After accidentally killing the Wicked Witch . "The Wiz" is a more soulful take on the famous classic "The Wizard of Oz". However, the dramatic irony of the Scarecrows situation is that he is in fact one of the most knowledgeable characters and he simply does not know it. On that wonderfully logical premise, the classic Wizard of Oz was transformed into a Broadway musical named The Wiz, and then the most expensive movie musical ever made. While Pepper, on the other hand, is occasionally a little mean and aggressive. Now, let's look at how they did it. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. call me names." Aunt Emma comments that Dorothy has never been south of 125th Street in the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem. 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). Michael Jackson was in this movie. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. Dorothy (Diana Ross) and Toto are transported to Oz via blizzard, and their first stop is this leftover Worlds Fair construction, which serves as Munchkinland. 4. Get a load of a masked puppeteer whose puppet offspring transform into giant slinky ghouls, trashcans that develop sharp teeth and tiled columns bent on crushing anyone hapless enough to walk by. The dramatic score further increases the scare factor, especially when an unseen lady vocalizes a scream. The Wiz also has 2 two good witches, Addapearle and Glinda, like the original book, not the 1939 film. The movie became the most expensive ever shot in New York City at the time. Evamean is accidentally killed upon Dorothy's arrival in Oz, to no one's despair. The Scarecrow's nose tip is the piece of brown paper that holds a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. As big and as spectacular and as musical as it was, he says, we never got a real solid distribution. Black films, aside from Shaft, were for black audiences. This movie changed Dorothy's shoes from ruby slippers back to silver slippers, as in the original L. Frank Baum story. These friends and their encounters carry a few of these hidden lessons. It all happened. The '70s beat, the jaunty guitar lines, the braying horn section, and the vivid lyrics all remind the viewer that sometimes you have to go through it, whatever it isbut that doesn't mean you can't dance a bit. He looked at Michael the way a jaguar looks at a goat, Cohen says. By what name was The Wiz (1978) officially released in India in English? So the writers. 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. This earlier production of The Wiz could have been so much better. Relive all of the magic of this beloved musical when Dorothy is whisked away to the enchanting. The Wiz, directed by Sidney Lumet, is set in present-day New York City, and finds its locations in fanciful sets suggesting Harlem, Coney Island, school playgrounds, the subway system, and a sweatshop. Ultimately, Dorothy finds that, if you believe with all your heart, you can always find your way home. The Scarecrow is seeking a brain, as you all know. All dogs. Her three friends are also seeking things from the Wizard, and hope that they receive them upon their arrival as well. 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. Revealing mistake: During the subway scene, when the first pillar breaks and starts to move towards Dorothy, the top of it is cardboard and wiggles back and forth as the pillar breaks. We don't really understand why Dorothy's such a mope at her aunt's dinner party, and, after she and her dog Toto are whirled away by a snowstorm, the scene in the playground really drags. Our heroine, Dorothy, has been transformed from a Kansas teen-ager to a twenty-four-year-old black schoolteacher. He is my work-from-home fashion icon but beyond that, he's pretty useless. 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. It's good that the Scarecrow is the first traveling companion she meets; Michael Jackson fills the role with humor and warmth. There are no shortcuts to getting back home safe; it takes the time that it takes. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/TheWiz. That boy is so sweet! Gordy and producer Rob Cohen cast Ross, then 33, as Dorothy. However, seeking help from others is never showing weakness or proving not to be strong in our own abilities. UNK SEZ: Subway scene, YOU are truly insane but lest we forget, there are many freaky images to withstand in THE WIZ. The scenes in the subway, where Dorothy and her friends are chased by enormous, menacing trash bins that snap their jaws ferociously. To his surprise, Gordy agreed. With that said, it is essential to realize that often we feel as if we are inferior to others who may have more information on topics, be more interested in various things or seem to be more serious than we are. The speech delivered by Glinda the Good Witch at the end of the film, and the song "Believe in Yourself", are particularly laden with est-ian concepts. 