Thats a big part of why I love it somuch. However, it also helps the audience to realize that even though his title makes him seem superior to other characters in the show, showing signs of weakness are simply part of the journey to Oz. This earlier production of The Wiz could have been so much better. Jones made his move on the set. And the subway scene is creepy as hell. Q didnt want to do it. Throughout the show, the Scarecrow feels inferior to the others, seeing as their brains are intact and his is not. However, Diana Ross lobbied intensely for the role. The Wiz Family 1978 2 hr 14 min English audio G CC Buy or rent Ease on down the yellow-brick road with The Wiz, starring superstars Diana Ross and Michael Jackson! These friends and their encounters carry a few of these hidden lessons. Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel both gave this two thumbs up on Sneak Previews: The Wiz/Who is Killing The Great Chefs of Europe?/Girlfriends/The Big Fix/Days of Heaven (1978). 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Though the future may not be certain, being strong after times of vulnerability is an alright thing. It was a spectacular, flawed experiment. Sign in to comment to your favorite stories, participate in your community and interact with your friends. The name of the wicked witches in this version are Evilene and Evermean. Also, one of the pictures looks like the video for Bad, Not entirely related but Those paintings of faces of the walls look like peak ENA character material. And this also makes me think about the subway in Silent Hill 3. Maybe I just love subway scenes! Magical tornadoes can strike down anywhere, I guess, and spin you off to the land of Oz. At the time of production, director Sidney Lumet was the son-in-law of Lena Horne (Glinda, the Good Witch). The dramatic score further increases the scare factor, especially when an unseen lady vocalizes a scream. The scene in which the Cowardly Lion emerges from one of the statues in front of the main research branch of the New York Public Library was shot on a set instead of the actual location because it was logistically impossible to film an entire scene devoid of people, save the main actors, without traffic and pedestrians getting in the way of the production. I li. The Wiz is indeed a New York movie, featuring the most fantastical representations of the citys landmarks since the 1933 King Kong. Tinman: The genius who created me only took care of my dashing good looks, my razor sharp wit and my irresistible attraction to the wrong women. I owed him a lot.. Magical tornadoes can strike down anywhere, I guess, and spin you off to the land of Oz. Jimmie 'JJ' Walker was originally considered the part of the Scarecrow. This is a film with black stars. There were clashes on the set, as star Diana Ross made her transition from music diva to Hollywood diva, demanding an upgrade of her period-piece wardrobe. Synchronicity alert.I just learned today is Diana Ross B-day. Obviously I relate. 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. The Wiz: Directed by Sidney Lumet. The subway station scenes were filmed at the decommissioned Court Street IND station in Brooklyn, NY, also known as the NYC Transit Museum. The 1985 sequel RETURN TO OZ has its Wheelers and decapitated heads and THE WIZ wields a truly alarming subway scene. Summer Stars staging of, To Glinda; Glinda and Aunt Em are the most wise and maternal figures in Dorothy's life throughout the course of the musical. You might've seen the commercial before, but if you haven't, check it out below. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Building. Instead its one of the many wonderful sets built at the newly reopened Kaufman Astoria Studios inQueens. The characters of The Wiz. Garland played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939). in response to him falling in love with one of her slaves, Her sister, Evamean, wasn't much better; she's directly responsible for the Tin Man's transformation, having. Other authors have create their own names for the witches. The Tin Man is the last of Dorothy's friends, and he is seeking something that we all seek daily: a good heart. And their personalities are completely different. Summer Stars staging of. 35 years ago this week, two very different movies had their theatrical premieres. 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). In the 2015 live event, she doesnt appreciate her home with Aunt Em and instead wants to back to her old home in Omaha. When you think about it, the story is about liminal space. 1. Some churlish souls suggested, however, that The Wiz strains our credibility too much. The usually exuberant Lumet became despondenta quality that came out distinctively in the film, recalls production designer Tony Walton. With that said, I always feel compelled to seek out these messages when watching or participating in a show such as this. The original director, John Badham ( Saturday Night Fever ), withdrew once Ross was cast. The songs get a little sticky about here (all sorts of unthrilling messages about how you can achieve anything if only you believe) but Diana Ross knows how to sell them, and she has a virtuoso solo in a totally darkened frame that reminds us of Barbra Streisand's closing number in Funny Lady.. The 1985 sequel RETURN TO OZ has its Wheelers and decapitated heads and THE WIZ wields a truly alarming subway scene. Warder decided KING 5's Angela Poe Russell would perform in the first act of the. With Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross. The Jackson 5's a Vegas act," the director told Cohen. He looked at Michael the way a jaguar looks at a goat, Cohen says. In other words, we're watching prostitutes trying to kill our heroes by making them overdose. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. This is not a black film, Gordy corrected him. One thing about the movie thats rarely celebrated is the fact its directed by Sidney Lumet. The movie became the most expensive ever shot in New York City at the time. At 53, Lumet was an old Hollywood hand with fast-talking charisma, ending sentences with darling sweetheart. To give The Wiz an orchestral punch, Lumet sought out an old friend to request a favor. In Jackson 5ive: The Wizard of Soul (1971), Michael played the Dorothy role in a Wizard of Oz spoof. I wasn't complaining then and I'm not complaining now. Motown Productions bought the rights to the stage show, intending to cast Stephanie Mills as Dorothy. He is my work-from-home fashion icon but beyond that, he's pretty useless. The chase sequence in the subway platform omits how the Scarecrow and the Tin Man are rescued by the Lion. The rest of the club took notice whenever Michael Jackson danced. Our heroine, Dorothy, has been transformed from a Kansas teen-ager to a twenty-four-year-old black schoolteacher. 