The Wiz (Musical Hell Review #39) (RE-POST)
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- Опубликовано: 12 июл 2020
- Since originally posting this review, I have heard from several black viewers who talked about what this movie meant to them in terms of representation and culture. It is an angle that, admittedly, I had not considered. The opinions in this video are from one white theater nerd and should be taken with that particular grain of salt, and your mileage as always may vary.
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Something that a lot of fans of this from the black community don't realize is that this movie was made by white people. I'm being serious when I say that they don't realize that until you tell them. That's one of the major problems with this film, it should've been made by black people because this is black culture. It also explains a lot of the cringe-worthy and stereotypical dialogue. Plus, just because it has representation doesn't mean it's good. Diversity is important but GOOD diversity is the most important. I'm glad this review is back because it's one of my personal favorites.
Not that being made by black people = good representation either (Tyler Perry is no Jordan Peele, for sure).
And the broadway show was written, orchestrated, and directed by black artists. This is a problem unique to the film adaptation
@@disgruntledcashier503 Exactly! And the Broadway show is absolutely fantastic and one of my personal favorites.
Agreed. When we get "diversity for diversity's sake", we get flatly written characters like in The Greatest Showman.
Quincy Jones produced the music though (check out the extended funky instrumentals) and I think the soundtrack is wonderful
As a Black Viewer, it was good that you did take in consideration the representation and the like...HOWEVER in the beginning of your review you pointed out the very crux of why this film was like this. Accommodations to the Lead and Hollywood Screw Jobs, this would have been a Fine movie if they stuck to the base play and made changes for the screen but this was someone taking over the operation (or Production) and making it a vanity project.
What's the irony that the one live NBC musical that knocked it out of the park is The Wiz? Like, The Sound of Music is obvious, Peter Pan is a time-honored tradition, but to my knowledge there's never been a televised Wiz. And THAT was the one that really, really worked.
Yeah, I just watched _The Wiz: Live_ for the first time a few days ago and it was _amazing._ :) It also gave Stephanie Mills her screen _The Wiz_ shot even though she wasn't Dorothy.
@@rogue7723 I also liked the live Jesus Christ Superstar.
The thing is...it would have been just as much an important part of Black culture if it had been closer to the stage version (which The Wiz Live was, and was far better for it). Instead, they did all this unnecessary re-writing (changing Kansas to New York--and Oz barely looked different from New York; one reviewer said that it looked like the tornado had deposited Dorothy three blocks away) as a domino effect of Diana Ross just HAVING to have the part.
That is why the movie is so bad.
You'd think, at least, someone might have been like "Uh, aren't we being a bit on-the-nose here?" when they decided Munchkinland should be in Queens.
Jason Blalock ooo😶
I will never get over to that this movie took one of the most revolutionary dancers in American history and tied him to a pole so he could not dance.
And when they DID let him dance--with no less than a stage presence than Diana Ross!--they shot it from the far side of the Disneyland parking lot.
To be fair he still wasn't super-famous yet, it's behind the scene of The Wiz that he met Quincy Jones and made him the king of pop in the '80s. If they knew what he was going to become, they probably would've used him much more.
@@DeepEye1994 MJ was pretty famous at that time with the Jackson 5 and he was already lauded for his dancing abilities before it reached a new level with his work in the 80s and 90s
And only gave him one solo.
@@Kevin-rg3yc Well considering what happened later down the road maybe it was a good thing he was tied to a pole.
The problem with Ross' Dorothy is that she was too old to play her and then act like a child.
She comes trough as having...learning and development issues.
And the worst part is Ross isn’t a bad actress but being Dorothy completely killed her acting career.
@@kenthuang436. Maybe she should've stuck with singing, her rendition of that Don Bluth movie's signature song is, poppular!
Now, while I do think Diana was too old to play the role, even for an aged up Dorothy, I don’t agree with her seeming to a “learning and development issue.” Even as a kid I could relate to the portrayal because I’ve always been very shy and reserved. She is trying to portray a timid character. The problem is that her supposed growth is portrayed so well. Also, I think if they remade the film an 20 something year old Dorothy would definitely work, especially in today’s society.