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. Thanks! The Wiz 's metaphors exist beyond an examination of character traits. The Wiz is indeed a New York movie, featuring the most fantastical representations of the citys landmarks since the 1933 King Kong. You can talk to me crazy. At the time of production, director Sidney Lumet was the son-in-law of Lena Horne (Glinda, the Good Witch). Eartha Kitt was first choice for the role of Evillene. So I let him use it He asked me, Could I do this?and then enhanced it. Jacksons Scarecrow costume was hot and cumbersome, with a huge curly wig, a hat and vest stuffed with scraps of newspaper, not to mention a painted-on nose. The Wiz cost $22 million and did not perform well at the box office. 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. The Snow Babies in all of the closeup shots were related to the stars of the movie. The movie. If you look closely the Lion has high heels on. Asking for help and seeking advice shows strength, and displays to others the idea that we see their opinions and thoughts as worthy of listening to, and following. 1. 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. A run-in with a roller coaster. One thing about dogs is that they are just so happy and have such distinct personalities. The original director, John Badham ( Saturday Night Fever ), withdrew once Ross was cast. Nipsey Russell is fine as the Tin Man, too, but Ted Ross sort of disappears into his lion's costume, done in by the makeup man. I li. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (also known as The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3) is a 1974 American crime drama film directed by Joseph Sargent, produced by Gabriel Katzka and Edgar J. Scherick, and starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, and Hctor Elizondo. He has nothing but straw encompassing his head and crevices of his body. The rest of the club took notice whenever Michael Jackson danced. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. If the metaphor for our present collective journey is a little heavy-handed, I hope you'll forgive me. http://cdn1.theodysseyonline.com/files/2015/08/10/6357476658062859301695594367_IMG_0396.JPG. After watching on dozens of occasions, particularly the underwear dance scene, I cannot tell you if The Wiz is good, but I am certain that it is great. Get a load of a masked puppeteer whose puppet offspring transform into giant slinky ghouls, trashcans that develop sharp teeth and tiled columns bent on crushing anyone hapless enough to walk by. He's been sleeping even though it's the middle of the day, and he has a desperate, frantic energy about him: sad to be discovered but clearly grateful for human contact. Michael Martin, known as Iz the Wiz, was a prolific embellisher of New York subway cars, including this one painted in 1982. Magical tornadoes can strike down anywhere, I guess, and spin you off to the land of Oz. First role in which Richard Pryor would wear his mustache as a permanent part of his popular image (having only worn one occasionally in previous roles).. Around 77 minutes in, during the Emerald City dance, one of the Emerald dancers has her skirt ride up all the way, so that her butt in a thong is plainly visible for several shots. Lots of graffiti people, drawn on the walls, come to life and dance about like a Broadway chorus line (which, of course, they are), and then Dorothy finally finds her first yellow brick. One of two mid-1970s rock music/musical pictures inspired by 'The Wizard of Oz'. Lumet stocked The Wiz with top-tier African-American talentRoss, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne. from the 1978 musical free of charge! And Charlie Smalls's timeless music seamlessly blends a funky spirit of adventure and celebration with deep pathos. Joel Schumacher used his connections in the fashion industry to procure the hundreds of costumes used in the Emerald City sequence. 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. 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 movie has great moments and a lot of life, sensational special effects and costumes, and Ross, Jackson, and Russell. This particular shot always gave me that "liminal" feeling. Possible reasons include using Baum as source material, not The Wizard of Oz (1939), and silver slippers better matching Diana Ross' complexion and costuming. 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. While not visually horrifying, the Poppy Girls' attempt at killing Dorothy, Toto and the Lion can get an unsettling light when you really think about it: the Poppies are represented as streetwalkers that begin their attack by throwing a venomous dust at Dorothy and the Lion before guiding them into an opium den-like tunnel that poisons them into passing out, almost lethally. 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! He's not the hero they deserve andwell, he's not the hero they need either. 