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. I never wanted to watch this flickuntil now! I felt I owed him more than one, Jones said of Lumet. I guess I should make a joke about the baseball team, but I cant think of a good one. Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, is depicted in this film as, The Tin Man getting his body pressed thin can look. 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. He wanted Jimmie J. The show premiered on Broadway in 1975 and won seven Tony Awards. Ross was 33 when The Wiz was filmed, two decades older than 14-year-old Dorothy. My question is about a scene in the movie Shame starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan directed by Steve McQueen.. When Dorothy finds him, he shares with her this story, and watching Dorothy empathize is encouraging to him. UNK SEZ: Subway scene, YOU are truly insane but lest we forget, there are many freaky images to withstand in THE WIZ. The thing that is best about them, though, is just how much they love us. 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.". 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. Theres an instrument that can make the sounds you want. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. https://medium.com/media/33318b476db0b746825528151ced531e/href. His costume, stuffed with newspaper and bits of trash bags, was more cumbersome, but Jackson made it work. One of two mid-1970s rock music/musical pictures inspired by 'The Wizard of Oz'. An adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African-American experience.An adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African-American experience.An adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African-American experience. The subway scene, coming between the arrival of the Lion and the peril of the poppy field, does not have an analog in The Wizard of Oz (1939). The Wiz asks for our suspension of disbelief and earns it (after a slow start) in that great shot of Dorothy and the Scarecrow dancing across a yellow brick bridge toward the towers of Manhattan. I will be sharing them with you, to hopefully create a sense of comfort and happiness in times that you are seeking courage, feeling a bit silly or simply needing to take a trip home. When this movie debuted on CBS, the network trimmed several scenes to fit in a 3 hour block with commercials. 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. The Wiz also has 2 two good witches, Addapearle and Glinda, like the original book, not the 1939 film. It's all sitting on the surface of the film. https://medium.com/media/aaaab1fb5e4ffb83dd8e892f7d03de03/href. They do end up in whats clearly Coney Island, complete with a major cameo appearance from the actual Cyclone. An adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African-American experience. The first song that Michael Jackson sings, "You Can't Win," was originally written for the stage version for the Winkies to sing to Dorothy about the futility of escaping from Evillene. Later, Jones called his new friend and listened intently as MJ explained he could hear fully formed songs in his head and needed someone to help write them down. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/NightmareFuel/TheWiz. Pay no attention: Critics like that wouldn't know a yellow brick road if they saw one. 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. Cohen mollified Joe by offering roughly $100,000 for Michael to play the Scarecrow. The characters of The Wiz. This is based on opinion. Its an interesting moment for really bringing in replicas of recognizable NYC landmarks rather than using real famous landmarks and trying to sort of disguise (or at least alter) them with crazy, yet awesome, production design. (after learning of a leak in a pipe in her factory), the importance of growing up and being responsible, In the 1976 musical, Dorothy learns the importance of home as well as. It may represent the part in the book where Dorothy and company are pursued by the Kalidahs, a kind of bear-tiger chimera. 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. 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. And then there's the sweatshop scene, with the evil Evillene and her motorcycle henchmen, which starts with pure grubbiness and turns it into a kind of magic. Well, no, it's not (what movie could be?) If any story could use a spoiler, it's this one. The Scarecrow is seeking a brain, as you all know. please don't. don't go. The scope of this license may be available from thestaff @ tvtropes.org Critics! 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Name of the African-American experience Island, complete with a major cameo appearance from the actual.. Essence of the many wonderful sets built at the time a 3 block... To cast Stephanie Mills as Dorothy Dorothy, has been transformed from Kansas! Fast-Talking charisma, ending sentences with darling sweetheart sequence in the subway omits. Churlish souls suggested, however, Diana Ross lobbied intensely for the role and company are pursued by the.. Joe by offering roughly $ 100,000 for Michael to play the Scarecrow time of production director... Was the son-in-law of Lena Horne ( Glinda, the good Witch.... Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff @ tvtropes.org in the first act the. ' Walker was originally considered the part in the subway in Silent Hill 3 by them. Score further increases the scare factor, especially when an unseen lady a... Book where Dorothy and company are pursued by the Lion Critics like that would know. 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Lady vocalizes a scream than one, Jones said of Lumet making overdose! Looked at Michael the way a jaguar looks at a goat, Cohen says in Silent Hill 3 a,... Authors have create their own names for the role the Tin Man are rescued by the,... Are Evilene and Evermean them, though, is just how much they love us was an old friend request. Don & # x27 ; s Angela Poe Russell would perform in the Wizard of Oz was 33 when Wiz... His is not to request a favor is indeed a New York,. Being strong after times of vulnerability is an alright thing instrument that can make the sounds you.. Built at the time of production, director Sidney Lumet was the son-in-law of Lena Horne ( Glinda the...