I'd describe her as more whiny and spoiled. Disabled people don't act like children.
This movie was my childhood, and I NEVER knew until now that the GREAT Stephanie Mills was the original Dorothy!! I would've loved to see what she'd have done in this movie!!
I do understand The Wiz's importance to the black community, but that does not mean this movie is above criticism
Of course not! That's why it's here. It IS a bad movie.
Can we all at least agree the stage play was better
true, but you can't critique a piece of media in it's entirety if you ignore the context of its production and significance. this movie is bad, sure, but so is batman and robin, and once you understand that the camp aesthetic of that movie comes from joel schumacher's at the time rare presents as an openly gay mainstream director, the hatred of the movie takes on different connotations. no piece of media exists in a vacuum.
Exactly!
@@fatimagic1365 no joel made a campy movie cause the studio wanted one and they chose him and told him to do it he gay ain't an excuse it was planned for I like the movie it's fun and stupid but it made a massive horrible impression
Even as a kid, Diana Ross kept me from really loving this movie because I just didn't like her performance she was so whiny it was off-putting. Her character cried the whole damn time.
There were so many missed opportunities in this?
-If she was 10 this whole plot would have been better. You can have her still be an orphan who moved to Harlem to live with her Auntie Ann and Uncle Henry. The apprehension and fear of moving to a new town and growing up without her parents would motivate the plot better than this. Plus the Auntie Anne and Dorothy songs would make more sense.
- Just imagine if they inspired the scenery by New Orleans instead of a dystopian version of New York. This would have been a magical special.
NBC's _The Wiz Live!_ made the first of those two changes, albeit with Dorothy in her teens moving to Kansas.
Or at least made it a pretty new York.
I think aunt's name is Em
Nectar Vam I am confused
But it would've been really awkward if Dorothy was a 10-year-old, especially during the Brand New Day "slowly shedding costumes down to their underwear" scene. Know what I mean?
I understand why so many people love this movie (and I appreciate you, Diva, for listening to criticism for this episode even though I don't think it was substantiated in this instance) but I will forever be disappointed by it. Why doesn't anyone have enough faith in the stage production to actually adapt that? They just steal the songs and retrofit them into whatever story they feel like telling at the moment.
lets give Quincy Jones a little more credit tho. He was arguably THE BEST black composer n songwriter at the time n saying that he "stole the songs" really minimizes the IMMENSE amount of talent n detail he puts into his work
@@amu.s.an_ When I say "Steal" in this context I mean, that this film used the songs of the show without using its plot. There are inklings of it because it's still a Wizard Of Oz film, but so much is changed that it boggles my mind why the original wasn't good enough to adapt. My use of the word steal in this context wasn't meant as an attack on Quincey's work, which I would agree is in rare form here, it was an attack on the lack of faith in the source material. And tbh his great contributions to the film can't fix the rest of the film.
Thanks for your reconsideration, but as a black woman, I'm not into this movie, however I do love the musical and highly, highly, highly recommend the live version with Queen Latifah. There are unfortunately things in this version that do not hold up well, and having other movies like Dreamgirls, Black Panther, and Sorry to Bother You show that. All in all... it's complicated, but I definitely respect your effort.
Its the fact that the movie is so different from the original production that its a musical hell case. Just like annie, we deserve quality media regardless of how we are represented. We may be nostalgic for the movie but the Wiz Live was much better by comparison.
It is my favorite watching experience with The Wiz
Rest in peace, Joel Schumacher, screenwriter of this movie.
Katherine Lynch yup
Also the director of Batman & Robin…
Giuseppe Ianniello of course
@@giuseppeianniello1998 And _The Lost Boys._
As portrayed by Kieran Culkin in Netflix's Halston
The thing about "The Feeling We Once Had" is: this is a clumsy transplant from the stage show. In the show, Aunt Em sings it to Dorothy, expressing how she still loves her girl no matter what, even when Dorothy's a little flighty and irresponsible. She's also feeling bittersweet that Dorothy's growing up so fast, and hopes that this won't change things between them. (It's especially poignant in The Wiz Live, with Stephanie Mills playing Aunt Em.) Here, it's largely directed to Aunt Em's daughter, Dorothy's cousin (whom we never see again!) and other family members, and seems sort of dislocated and pointless, as Diva says. Better to have re-staged the song or omitted it altogether, or replaced it with a new one. It all goes back to this clumsy re-imagining of the stage show that occurred because Miss Diana just HAD to play Dorothy.