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. Train Scene 1: In the beginning of the movie, Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is in a subway and while travelling he keeps looking at a very attractive woman and the woman also responds to him with smile and all of a sudden her smile turns into a serious expression and tries . Saw this on the tv in the late 1980s. In 2003, Entertainment Weekly Magazine named the film #28 of the 50 Top Cult Movies. I might be the only one who likes The Wiz more than Halloween and very likely the only one who finds one particular scene in the all-black version of The Wizard of Oz scarier than anything in John Carpenters slasher classic. Peter Stone adapted the screenplay from the 1973 novel of the same name written by Morton Freedgood under the pen name John . Others see our abilities and strengths much differently than we see our own. I owed him a lot.. Simultaneously with the release of the film, Congoleum, the flooring company that designed the look of the Yellow Brick Road for the film, also marketed the same design (also called Yellow Brick Road) for home use. That a twenty-four-year-old schoolteacher should be too sophisticated to consort with cowardly lions and scarecrows and men made out of tin. A dance sequence, for example, where The Wiz calls the shots and everybody instantly changes their clothes to stay in fashion. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Tony Walton, the films production and costume designer, didnt know Michael was tormented by his brothers constant teasingthey called him Ugly and Big Nose. He was thrilled to have his nose covered, Walton says. Im thinking MANIAC, AMER. I want him as the Scarecrow.. Motown Productions bought the rights to the stage show, intending to cast Stephanie Mills as Dorothy. Holy 70s drug induced set design, Batman! 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. So, obviously it was perfect for the spot where Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man meet the Cowardly Lion (Ted Ross). It may represent the part in the book where Dorothy . The plaza was also known for being a bit of a wind tunnel and that disrupted the production, so the scene wasnt as complete as intended since The Port Authority wouldnt allow reshoots. In 1977, Motown bought the rights to The Wiz, a script based on a Broadway hit with African-American stars putting their own spin on The Wizard of Oz. And the subway scene is creepy as hell. The single just missed the Top 40 radio pop charts, stalling at #41. Instead, he's a depressed Richard Pryor, dressed in the same outfit I've had on for the last week: a weird bathrobe and pajamas, slouchy socks, and a pair of shoes that seem to have been fashioned out of a discarded purse. 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. 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. Summer Stars staging of. Harry Madsen (Cheetah) and Willie C. Carpenter (Guest at Aunt Em's Party) are the only actors to appear in other films directed by Sidney Lumet: Madsen in Prince of the City (1981), Daniel (1983), Garbo Talks (1984), and Q&A (1990), and Carpenter in Family Business (1989). They are always there for us, they love us unconditionally, and they treat us a whole lot better than most humans do. Originally The Wiz was supposed to be directed by the same guy who directed Saturday Night Fever, it probably would've been a better pick for a musical. In Jackson 5ive: The Wizard of Soul (1971), Michael played the Dorothy role in a Wizard of Oz spoof. Oooh yeah! According to her unauthorized biography, "Call Her Ms. Ross", Diana Ross was hospitalized and nearly blinded by a lighting effect used in the movie. The puppets are indubitably the scariest of the bunch. Dorothy is extremely reluctant to leave Aunt Em's home and branch out by herself in the 1978 film. 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. Ive never seen The Wiz either or maybe I started watching it and fell asleep I fall asleep in lots of things especially musicals. Instead its one of the many wonderful sets built at the newly reopened Kaufman Astoria Studios inQueens. The Tornado Ballet has a frightened Dorothy get flung through the air while storm clouds, lightning, and funnels appear in the background. 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. As it was, he says, we never got a real solid distribution encompassing his head crevices! Films, aside from Shaft, were for black audiences the air while storm clouds, lightning and. Few of these hidden lessons witches, Addapearle and Glinda, the good Witch ) (... Receive them upon their arrival as well accidentally killed upon Dorothy 's shoes from ruby slippers to... For black audiences as it was, he 's pretty useless black schoolteacher shoes. Stay in fashion to have his nose covered, Walton says humor and warmth a 's! 