The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz

Welcome everyone to my second annual “Halloween Month.” Unlike last year where I looked at different franchises over the course of the month, this year I will be looking at certain movies that I didn’t get a chance to review last year. Without further delay, let’s get started with one of my favorite movies of all time, “The Wizard of Oz,” a film adaptation of the famous L. Frank Baum novel, which I never read.

You might be wondering, “Why are you reviewing that? It’s not Halloween based.” True, but one thing about it does scare people to this very day: The Wicked Witch of the West. Regardless of how old you are, you could still find her really creepy. Especially with her famous line, “I’ll get you my pretty! And your little dog too!”

Now “The Wizard of Oz” was released in 1939, directed by Victor Fleming, who won an Oscar for this, and he definitely deserved it. If you aren’t familiar with this director, I think I stated this past February that he directed “Gone with the Wind,” so check that post out as well. The cast of this movie include the late, beloved Judy Garland (Dorothy Gale), Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Frank Morgan (Wizard of Oz), Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion, and Lahr would go on to voice the Hanna-Barbera character, Snagglepuss), and Jack Haley (Tin Man). The chemistry these actors have with one another, especially with Dorothy and the three friends she makes when she travels down the Yellow Brick Road to see the Wizard, is just fascinating.

Josh Zerbini said in his review, “An interesting theme that this movie portrayed is the powerlessness of man.” What he means to say is that most movies have the men as the hero, but in this movie, the men seem very weak, even the Wizard. The women in this movie seem like the strong ones, like Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch (Billie Burke), and the Witch (Margaret Hamilton). As a matter of fact, there are a handful of themes in this movie, which I can’t even think of right now, but if you haven’t seen the movie, go see it!

That’s probably the reason why this movie was so groundbreaking at the time, since color pictures were just starting, and the director could play to the audience’s imagination, both young and old. Seeing how old the movie is, there aren’t any special effects like a lot of the movies nowadays rely on special effects. What you do see is a lot of framework that still look beautiful today, regardless if you would like to call this “dated.” Victor Fleming left the imagination to the viewers of the movie, which is great since you can create your view on the movie. The movie is very much how the Walt Disney Renaissance movies were made, to enchant both adults and children. It has great adventure, comedy, and a soundtrack that people still sing to this very day. “The Wizard of Oz” was the first of its kind to lay the groundwork of a lot of movies to come afterwards.

I don’t want to give the plot away for those of you who haven’t seen it, but I guess for people who have heard of “The Wizard of Oz” probably already know the story. You probably do know that in the beginning, Dorothy wanted to run away because of how cruel of a place she was in, but then when the tornado whisked her away to the land of Oz, and she said, “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore,” she wanted to go back home. After this movie, you will be with her when she says, “There’s no place like home.” In the end, as this is one of my favorite movies, I give this a solid 10. If you haven’t seen this classic yet, why did you even read this blog? Go out, rent the movie, and watch it.

Now I would stop here, but as a special treat, I will review the 1978 “Motown 25” movie, “The Wiz,” directed by the great Sidney Lumet. It looks as though magical tornadoes can appear anywhere and transport you to the magical Land of Oz. With that logic, “The Wizard of Oz” was turned into a Broadway musical called “The Wiz” before becoming the most expensive movie musical ever. Does it hold a candle to the classic 1939 movie? Of course not, but as a new approach to this novel adaptation, it’s slick and energetic and fun.

“The Wiz” is set in present-day New York, and its locations include Harlem, Coney Island, school playgrounds, a subway station, and a sweatshop. Dorothy in this version has been changed from a teenager to a 24-year-old schoolteacher. Played by singer Diana Ross, she wears the same white dress throughout the movie and has a wide-eyed innocence that does grow on you.

Roger Ebert said in his review, “Some churlish souls suggested, however, that “The Wiz” strains our credibility too much. That a twenty-four-year-old schoolteacher should be too sophisticated to consort with cowardly lions and scarecrows and men made out of tin. Pay no attention: Critics like that wouldn't know a yellow brick road if they saw one.”

This movie asks for our suspension of disbelief, which it does get after a slow start when you see Dorothy and the Scarecrow dancing down the Yellow Brick Road towards the Manhattan towers. Up until that part, it does have an awkward feeling. We don’t really know why Dorothy is crying at Aunt Em’s (Theresa Merritt) dinner party, and after her and her dog, Toto, are caught in the snowstorm and taken to Oz, the playground part drags. The munchkins in this version are people trapped to the wall as graffiti, and when they come to life after Dorothy kills the Witch of the East (which did scare me when I saw it), they dance like a Broadway chorus line, before Miss One aka the Good Witch of the North (Thelma Carpenter), tells her where to go and she finds her first yellow brick.

Sticking to the source material, the Scarecrow is the first companion Dorothy meets. Michael Jackson makes his film debut as the Scarecrow, who fills the role with humor and warmth. Comedian Nipsey Russell is fine as the Tin Man, but Ted Ross sort of disappears as the Cowardly Lion, which is done by the makeup man. We don’t really see much of him to get to know him.

There are a lot of good scenes in Emerald City. The dance part when The Wiz decides to change colors on the people to stay in fashion, a run-in with a roller coaster, the subway scene, where Dorothy and her friends are chased by giant trash cans that have jaws with ferocious large teeth (scary). Then there’s the sweatshop scene, where Evilene, the Wicked Witch of the West, played by Mabel King, and her motorcycle gang turn the place magically.

Finally, at the end of their journey, there’s Richard Pryor as The Wiz, who is a weak person, who doubts himself, hiding in an electronic room to use Emerald City as a slave and keep Evilene at bay. Also, expect a brief cameo from Lena Horne as Glinda the Good Witch. Ebert said in his review, “The songs get a little sticky about here (all sorts of unthrilling messages about how you can achieve anything if only you believe) but Diana Ross knows how to sell them, and she has a virtuoso solo in a totally darkened frame that reminds us of Barbra Streisand's closing number in “Funny Lady.””

The movie has a lot of life and memorable moments, nice special effects and costumes, and Ross, Jackson, and Russell. How come this movie doesn’t get us involved like “The Wizard of Oz” did? Here’s Ebert’s answer: “Maybe because it hedges its bets by wanting to be sophisticated and universal, childlike and knowing, appealing to both a mass audience and to media insiders.” “The Wizard of Oz” went straight into the heart of the story, but there were times that “The Wiz” just had too much calculation.

In the end, if you haven’t seen “The Wiz,” definitely check it out. It wasn’t well-received when it came out, but it has gotten more appreciation over time. Well, there’s my first post of the month, stay tuned tomorrow to see what I will review for “Halloween Month.”