Thanks for reposting. Your comments are a thoughtful analysis on the production of this musical and the decisions made by director, team and actors. Analyzing the production doesn’t diminish what an individual’s perception of the show was. You aren’t saying it should never have been filmed, just that there were other options they could have explored.
The graveling reference was GOLDEN!!
After watching the Live Version of the Stage Show on the channel The Shows Must Go On, I was looking for this so I could compare and was sad that it was missing. I'm so glad you reuploaded this!
What do you think of the Brand New Day scene? As a kid, I always felt awkward watching the "shedding costumes down to underwear" part with my family. Lol
They made Dorothy older and Diana Ross still couldn't pull it off. And yet, Stockard Channing played a 17-year high school senior at the age of 34 in 'Grease' that same year and she aced it. I love Stockard Channing. She can sing the phone book.
Architectural critics noted that Lumet filmed a scene at the Twin Towers but no matter how hard he tried to liven up Tobin Plaza, it still looked dead. That's how out of scale the original World Trade Center was.
Thanks for re-uploading. The Wiz may be culturally significant, but that doesn't mean it's above criticism. It also doesn't mean it's any good. Your review is a great take-down of the film on a technical level which is where the movie ultimately fails for me.
There's also a irony in blindly white-knighting a movie in which a well-established aging popstar strong-armed her way into the lead role for which she was totally unsuited, denying a younger lesser-known actress her big break.
That right there was really sad to hear Diana stealing the role right from under the lesser none actress 😢. I found out recently that Diana had a heavy hand in it, but not to that extent. Pisses me off on behalf of the other actress 😡!
@@TheMeloettaful Honestly, there was a chance that the movie would have been quite different and there is no way we could know if it would have done well or even been completed. It wasn't exactly what I would call "strong manning" as the movie was going to be financed entirely by Motown Pictures, which would mean a really small budget. Ross reached out to Universal when rejected and got someone to offer to produce and finance the film so long as she was the star. I am pretty sure Mowtown could have said no. Maybe they should have. But without that money, they would have never gotten MJ cast, since they had to pay his dad 100K in order to get him. Costumes, set, and other things would have likely been very different as well.
So Diana Ross basically sabotaged the entire production of the film by strong-arming her way into the part she was too old to play.
And people wonder why I blocked her on Twitter.
Dear Evan Hansen
Maybe I'm one of the few that really loves this movie.
To me The Wiz is one of my first musical movies in my recollection and I remember feeling for Dorothy and seeing this movie as a huge adventure. Maybe for the critical, modern eye, The Wiz is not a movie to be positive about, but as a child I loved this movie more than the 1939 Oz, and I still do; good performances, great music and freakin'MJ and Diana Ross...and to this day my nr.1 favourite musicalmovie
It's not just you. I love it too. However it's one of those movies that you have to see as a kid.
I remember seeing this on the Disney Channel and I still like it no matter what. Also Michael Jackson was so charming in this movie that you can see a light shining on him.
When this came out I only knew of Nipsey Russell from the Match Game. His song is really moving in this movie (everything Diva said still stands).
And Mabel King: between this and The Jerk, I could not possibly love her more!
Disney channel showed The Wiz????
@@jonathanjacob7557 Yep in the early 90's only.
Sadly Micheal Jackson’s charm in this movie couldn’t carry over into real life.
@@obiwankenobi9141 Huh? He was one of the best selling artists of all time as well as one of the most charismatic dancers ever. I'd say his charm and charisma carried over into real life throughout his entire musical career.
Well at least The Wiz Live! (2015) had a lot of better stuff than this "eh" film adaptation. Perhaps you should review the NBC live musical telecasts for musical hell starting with The Wiz Live! first. (You already did Peter Pan Live so no need for that)
I grew up watching The Wiz because my mom loved it. It’s very nostalgic for me despite it’s flaws and I will always love the music.
