The Wiz (film)

The Wiz
The Wiz
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Sidney Lumet
Screenplay by	Joel Schumacher
Based on	The Wiz; by William F. Brown; The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; by L. Frank Baum;
Produced by	Rob Cohen
Starring	Diana Ross; Michael Jackson; Nipsey Russell; Ted Ross; Lena Horne; Mabel King; Richard Pryor;
Cinematography	Oswald Morris
Edited by	Dede Allen
Music by	Charlie Smalls
Production; company	Motown Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	October 24, 1978;
Running time	133 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$24 million
Box office	$21 million

The Wiz is a 1978 American musical fantasy adventure film directed by Sidney Lumet. Adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical of the same name, the film reimagines the classic 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum with an African-American cast. Dorothy, a 24-year old teacher from Harlem, finds herself magically transported to the urban fantasy Land of Oz. On her travels seeking help from the mysterious Wiz, Dorothy befriends a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion.

Produced by Universal Pictures and Motown Productions, filming took place in Queens, New York City from July to December 1977, with a cast starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson (in his feature film debut), Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor. The story was reworked from William F. Brown's Broadway libretto by Joel Schumacher, and Quincy Jones supervised the adaptation of songs by Charlie Smalls and Luther Vandross. A handful of new songs, written by Jones and the songwriting team of Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, were added for the project.

The Wiz was theatrically released the following year on October 24, 1978 to critical and commercial failure.^[4]^[5]^[6] The film received generally negative reviews from critics, with many unfavorably comparing the film to its source material. Some critics criticized the casting of Ross as Dorothy.^[7]^[8]^[9] Despite its initial failure, the film became a cult classic among audiences, Ross's fanbase, Jackson's fanbase, and Oz enthusiasts.^[10]^[11] The 2015 live television adaptation The Wiz Live! was influenced by the film.^[12]

^ "The Wiz (U)". British Board of Film Classification. December 7, 1978. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
^ Cite error: The named reference sharp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference harpole was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Moon, Spencer; George Hill (1997). Reel Black Talk: A Sourcebook of 50 American Filmmakers. Greenwood Press. xii. ISBN 0-313-29830-0.
^ Benshoff, Harry M.; Sean Griffin (2004). America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. Blackwell Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 0-631-22583-8.
^ Cite error: The named reference George was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Opinion | The Wiz wasn't so wonderful for Black cinema". thestar.com. March 21, 2018. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
^ Culver, Peter (February 21, 2017). "Big Bads: 'The Wiz' adaptation tarnishes Broadway classic". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
^ "Commentary: On its 40th anniversary, a look at how 'The Wiz' forever changed black culture". Los Angeles Times. October 24, 2018. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
^ Cite error: The named reference cultclassic1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference cultclassic2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Ne-Yo (actor) (November 25, 2015). "The Wiz LIVE!" Cast! (live television interview). Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2015. This is a kind of blend of the Broadway musical and the movie, so it's like both of them combined.

[1] "The Wiz (U)". British Board of Film Classification. December 7, 1978. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2016.

[sharp-2] Cite error: The named reference sharp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[harpole-3] Cite error: The named reference harpole was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Moon_1997_xii-4] Moon, Spencer; George Hill (1997). Reel Black Talk: A Sourcebook of 50 American Filmmakers. Greenwood Press. xii. ISBN 0-313-29830-0.

[benshoff-5] Benshoff, Harry M.; Sean Griffin (2004). America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. Blackwell Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 0-631-22583-8.

[George-6] Cite error: The named reference George was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[7] "Opinion | The Wiz wasn't so wonderful for Black cinema". thestar.com. March 21, 2018. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.

[:0-8] Culver, Peter (February 21, 2017). "Big Bads: 'The Wiz' adaptation tarnishes Broadway classic". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.

[9] "Commentary: On its 40th anniversary, a look at how 'The Wiz' forever changed black culture". Los Angeles Times. October 24, 2018. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.

[cultclassic1-10] Cite error: The named reference cultclassic1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[cultclassic2-11] Cite error: The named reference cultclassic2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[12] Ne-Yo (actor) (November 25, 2015). "The Wiz LIVE!" Cast! (live television interview). Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2015. This is a kind of blend of the Broadway musical and the movie, so it's like both of them combined.

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