A reimagination of Oz through the lens of ‘70s New York, blending dazzling production design with soulful and disco-infused music, as an all-Black cast led by Diana Ross and a young Michael Jackson take center stage. 

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You wouldn’t have expected Sidney Lumet to direct a musical, let alone The Wiz with an all-Black cast; in fact, he took up the job after the previous director, John Badham, stepped down after a dispute over the casting of Diana Ross as Dorothy. 

He felt she wasn’t young enough to play the teenage girl (it was later changed to a young kindergarten teacher), who got swept by a tornado into the land of Oz and needs to find her way home with the help of a scarecrow, tin man and a cowardly lion. 

So, with a reputation for being an efficient filmmaker, Lumet was summoned to tackle the project.  It ended up becoming, at the time, the most expensive movie shot in New York. 

What dazzling production design, though, with NY transformed into a surreal world.  You can clearly see a creative combination of real props set against huge matte paintings, with famous NY landmarks getting their visual dues as the quartet make their way along the ‘yellow brick road’. 

Public transport is an issue—iconic yellow cabs put their ‘busy’ sign on and scurry away, a reflection of the Black experience when African-Americans try to hail a taxi; the subway, notoriously dirty and a place festering with crime, scares the living daylights out of Dorothy and co, as trash bins attack with their teeth baring, and wall columns moving menacingly. 

“I’m ready now.”

Much of the energy of The Wiz comes from the fantastic performances by the cast, which include a young Michael Jackson as Scarecrow, as well as the vibrant songs and dances. 

If only the camerawork had been more dynamic to match what was onscreen—imagine if Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg had been at the helm… but then again, I may be missing something, as The Wiz was rewarded with an Oscar nod for cinematography. 

While the storytelling beats will be familiar to those already acquainted with the source text or any of its stage or screen adaptations, there is something nostalgic about going down a well-trodden path. 

Layered with the Afrocentric context, including references to the struggle and emancipation of the Blacks in America, this version is perhaps most interesting culturally.  The songs, from soulful to disco-pop, amplify this journey across time. 

With the new Wicked films taking center stage in Hollywood, this is a great time to obtain some street cred by willing yourself to go watch it. 

Grade: A-

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