To be fair these “travel obstacles” were in the original musical and the book by L. Frank Baum
From what I've heard, the melting of the sweatshop paraphernalia and the transformation of the workers wasn't caused by the water, but by Evilene's death.
Thank God for the NBC production, it did this material justice!
That's probably the best use of Yakety Sax I've seen yet!
NBC's version of the Wiz done live is really good & doesn't have most of these problems.
“don’t nobody bring me no bad news” is my favorite song
It's also grammatically correct in AAVE.
I think the main issue for this was Sidney Lumet was not the best director to hire for this given his strengths lie in gritty drama and satire movies ('12 Angry Men', 'Serpico', 'Dog Day Afternoon' and 'Network') rather than musicals.
As a black person who loves this movie, It is a lil laughable. There are parts such as the lion song with the four of them that my sister and I always make fun of. Valid video even though I don’t agree with some of your points. Still love this video as much as all the others
Why do I feel like this was the exchange that happened when installing the sprinkler system
Minion: work stations are built and the rooms are almost finished, where should we put the fire alarm and sprinklers?
Witch: nowhere, I'm deathly allergic.
Minion: what about the fire code?
Witch: damn, okay just put it in.
Done in by the fire code. Certain to win a Darwin award.
Given the original Witch took over her abode in a hostile usurping, the same is likely true here. She didn't install them, but their removal would make the Winkies suspicious.
@@TheNotverysocial fair enough. But it doesn't mean they couldn't have moved the lever somewhere else. Maybe behind the chair, no one would ever look there. Or maybe they could've disconnected the lever idk. Just something that keeps it from plain sight. Remember this is the same way the Energizer bunny melted the witch? But at least in the commercial she directly causes it to go off, unlike here where she didn't think anyone would pull it.
I kinda still love this movie despite its flaws because I grew up with it and all things Oz so it’s very nostalgically linked for me. I listened to the soundtrack nonstop when I was a kid. Still, I wish we could’ve seen the version of the movie if Diana Ross hadn’t pushed her way into it (though by all means she could’ve played a great Dorothy if she was just a bit younger I mean she has the voice for it) but I guess the live version will have to do. It is excellent though.
The music is really good and still holds up and I don’t have any issues with any of the actors aside from Diana Ross. The role of Dorothy was just so unfit for her. She really isn’t a bad actress if you take into consideration her roles in Mahogany and Lady Sings the Blues and she did earn an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in her first ever movie role which is a pretty big deal as not too many actors or actresses get nominated for Best Lead for their very first movie. It would have taken a lot of script changes to make Ross fit the role of Dorothy and even then it’d be hard to save the casting.
Could you please do a musical hell review of playmobil: the movie?
Daria Cobb yep! There’s 6 original songs in playmobil: the movie!
Daria Cobb yup, one of the voices for a Roman emperor type is voiced by Adam Lambert. He sings the song ‘give the people what they want’ which is pretty fun.
Edit: fixed the name. Thanks Jackie I’m bad with names lol.
Let’s be honest ! Correction. It’s Adam lambert.
Jackie Gonzalez thank you.
Let’s be honest ! You’re welcome! And the character’s name is Emperor Maximus. I actually Enjoyed playmobil: the movie, especially all of the heartwarming moments, the hilarious jokes and scenes, the musical numbers, Rex Dasher’s scenes and Emperor Maximus’ scenes!
Boy those Trump and Schumacher jokes didn't age well. Still a lovely review as always.
Well, remember, she's a DEMON from Hell. The Clintons are no doubt her BFF's, she can;t say anything bad about them!
@Mullerornis The Trump joke was specifically about him being a laughingstock in every election he participated in. Nobody's laughing now.
I guess the Schumacher jokes aged poorly because he died recently, and not because of anything he's worked on since the original episode came out, since IMDB doesn't seem to mention any new projects he worked on.
@@timothymclean Trump may have won, but he's still a ridiculous punchline. He's just a ridiculous punchline with a fancy title now.
Do we give Joel Schumacher a pass on the quality of him films because he did because he died recently? If so, this comment won't age well.
