sounding Michael Jackson of I Want You Back but the 18-year-old MJ whose voice had evolved into something as smooth and powerful as the Concorde. For their original book counterparts, click here. In Jackson 5ive: The Wizard of Soul (1971), Michael played the Dorothy role in a Wizard of Oz spoof. Thats the Austin J. Tobin Plaza between the towers repurposed as, I guess, the Emerald City plaza, and the central orb featuring the OZ letters is the Great Spherical Caryatid sculpture (aka The Sphere), which mostly survived the 9/11 attack and now stands in Battery Park as a memorial. The Wiz: Directed by Sidney Lumet. The better musical number is Slide Some Oil to Me, which is on YouTube but not embeddable, so heres What Would I Do If I Could Feel, which I mostly like or MJs expression when the relief sculpture women start singingbackup. For instance, my two dogs will occasionally start howling and jumping all over me when I come home from school. Why doesn't it involve us as deeply as "The Wizard of Oz"? http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/TheWiz. A dance sequence, for example, where The Wiz calls the shots and everybody instantly changes their clothes to stay in fashion. Christopher Campbell began writing film criticism and covering film festivals for a zine called. Throughout the show, the Scarecrow feels inferior to the others, seeing as their brains are intact and his is not. The movie has great moments and a lot of life, sensational special effects and costumes, and Ross, Jackson, and Russell. Can I just say that I saw this movie in the theater as a kid and it FREAKED me the hell out!!! To finish Lady Sings the Blues, Gordy had to sink in $2 million of his own money because Paramounts top executive, Frank Yablans, had told him the maximum a studio could spend on a black film at the time was $500,000. She likes to be in charge and loves to boss me around. Eartha Kitt was first choice for the role of Evillene. Maybe you can build a set at home. They were on the line for 45 minutes, the experienced producer doing most of the talking, about studio equipment, Star Wars, the newest synthesizer models, and unfinished Wiz clips hed seen. Interestingly enough, for New York film location junkies, Dorothy says her address is 433 Prospect Place, which is in Brooklyn, yet earlier her mother jokes that she never goes below 125th Street, implying they live inHarlem. In any show, musical or play, there is always some sort of hidden message that is being relayed to the audience through the use of singing, dancing and/or acting. The Tin Man says that he was once made of flesh and blood, but a spell turned him into the man of tin that he is now. Another major location from the film that no longer exists, this former home of the New York Mets has been destroyed and replaced by Citi Field. And Diana Ross wears the same simple white frock for the entire film and projects a wide-eyed innocence that kind of grows on you. While Pepper, on the other hand, is occasionally a little mean and aggressive. When Dorothy first arrives in Oz, and the Munchkins pop out of the walls and begin shambling towards her, hands outstretched, and repeating nothing other than "Toto" in high pitched voices. Liminal space is where all transformation takes place, if we learn to wait and let it form us. In his book "Making Movies," Sidney Lumet admits that filming the Emerald City sequence on the plaza at the World Trade Center had to be cut short because of wind and scheduling. The cast of 'The Wiz' (L-R Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Diana Ross and Ted Ross) pose for a publicity shot in 1978 in New York, New York. In case you cant tell, the NYPL building is not actually employed for this scene, which would have been too difficult to manage. The Wiz ( 1978) G | 133 mins | Musical | 25 October 1978 Cast: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell [ More ] Director: Sidney Lumet Writer: Joel Schumacher Producer: Rob Cohen Cinematographer: Oswald Morris Editor: Dede Allen Production Designer: Tony Walton Production Companies: Motown, Universal Pictures (An MCA Company) HISTORY DETAILS When you think about it, the story is about liminal space. There are no shortcuts to getting back home safe; it takes the time that it takes. Mabel King was then starring in What's Happening!! And it had Michael Jackson, a year before he would start his solo career with immortal dance hits such as Dont Stop Til You Get Enough and Off the Wall. But The Wiz was most important for what happened behind the scenesveteran producer Quincy Jones, Lumets longtime film-score colleague, was musical director, and he met his future Thriller collaborator MJ by correctly pronouncing Socrates to the young singer on set. He turned it down, and the part was given to Michael Jackson. And this also makes me think about the subway in Silent Hill 3. But of course, no matter how many times we remake her story, Dorothy has to go through hell before she can get back to normal. Q didnt want to do it. It all happened. The Snow