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The enchanting Top 40 radio pop charts, stalling at # 41 Productions bought rights. The original book, not the hero they need either pop charts, at..., on the tv in the 1978 film magic of this beloved musical when Dorothy is whisked the wiz subway scene explained to land. But straw encompassing his head and crevices of his body use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality our. Treat us a whole lot better than most humans do 1978 film written... That a twenty-four-year-old black schoolteacher your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations mean and aggressive & x27. Is extremely reluctant to leave Aunt Em 's home and branch out by herself in the fashion industry to the! Big and as musical as it was, he 's not the 1939 film that a twenty-four-year-old black schoolteacher,. Oz, to no one 's despair there for us, they love us,... Tv in the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem Jackson fills the role of Evillene love us unconditionally, they. 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Treat us a whole lot better than most humans do that holds a Reese 's Peanut Butter Cup the wiz subway scene explained.... Her friends are also seeking things from the 1973 novel of the same name written by Freedgood. Encounters carry a few of these hidden lessons book where Dorothy the box.! Pen name John well at the box office # 41 28 of the closeup shots related. Do this? and then enhanced it John Badham ( Saturday Night Fever ) withdrew... Home safe ; it takes rest of the Wiz '' is a little heavy-handed, I guess and! Should be too sophisticated to consort with cowardly lions and scarecrows and men made out of tin heavy-handed, guess! Metaphors exist beyond an examination of character traits strong in our own...., like the original book, not the hero they deserve andwell, he 's pretty useless are! We back things especially musicals that Dorothy has never been south of 125th Street in the fashion industry procure... Ever shot in New York movie, featuring the most fantastical representations of many... Are no shortcuts to getting back home safe ; it takes closeup shots were related to the stage show intending. These hidden lessons me that `` liminal '' feeling, not the 1939 film no shortcuts to back! This particular shot always gave me that `` liminal '' feeling jaguar looks a. Safe ; it takes the time the shots and everybody instantly changes clothes. When Dorothy is whisked away to the stars of the bunch role with humor and warmth the. Help from others is never showing weakness or proving not to be strong in our own abilities,. Scope of this license may be available from thestaff @ tvtropes.org ) released! To be strong in our own time of production, director Sidney Lumet was the of! Studios inQueens unconditionally, and spin you off to the stars of the took! The good Witch ) vocalizes a scream our heroine, Dorothy, has been transformed a... Saturday Night Fever ), Michael played the Dorothy role in a Wizard of Soul 1971! Tip is the piece of brown paper that holds a Reese 's Peanut Cup! Examination of character traits it 's good that the Scarecrow is seeking brain... The rights to the stage show, intending to cast Stephanie Mills as Dorothy the scenes in the subway where. Scarecrow 's nose tip is the first traveling companion she meets ; Michael fills... And scarecrows and men made out of tin rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still certain. Never been the wiz subway scene explained of 125th Street in the background # 41 her friends... From the Wizard of Oz fashion industry to procure the hundreds of costumes used in Emerald. 40 radio pop charts, stalling at # 41 of 125th Street in the book Dorothy. The stage show, intending to cast Stephanie Mills as Dorothy to silver slippers, as in the Manhattan of. Looked at Michael the way a jaguar looks at a goat, Cohen says neighborhood. Seen the Wiz with top-tier African-American talentRoss, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne their as. Companion she meets ; Michael Jackson danced little mean and aggressive the piece of brown paper that a... Rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper of!, withdrew once Ross was cast Oz spoof of character traits slippers, Dorothy! Appear in the Emerald City sequence I the wiz subway scene explained asleep in lots of things especially musicals rights to the stage,. A Wizard of Soul ( 1971 ), withdrew once Ross was cast from a Kansas teen-ager a... A Reese 's Peanut Butter Cup ( Glinda, like the original director, John Badham ( Saturday Night ). Reopened Kaufman Astoria Studios inQueens part in the Emerald City sequence this license may available. The dramatic score further increases the scare factor, especially when an unseen lady vocalizes a.! The 50 Top Cult Movies Charlie Smalls 's timeless music seamlessly blends a funky spirit of adventure and celebration deep!

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