Except this video came out after he won, so that was probably interional.
When I first saw this film and didn't know it was Michael Jackson, I honestly thought the scarecrow was a woman
yea it's rumored that mj actually was chemically castrated at a young age n that's y he had such a high pitched voice all his life 😬
Stephanie Mills should have been Dorothy. Diana is absolutely horrible, and her version of Home is like nails on a chalkboard. Musical Theater is not suited to her tiny voice.
Diva you said it best when you said "this when a old white man trying to think what a young black people would say"
Thank you for re-posting. One of my favourite reviews of yours
This film is a serious guilty pleasure for me, since my brother loved watching this film all the time when we were younger, and we bonded every time we watched it together.
my nostalgia for this movie has no bounds. this was my entire childhood
Yes ikr
Same.
Same especially since I saw this before I saw the original Wizard of Oz
You better talk about it
I think a saving grace is in order for Lena Horn's "Believe in Yourself"
Originally the movie was going to be directed by the same guy of Saturday Night Fever, and Dorothy was meant to be played by the same actress that played her in the original musical.
I don't hate this movie even if it has bad pacing and I hate that Diana Ross pushed the makers to get the part, but I'm positive it probably would've been better directed.
RiP, Joel Schumacher. You made some bad movies, but you were still such a nice man.
5:35. Just a point of order, Syfy did "Ice Twisters" in 2009. I feel like there isn't a whole lot left they haven't done yet in terms of "elements-animals-natural disasters" mashups.
would Diva ever do a re-reveiw of something if her opinion or perspective changed? Are movie musicals allowed to file an appeal for their sentencing?
I saw someone recommend a Musical Hell Appeals Court idea, where Diva could go back and reconsider reviews that she'd done in the past.
@@Kyman102 Would Donna be the defense Lawyer?
@@ImaNerdANDaGeek I'd be on board for that!
She's done a few commentary videos on her earliest and least professional reviews, but it would still be interesting to hear Diva's perspective on how she'd change judgements these days.
This movie has many flaws, but Lena Horne as the Glinda/Good Witch role isn't one of them.
Would have figured Berry Gordy would do ANYTHING for Diana, even bastardize the play to accommodate her.
Michael Jackson's Scarecrow is the only good thing about the movie, even though he still looks ridiculous.
My dad made me watch this as a kid and while I liked certain songs I found it boring and confusing. For years it put me off from wanting to see it on stage and I always felt bad for not liking it. The stage version is so much better and while I understand what they were trying to do with the movie it's just so disappointing.
They made too many changes for the film version in order to accommodate the casting of Diana Ross. They made the Dorothy character an adult kindergarten teacher in New York city instead of a teenage farm girl from Kansas as it was in the stage version. It was pretty clear that with the 1978 film version we were not going to be in Kansas anymore (pun intended).
Honestly, I think they didn't make enough changes. If they were going to go with Ross to get that sweet large studio cash, they needed to do a few things:
1. Give her a more solid reason to need a journey of self discovery. Maybe make it so it is known that her dream and schooling was for high school, but she got scared through a bad experience at the end of her education or during the interview and took up teaching kindergarten instead. If done in a scene this would also allow to bring in the characters that would later play her companions in OZ. Alternatively, you could have her being scared to move out in order to take the job. So her fear is going it alone. But that makes less sense in NYC than it would in a rural area.
2. Have her play it less like a child and more like a woman who simply is very cautious, not confident, and not at all brave. The companions can then be intensified representations of her weaknesses (rather than being just funny companions as in the 1939 adaptation). Have her struggle to build up the traits - perhaps she doesn't want to assert herself, but to survive with her roughly useless companions, she has to take charge for each of their lacking. Or perhaps in talking them through their issues the conversations lead her to a point of realization and she starts also asserting herself.
3. Have her motivation for returning home change from "this is a scary place I want to leave because I am scared and miss my family" to "If I don't get home not only can I not see my family, I won't be able to chase my dream using this newfound determination."
4. The sign crushing death of the witch a bit awkward. Honestly, I am not sure what to do but, something like having her land, on top of a really big flat O sign, have the sign break and her fall with it onto the witch might work. Not sure though.
