![The Wiz / The Wiz Live! Musical Double Feature [DVD]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51XhUY2+9RL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
( *I hope I didn't offend/upset anyone by the title, it's all I could come up with* ). I first saw "the Wiz" as a very young boy (somewhere around 5-8 in year 1 or 2) in Primary School, which had been taped by a teacher when it premiered on TV. I had already seen "Return to Oz" and "the Wizard of Oz" on its 50th Anniversary both on TV. I ordered this DVD for my 20th Birthday (it came a week after that, however) and watching it was so exciting. I really enjoyed the movie and DVD and the songs (alomost all of them) were fantastic. Many farmiliar parts of the story have new twists, like Glinda and the Wizard being seen earlier than the original story says, and the Yellow Brick Road appearing AFTER the Scarecrow. Of course, there were a few similarities between this Universal version and the MGM version, but only by conicidence. I also read the script of "the Wiz" 1975 Broadway Musical on a site (go to the 'Wizard of Oz Links Page' and you'll find it listed there). During the entire movie, it starngely seems to keep changing from day to night to day, and sometimes Toto even disappears from sight too.
THE MOVIE STORY: Dorothy, Toto, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry live in New York City, receiving the rest of the family to celebrate the birth of Aunt Em's daughter's baby - Dorothy feels excluded and is extremely shy. ( *Even though a lot of people hate Diana Ross as Dorothy, I think that it was good of her to play Dorothy because it's a new twist and some people can relate to Dorothy in this version, afraid to step out into the world and make a big change in her life *). Aunt Em goes about how Dorothy has to find a place for her and Toto. (This next scene I LOVE!!) After that, Toto runs outside into the swirling blizzard storm and Dorothy chases after him, resulting with them being caught up by a tornado (which has a new twist itself), and crash landing into a place where the Teenaged Munchkin Children (finally in blue outfits) thank her for killing Evermean, the Wicked witch of the East (who can be seen as a playground bully in this movie, which has a new way of Dorothy's fall killing the witch without using a house). Miss One (the Good Witch from the North) appears and thanks her also, gives her the Silver Shoes (about time they were SILVER!!) and says that the only way to get home is to The Wiz in the Emerald City by following the Yellow Brick Road ("EASE ON DOWN THE ROAD" is such a GREAT song that you'll want to sing along with the subtitles available). Dorothy saves the Scarecrow and with his help, company and companionship, find the Yellow Brick Road and follow it until they meet the TinMan and the Cowardly Lion (who has a name for the first time). But afterwards, they get attacked (in a subway) by a strange man and many subway monsters, just before Dorothy, Toto and the Lion get put to sleep by the Poisonous Poppies. After that, they finally arrive at the Emerald City (*the Big Green Apple, displaying a funny pun *) and manage in seeing the Wiz, but of course they can't get what they want unless they kill Evillene, the Wicked witch in the West (Slave-Driver to the Adult Winkies and certain other characters, dressed up to resemble her), who sends Flying Monkeys (or actually, the RIDING Monkeys, as in this movie they ride motorcycles - 'Biker Monkeys from Oz!') to capture them. Her attempt to take back the Silver Shoes fails, and Dorothy defeats her, freeing the Grown-UpWinkies (whose true colour is yellow after taking off their slave clothes) and returning to the Emerald City, only to make a very disappointing discovery - unlike other versions, the Wizard doesn't leave Emerald City. But even so, Dorothy realizes that her friends have had what they wanted all the time, and that's when Glinda, the Good Witch of the South appears, telling Dorothy that she can go home. Saying good-bye to her friends and singing about 'Home', she and Toto return home, and the movie end credits play "Ease on Down the Road", ending the movie after 2 hrs 14 minutes.
The DVD also comes with excellent Special Features such as a 13 min "Wiz on Down the Road" Making of featurette on the Movie, Production Notes (which gives a good reason to understand casting Diana Ross as Dorothy), Biographies and Film Highlights of the Actors and Director, a Theatrical Trailer and a Web Link to Universal. Much later, I found this DVD in a Sale Special with a different back cover, but the Australian version ONLY has the Theatrical Trailer.
However, even for me the movie takes a little too long and the movie could've been made shorter by cutting a few songs either out altogether or shorter, as most dance sequences go on too long and a scene could've be put in at a different place (like the Winkies taking off their slave clothes), allowing the DVD to have a 'Deleted Scenes' feature and the ending could've been better, like Dorothy and Toto going through the swirl again on their way home. Richard Pryor plays the Wiz, who later played Gus in "Superman 3". There are a few NEW songs in this movie which I belive was not in the 1975 musical and of course not all the songs (I look forward to getting the Broadway CD soon). I do think that maybe this movie could've had a few scenes shot in the New York Park to make it look natural and authentic. But I do like how Michael Jackson's Scarecrow is something of a teenager (he was 20 when he played the part!). As Diana Ross' Dorothy is a teacher in this, there is much symbolism representing herself in the movie, such as when Aunt Em talks to her and when she appears in Oz. And I do agree that although Diana Ross made a good Dorothy, an actual teenaged girl might have been better suited, but there's always still a 'someday' remake.
(* THE FOLLOWING IS QUOTED FROM "THE ANNOTATED WIZARD OF OZ, pg 69*) "In her "Secrets of a Sparrow" book, Diana Ross argued that each of her 3 companions signifies a different aspect of dorothy's essence: 1) the Scarecrow was a representation of Doorthy's hunger for knowledge, the part of her that longed to know more about life and living. 2) the TinMan personified Dorothy's craving for love, the search for her heart, the deep need in her (in all of us, for that matter) to increase her capacity to give and to receive love. 3) And the Lion, the supposedly mean old lion, was uet another part of Dorothy's psyche. His loud and aggressive roars, designed to distance people by projecting fear and rage into their hearts, was merely a cover-up of his own fears and rage, an armoring to protect the sweetness and vulnerability of his, and of course Dorothy's, gentle heart".
I have made a review about this Wiz DVD, and I have 2 more plans for "the Wiz": Send a letter to Universal Studios on making a "30th Anniversary Edition" DVD for 2008, and for me to do another movie remake combining the movie and stage for 2035, with maybe a sequel to follow afterwards.
It was a pleasure to have written this review, and see you on my next review - what will it be? We'll see.
P.S. If you think this movie of 'Oz' is bad, a Much WORSE adaptation is 1976's Australian "OZ: A Rock 'N' Roll Road Movie" (renamed "20th Century OZ" for the USA). THAT movie has no cyclone, but instead is more similar to MGM than the book, having bad language, drugs and other material only suitable for 'those' mature adults! Compared to that ("OZ", 1976), this ("Wiz") is much better!!!
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| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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DVD
April 13, 1999 "Please retry" | DVD | 1 | $7.98 | $2.08 |
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DVD
February 12, 2008 "Please retry" | 30th Anniversary Edition | 2 | $8.00 | $3.86 |
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Reviews with images
Just as I remember BUT better!!
This is a African American must as a kid for me released on my birthday in 1978 The Blu-ray is beautiful remaster sound quality great If you not seeing what I'm seeing maybe it time to Upgrade your TV Blu-ray player and Eye glass prescription 🤣 If you didn't like it It wasn't for you to begin with🤔 It's cast are some of the best at that time It is funny creatively done and Yes different then the Original as it should be! I Love it and I'm pleased Even though Amazon has it as Multi format which all you get is 1 Blu-ray disk my understanding that Multi format mean 2 disc and possibly a paper with a code to use like in Vudu or other stored movie sites
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Lady E.
Fast vergessener Schatz am Ende der gelben Straße ;)
Reviewed in Germany on July 27, 2012