After the success of MGM’s The Wizard of Oz, there were multiple film adaptations that tried to capture the magic. One of those was a supposed animated sequel of the film that starred Judy Garland’s daughter Liza Minelli. In between the gap of the Oz adaptations, there was a Broadway musical that was making the rounds during the time. "The Wiz" is one of the most beloved plays and one of the most decorated when it was awarded multiple Tony awards. So, it makes sense to give the play a cinematic adaptation.
1. The Wiz
As I mentioned earlier, it’s one of those most beloved Broadway plays when it came out in the 70s. The basic gist is that the play is an inverse of the story. Having all the characters that are white are now portrayed by black actors and actresses. The setting is still the same since the play takes place in Kansas and in the world of Oz. It’s one of those things where it received praise because it did something different by combining multiple elements of black music and it became it's own thing.
Of course, when something is hot there’s opportunity to be had to milk the source for financial gain. This is where Motown Productions comes in, they’re well known for their musical output especially putting stars like Diana Ross and The Jackson Five on the map. They’ve dabbled in television specials and in putting out movies that had the artists under their label. This one was when Ross lobbied to be put into the film. Initially, Motown was going to bring in the Broadway star to reprise her role as Dorothy, but they signed Diana and had to accommodate the change in the script.
And I feel that’s one of the film’s mistakes is that Diana’s portrayal as Dorothy is not a good one. While I’m not going to discuss the age aspect since Judy Garland was also slightly older than the intended age for the character. In this one, Diana’s character is just there where she’s told that she needs to make better choices in her life. And she just has that sadness to her where she doesn’t have the chops to make her sympathetic. I don’t want to make a comparison but it’s one of those issues where someone younger could have made the character more intriguing than sorry.
So yeah, if you’re thinking that this film is slightly different as far as plot is concerned, it’s basically the same thing. Dorothy gets whisked by a tornado and transported to the land Oz. The way they went about is that the film made multiple changes to the play. Instead of Kansas, the film starts with a New York setting. Even Oz, a fantastical place is replaced visually by having it take place in a somewhat fantasy fusion of New York City. None of it pops since it has that urban decay look to it when Dorothy lands.
And I can understand where some people wouldn’t believe that there can be African American farmers. The level of disbelief must be achieved when Dorothy lands anywhere that doesn’t resemble her home. The film practically went the opposite route where the locales aren’t colorful in the least bit. It’s the worst looking film that I’ve seen where it should be able to pop color wise. And I think it’s supposed to show the era just how dingy New York looked when it was going through a rough time in the 70s. But they went about it the wrong way where it’s reinforcing the predicament as far as class status is concerned.
Either intentional or not, I feel that there was just a big misunderstanding with how the film was shown. While I’ll get into the biggest problem that the film adaptation really went wrong, I must highlight the director. Sidney Lumet at the time was a mostly dramatic director that handled real and urban stories. Having helmed the Al Pacino film Serpico and his film Network winning the Academy Award at the time. None of his prior work screamed Musical since it’s an entirely different film style given to the right hands.
I feel as though the choice to pick him was supposed to be a way where he has directed some hits that this would add to his track record. Someone like director Robert Wise, who directed a spectrum of genre films like West Side Story and The Haunting to name a few where he easily understands the type of filmmaking needed and commits to it. This one doesn’t since it has a very glaring issue that really made me bored just by looking at it. While I’ll elaborate more on the big thing, I’ll at least list some positives.
I’ll say this that it’s interesting that this was Michael Jackson’s first appearance solo as he was with The Jackson Five. It’s the song Ease On Down the Road that I think is the film’s highlight since both Diana Ross and Michael are singing it as they kick off Dorothy’s journey to find The Wizard. The other actors do their job well as the Tin Man and Lion. They all have that distinct look that is somewhat different than the MGM film. I was surprised to see that Richard Pryor is The Wizard, but he was only in it for a little bit and didn’t have the oomph like the prior one.
2. Anti-Musical
With the problems that I have listed, I didn’t even want to talk about the Wicked Witch, since she’s relegated to the final half of the film. The biggest problem with the film I think is just how it was shot. Looking at the stills in the film barely resembles what it’s like watching the thing. Just the method of shooting it isn’t very interesting since most of the musical bits is shown at a distance. Like, I don’t understand why the director and cinematographer thought that it was a good idea to shoot it like they were in a balcony.
Now, that’s not to say that the original film was very dynamic with how it looked. No crazy camera movements for the musical bits, but it was the color that highlighted the uniqueness of Oz. With this, it’s very static since the musical moments is shot very still. Sometimes the camera will move when the gang makes it to Emerald City, but it’s one of those things where it could’ve been great. As I mentioned with the song featuring Ross and Jackson, the dancing is shot very far and it would’ve been interesting to see it shot closely so it can match the song’s energy.
I think there was a level of complacency where while the movie looked how it looked, at least the music and stars would carry the film. And I feel that if it was the case, then the movie failed as an adaptation. It failed for the reason why the musical was a success in its medium, there was a commitment to be completely different. In this film, the producers and filmmakers got greedy and didn’t do enough to make it as ambitious as the musical.
3. Cult-Following and Legacy
No surprise that the film didn’t do well financially and with critics slamming it at the time. It was a step back for black films, considering when it came out there was an influx in Blaxploitation Grindhouse films. The aftermath of the film made many studios start a reduction of black films. To me it’s interesting to read on how one film can contribute to a decline of a style, but it’s unfortunate that it had to happen at the time that it did.
As time passed, there’s a cult-following for the film. So much so that there are fans of the film that like it just for the cast. This film is definitely for those love Diana Ross. I can understand since this is also Michael Jackson’s first film debut and one where it was the first cooperation between him and music producer Quincy Jones. Both would revolutionize the music business and Jackson would dominate the next decade with his music.
While for those who’d marathon the Oz films, such as myself. I feel that there’s at least an appreciation for the misstep that the film had. There would be yet another musical based on the Oz books that would get recognition due to the poster and it’s interesting story. It took its own creative liberty to craft an origin story. You better believe that I’ll be reviewing that one as well. For the meantime, seeing what this film did would give credence that the Oz brand is an inherently musical venture.
4. Overall
The Wiz is not one of the best Oz films, just watch the live version of the play.
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