5. More close ups for some dancing scenes mixed with wide shots because the sets are awesome.
@@LC-sc3en They only made the changes to Dorothy's character in order to acommodate and to appease Diana Ross and Berry Gordy. Other than that,there wás no reason to make those changes to her character. I would have preferred widescreen cinematography for a more lavish look for the production numbers most of which came across as underwhelming to me as far as staging and presentation were concerned especially "Ease on Down the Road" which to me was a showstopping number in the play but came across as very stiff and static in the film despite the singing and dancing by Michael Jackson. There was a severe lack of camera movement in that scene. But then again you have a director like Sidney Lumet who had never worked widescreen and had never done a musical before.I wonder how the film would have turned out if it had been directed by an African-American instead who certainly would have had a more sensibility to African-American culture.Back then there weren't many opportunities for African-American film directors.Gordon Parks Jr. broke through with "The Learning Tree"(1969) and "Shaft"(1971) and Michael Schultz with "Car Wash"(1976). Michael Schultz would have been an interesting choice but perhaps he was too busy with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"(1978) which was filmed in widescreen Panavision but like "The Wiz" was not well received at the boxoffice so who knows. I just wish they had gone with a different director regardless of color and at least someone who had some experience in film musicals or musical theatre.
Aunt Em was also in "Best Little In Texas" as the sassy black lady!
You Can't Win and Ease On Down The Road is my favorite songs
Despite its flaws, I don't mind this version of The Wiz. It's essentially the Wizard Of Oz equivalent of Roberto Bennini's Pinocchio, having a lot of weird, bizzare things that you won't see in any other adaptation.
There's also following the original story's plot more closely regardless of aesthetic changes. Seriously it's a perfect crime how people are so oblivious to source materials like them. They were novels before they were films and these aren't remakes, they are secondary adaptations of the original tales. This one had the misfortune of adapting two separate things at once, its namesake musical and the Baum novel. Also *The Wizard of Oz* wasn't perfect either. Forgetting about Elmira Gulch is an untied loose end no one ever mentions.
@@TheNotverysocial Yeah, people always talk about how Glinda could've just given her the shoes any time she wanted but didn't because she "wouldn't have believed her" which to be fair, is incredibly stupid, but you could explain that with "Oh, it was a dream." But she just automatically assumes that just because she's home, she doesn't have to worry about Elmira Gulch murdering her dog, which if I'm not mistaken, was the entire reason she ran away in the first place.
@@jeremyusreevu237 Also you'd think the lesson Dorothy would learn is, "You can;t run from your problems, you have to face them!" cause that's what lead her to Oz in the first place, trying to run away from home! Instead we have that greeting card thing she says at the end.
@@colleen4ever In 1939 film yes. Here she ran after Toto.
@@jeremyusreevu237 Though I don't think its respectful for black audiences to make their version Oz look like crap though. I mean the 1939 film's Oz looks beautiful. This Oz needs therapy
i know it's for a joke but Evilline runs a sweatshop...Sweat is a form of water...what exactly are the rules here? and i truly feel this film could of been great yet Diana Ross kinda ruins it. Just cause you're a gifted singer doesn't mean you're also a gifted actress. in fact, if they had made Dorothy eleven like in the book and had the conflict be she's shy in school setting the film in NYC woulda been fine. I feel one day we'll get a good movie remake of this but it needs to be done wisely.
Want to read something strange? Gene Siskel liked this film and Roger Ebert loved it. What's with that? Is it possible they had no agenda, no plans, nothing but an immediate reaction without time to think about potential consequences to their commentaries? Whatever happened, they certainly weren't taking this movie as any kind of statement.
It says something about Hollywood, and its differences from Broadway that a landmark and important Black musical was put in the hands of an almost entirely white, behind the scenes creative team.
Hollywood prides itself on its supposed liberalism, but that liberalism ends when it comes to actual diversity.
No surprise that it wasn't until 2019 that a black costume designer and production designer FINALLY won Oscars.
Indeed. There’s a difference between meaningful representation and fake corporate wokeness- doesn’t help that the anti-SJW crowd does nothing to differentiate the two.