Babies in all of the closeup shots were related to the stars of the movie. All I know is they should have left the landmark standing and reopened it as a place to ride motorcycles around, dressed in tribute to The Wiz ornot. They do end up in whats clearly Coney Island, complete with a major cameo appearance from the actual Cyclone. The Wiz 's metaphors exist beyond an examination of character traits. You have reached your limit of free articles. The song was cut from the stage version of the musical during previews, but was included in the film as the Scarecrow's song. https://medium.com/media/aaaab1fb5e4ffb83dd8e892f7d03de03/href. They built boot heals under his foot paws so Ted Ross could balance as he's walking around the set. Because when you think about it, it is kind of strange how we let animals that still chase other animals, lick themselves, and eat slugs (like my dog) live in our homes and sleep beside us in our beds. Saw this on the tv in the late 1980s. Heidi is so sweet and loving, but you better not sneeze while she is the in the room because she will dart out of there. Everyone, including Motown head and ex-lover Berry Gordy believed that she was too old, but she insisted that the role of Dorothy was ageless (which it is). In the film, Michaels most impressive steps are with Diana Ross, as he clumsily learns to walk after being imprisoned by crows on his scarecrow pole. By what name was The Wiz (1978) officially released in India in English? Some of the dancing and the Poms sequence with the Munchkins (it cut from them going down the stairs to some of them doing acrobatics). Cohen took Michael, along with other members of the cast, to Studio 54, the disco hot spot known for both its crazy sexual escapades and celebrity regulars like Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger, Cary Grant, and Brooke Shields. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital from the 1978 musical free of charge! It's good that the Scarecrow is the first traveling companion she meets; Michael Jackson fills the role with humor and warmth. This could be us, but youre not social-distancing. This is the scene I find scarier than anything in Halloween. An adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African-American experience. To wit, Dorothy and crew famously Ease on Down the Yellow Brick Road, but they only do so after every cab they approach turns on its "Off-Duty" sign and refuses to pick them up. In fact, people can see us as being intelligent, courageous, empathetic and comforting, when we see just the opposite in ourselves. After Dorothy gets swept up in a tornado, she finds herself in the fantastical world of Oz. What the Tin Man does not see in himself is the fact that he is one of the most compassionate members of the foursome, which juxtaposes his theory that he does not have a heart. 1/The Wiz/Soundtrack Version] Quincy Jones 2:33 2 Overture (Pt. Gonna have to get some coffee and check this out! In the Emerald City sequence, Quincy Jones is shown as the pianist, but the actual piano player on the soundtrack is Richard Tee. (It cut from RIchard Pryor peeking out to the time clock at the sweat shop). Another famous part of this story is the fact that the Lion is seeking courage. Finally, at the very end of the journey, there's Richard Pryor as The Wiz, coward at heart, filled with doubts, hiding behind the electronic gadgets he uses to enslave the Emerald City and keep Evillene at bay. At least well always have this movie to show us what it looked like as a place for people to get chased around by winged biker monkeys. When the flying monkeys appear in front of Evillene after being summoned, Cheetah says to her "What's Happening?" The other was the Australian Twentieth Century Oz (1976). A crazy man in the subway unleashes giant monsters upon the quartet, potentially representing how our own people are often used by our oppressors to cause rifts between our people. Dance portions in the Emerald City during the Green and Red clothing. This subway scene freaked me out too and for years I didnt know what movie it was from! The director who signed on, after a number of false starts, was Sidney Lumet, who had collaborated with a young Al Pacino on Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico. Included among the American Film Institute's 2004 list of 400 movies nominated for the top 100 America's Greatest Music in the Movies for the song "Ease On Down the Road.". Is the movie a match for the 1939, The Mandalorian Tries to Find Its Place in Third Season, The Unloved, Part 111: Devil in a Blue Dress, Female Filmmakers in Focus: Cauleen Smith on Drylongso, True Lies Fails to Capture the Charm of the James Cameron Original. Our heroine, Dorothy, has been transformed from a Kansas teen-ager to a twenty-four-year-old black schoolteacher. My question is about a scene in the movie Shame starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan directed by Steve McQueen.. ", Press J to jump to the feed. 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