The Wiz (1978) Universal/Musical-Fantasy RT: 135 minutes Rated G (scantily clad dancers, scary moments) Director: Sidney Lumet Screenplay: Joel Schumacher Music: Charlie Smalls Cinematography: Oswald Morris Release date: October 24, 1978 (US) Cast: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Stanley Greene. Box Office: $21M (US)
Rating: *
Hiring Sidney Lumet to direct a musical makes about as much as sense as hiring John Huston to direct one. Wait a minute, that did happen. In Huston’s defense, he didn’t make as big a mess with Annie as Lumet does with The Wiz, a dull adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. It’s essentially a retelling of The Wizard of Oz with an all-black cast. That, in and of itself, is fine. I can see how that would actually work. Apparently, the people responsible for this flat-footed flop don’t. Musicals aren’t supposed to be this lifeless, am I wrong?
The story is basically the same; the difference is in the details. Instead of a teenage farm girl from Kansas, Dorothy Gale is a 24YO schoolteacher from Harlem. She’s played by singer Diana Ross (Mahogany) who’s clearly older than 24. Extremely shy and introverted, she still lives with her aunt and uncle and has never been south of 125th St. She and her little dog Toto are transported to Oz after they venture out into a severe snowstorm. During their crash landing, they smash through a neon Oz sign which lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her and freeing the Munchkins turned into graffiti for daring to deface the walls of her playground. All freaked-out Dorothy wants to do is return home. The Good Witch of the North (Carpenter, The Cotton Club), after gifting her with the dead witch’s silver slippers, tells her to follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City to see “The Wiz” (Pryor, Stir Crazy), the only one with the power to send her back home.
Dorothy goes off to see The Wiz, picking up three travelling companions on the way- The Scarecrow (singer Jackson), The Tin Man (Russell, Wildcats) and The Cowardly Lion (Ross, Arthur). They too have requests to make. Scarecrow wants a brain, Tin Man wants a heart and Lion wants courage. It’s a long, strange trip that takes them through fantasy/nightmare versions of Harlem, Coney Island, the NY subway system and Manhattan until they reach Emerald City, possibly a prefiguring of Atlantic City as the Las Vegas of the East Coast*. After an elaborate prolonged number, The Wiz, in the form of a giant, fire-breathing metallic head, grants them an audience in his chamber at the top of the World Trade Center. He’ll only grant their wishes if they kill the Wicked Witch of the West (King, What’s Happening!!).
As you all know, I have a special place in my heart for bad musicals from the 70s and 80s like Lost Horizon, Lisztomania, Can’t Stop the Music, Xanadu, The Apple and Grease 2. Hell, I even get a kick out of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. All of them are fun in their own way. The Wiz is just plain bad. It’s so boring! It starts with an awkward number around the family dinner table at Thanksgiving and doesn’t get much better from there. At 135 minutes, it’s WAY too long. It’s dreary looking too. While the sets are pretty cool, a dark pallor hangs over the whole movie. It’s not pretty to look at. Shouldn’t a musical aimed at families be bright and vibrant? Speaking of which, if kids were scared of The Wizard of Oz, they’ll be positively terrified of The Wiz. Some of it is just creepy and weird. It features actors outfitted in freaky-looking crow and monkey costumes. King’s Wicked Witch, who reigns over a sweatshop that makes sweat, terrorizes her frightened slaves and tortures Dorothy’s friends. Don’t even get me started on the killer trash cans. How in the world did The Wiz get away with a G rating? Who is it even for? It’s too scary for children and too silly for adults. That just leaves the masochists.
The songs, for the most part, are bland and utterly forgettable. Other than “Ease on Down the Road”, “Mean Ol’ Lion” and “A Brand New Day”, I couldn’t even hum a single bar of any of the others. Some, like “If You Believe in Yourself”, are just awful. The so-called choreography looks more like a failed experiment in crowd control. For all the energy put into the numbers, it certainly doesn’t come through in Lumet’s hands. The Wiz is just flat. The only time it really comes to life is when Ross and the others rejoice the demise of the Wicked Witch of the West with “A Brand New Day”. It’s a decent number; why couldn’t the rest of the movie be like this? Also, it’s nice to hear Lena Horne sing even if the song isn’t so good (a reprise of “If You Believe in Yourself”).
I am so not surprised that Ross’ acting career was effectively ended by The Wiz (save for a couple of TV movies). She’s not only horribly miscast as Dorothy; she can’t even find it in herself to pretend she’s having fun. She looks and acts neurotic throughout. Jackson, on the other hand, is sweet and innocent as Scarecrow. Russell simply plays Russell. Same goes for Pryor as The Wiz. Ted Ross, looking like he’s wearing an animal skin rug, tries and fails to maintain his dignity. King hams it up mightily in her role.
I wanted so much to have fun with The Wiz, but I couldn’t. Although laughable, it’s not even a good bad movie. It’s impossible to have a good time when nobody else looks like they are. I can’t rightly say I hate The Wiz, but I think it could have been a lot better under a different director. No doubt Lumet was a gifted filmmaker. He made many great films in his career. His legacy includes great dramas like Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Prince of the City, Running on Empty and Q&A. He was NOT the right choice for The Wiz. His approach is too heavy-handed. The material requires a lighter touch. That’s really what it all comes down to. Here’s a thought. What if they took Michael Schultz off of Sgt. Pepper and had him direct The Wiz instead? I think they would have had something.
*= The first Atlantic City casino opened in summer ‘78, only a few months before the movie’s release.
