"The Wiz", another musical retelling of L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz" which was a major Broadway hit, was a mixed blessing on the big screen.
Miscasting is the name of the game for this movie and I'm not only talking about Diana Ross as Dorothy. Sidney Lumet as director? Joel Schumacher as screenwriter? The movie felt like it was working in fits and starts. In some scenes, sometimes at the same time. I was disappointed in Michael Jackson's appearance. Physically, he fits right in as the Scarecrow. I wonder if Jackson's acting inexperience was a factor. I was also disappointed in Richard Pryor and Lena Horne's cameo appearances. At the time of filming, Lumet was married to Horne's daughter so I do get the feeling that there was some nepotism going on.
Some of the pluses include show-stopping performances by Nipsey Russell (Tinman), Ted Ross (Lion) and Mabel King (Evillene), and the well-deserved, Oscar-nominated art direction, costumes and cinematography.
The Wiz on the big screen was a visual feast but, in the end, because of some fatal casting, was a bit of a disappointment.
Miscasting is the name of the game for this movie and I'm not only talking about Diana Ross as Dorothy. Sidney Lumet as director? Joel Schumacher as screenwriter? The movie felt like it was working in fits and starts. In some scenes, sometimes at the same time. I was disappointed in Michael Jackson's appearance. Physically, he fits right in as the Scarecrow. I wonder if Jackson's acting inexperience was a factor. I was also disappointed in Richard Pryor and Lena Horne's cameo appearances. At the time of filming, Lumet was married to Horne's daughter so I do get the feeling that there was some nepotism going on.
Some of the pluses include show-stopping performances by Nipsey Russell (Tinman), Ted Ross (Lion) and Mabel King (Evillene), and the well-deserved, Oscar-nominated art direction, costumes and cinematography.
The Wiz on the big screen was a visual feast but, in the end, because of some fatal casting, was a bit of a disappointment.