@@Dreigonix This one DOES, thank you!!
Awards have always been a total joke. I'd suggest you see Adam Conover's comments on them.
@@Dreigonix Neither does the SJW woke crowd. if any crowd want tokenism its then because most are like you white liberals who want to virtue signal.
+Miss Noelle
Nice try, but the subset of college kids with more passion and hair dye than perspective is a non-threat that’s been overblown by right-wing grifters looking to exploit people’s fear for money. The toxic tokenism and fake-woke posturing comes almost entirely from rich white industry hacks in Hollywood who put out shallow pandering to get money while not actually giving a damn about people of color having opportunities, and most reasonably-knowledgeable social activists, including white allies, see right through it.
other than being visually too dark, they have put more lights in recent remastered versions. worst of all, instead of transporting her to a glorious disco world: a quick glimpse of the Emerald city fashion show, but the entire film is a mirror image of the ghettos that most inhabitants there of would want to escape from ,here they are drowning in abandoned buildings. junk yards and trash cans. and hoes. junkies' and street corner thug crows. who wants to see this oz. when a look out your front window will give you free admittance.. no thanks !
Great review. I just thought of another one you could do: Alan Parker's 1976 'all-child' musical misstep, 'Bugsy Malone', with music by Paul Williams. I actually saw it when it was first released in the theatre with my mother. I was bored. I re-watched it recently, well half of it, it was all I could stand. The quirk is that even though the film is bad, the songs were good, or at least some of them. I imagine you could have fun with it and deliver some fitting verdicts.
Oh my GOD the wide angle shots are so ridiculous. Its like watching someone play a real-time strategy game 😂
I watched this movie with my grandmother when I was little. it’s one of my favorite older movies. but I hated dorthey’s songs. everyone else had better songs and plot development than her
I'm glad that you reuploaded this video, the criticisms made to the film are objective and not biased.i understand that this film is important for some people but we need to understand that things that are important for us can receive criticism and that criticism is not a personal attack.
not matter your race if you make a bad movie you make a bad movie just because it has representation dosen't make it above critism
11:52 at least they weren’t attacked by keep left signs
Well, we wouldn't want any narrators popping in to say, "Stop that! Stop that! This film is getting far too silly!"
Been awhile since I've last saw this unless ya wanna count Nostalgic Critic's take on this?
I don’t mind some decent jokes about how bad certain Schumacher pieces, but this review at least isn’t taking many pot-shots at him. That’s what we’ve got “Phantom” for; however that review is more of ripping on the idiocy of casting Gerard Butler
I remember watching this movie as a kid and being very confused about the changes since I'd found a copy of the theatre script at a thrift store. I was then even more confused about why they would cast Michael Jackson and then not have him in an actual dance number when every theatre and dance kid I knew would have given their liver to be one of his backup dancers.
I'm curious at what you think of the Nbc version of the Wiz
She likes it, though ironically this movie clearly influenced some of its costume and set designs. It also recycled the antagonistic crows that weren't in the play and *You Can't Win*.
I was 14 when this came out; I asked my family to take me,but it wasn't playing at any theater within a sensible driving distance. When I saw it on TV a few years later,I realized that I would've hated it,despite a ton of imagination that went into the production design.
For the first time since July 13, 2020, I'm about to rewatch this episode.
EDIT- 1:33 A.M.: *finishes episode 24 minutes later*
"The Wiz" may have committed a lot of sins but I remember enjoying it.
Honestly, this movie should be remade. And the remake needs to be more respectful of African-American culture than this. As well as have an age appropriate Dorothy.
The song If You Believe is first sung by The Wiz, originally played by Andre DeShields. There’s a recording of him singing it in concert and he’s going phenomenal!
He did it in the BCEFA 40th Anniversary tribute (also sang his big number…in the original costume). ruclips.net/video/Sw6qx5FB1ak/видео.html
The NBC live stage version is really good
_I know_ It's superior in all ways but the scenery for the most part.
Another excellent analysis. I get the impression that you've never seen the stage show, because a number of sins could be added regarding the deviation from that material. There were many things in the stage script directly from L. Frank Baum's book, which I saw as very clever. For example, the Scarecrow's song "I Was Born on the Day Before Yesterday" (replaced by "You Can't Win") is an actual line from the book. The witches, who are unnamed in Baum's book, except for Glinda, the witch of the South (eliminated from the 1939 movie, so her name was given to the witch of the North), so they were named Addaperle, the Feel Good Girl ("I do tricks"; "Does she ever!"), Evvamean of the East and Evillene of the West. The poppies, of course, are from the book, but in the book, the heroes are rescued from them by a horde of field mice, which inspired the stage show's introduction of The Mice Squad, rescuing them from the hookers, with the still high lion calling one of them "Mousifer", in homage to every movie drunk ever saying "ossifer". Just so much cleverness that was thrown out for that mess of a movie. And no, the NBC version didn't save it, either (but it was far better than the movie).
6:48 please don't pitch any ideas to Tyler Perry, lest we be treated to "Madea's Wizard of Oz"!!!!
LOL!! I actually wanna see that now!
Despite its flaws this film will forever hold a place in black culture. I only want to add: 1) Nipsey Russell’s voice in his solo song is outstanding. 2) I wish we had seen more dancing from the GOAT dancer, MJ - certainly we would have been in for a treat. And 3) The Subway scene still terrifies me all these years later! Most horrifying scene from a non-horror movie IMO!
I know--what sick mind thought up that subway scene????
The puppet man freaked me out as a kid. That scene was taken at the Train station at Hoyt and Scrmahorn station in Brooklyn. I’m from Brooklyn my so it’s fun to recognize all of the places they filmed at.
Every point you brought up is tied to the movie exclusively, not the musical itself. Really glad you uploaded it :-)
"Pointless obstacles..." This movie didn't invent those obstacles. They were in the source material, and this film dressed them up. Without them the journey to the City of Emeralds would sail too smoothly, and it wouldn't feel earned. This review has valid points, but it does stretch a few things, too.
Are you gonna reupload your King and I animated Review?
The opening song is one that is a big ear worm. I catch myself singing it when I’m helping with cooking for family dinners.
Is THAT why I couldn't find this before?! I tried to find it and watch it after Joel died, and wondered why it got taken down.
I'm glad to see this is back up. I love this film, but this critique is simply pleasant to listen to. It makes some valid points, but it's nonetheless a solid film overall. The distant shots are only during the musical numbers, and only some of the earlier ones. Most of it is perfect. Did you know Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert loved this movie? And it deeply disappointed them to see it flop.
Someone please tell me the major differences between the original broadway show and the recent live tv production. I've only seen the live tv one and im in freaking love. Tell me, is it worth seeking out the original or have a basically seen it already through the tv one? (and i know the huge difference a cast can make but i mean the production/story itself)
Search Wiz revival 1984. That's the nearest you'll see of the original play. As a broadway show there's no shortage of padding and it's quite long, but it makes for a good first watching.
No, it's not the same, as the NBC production mostly follows an abridged version of the original, but takes elements from the movie in costume and set design, like the Witch living in a factory, Emerald City being like a nightclub, and the antagonistic crows, none of which were in the play.
10:17 Song?
I miss you, Michael
It’s great that you listen to criticism, but I wish you had understood that just because something is important to a community doesn’t mean it should be above criticism, as well as the fact that you’re white doesn’t negate your criticism. I’m not mad, just disappointed you didn’t realize this sooner.
Good review otherwise though.
0:48 I hope Audrey Hepburn sent Lucille Ball a thank you note 📨for superseding theater nerds's ire against her for "stealing" Julie Andrews 's "My Fair Lady" role 🎭
Love this series! Keep up the great work and if you're looking for more title card artists, please keep me in mind.
Diva! Can you hear it? The world needs that yakety sax scene as an independant video!
The "wiz Live!" filmed stage version was very good imo.
Will you be reviewing the more recent version of The Wiz where Stephanie Mills plays Aunty Em?
But that one was GOOD.
@@jenniferschillig3768 I agree. Deva does sometimes give positive reviews you know.
Only time will tell, I’ll be just as satisfied with a Stealing Focus review of it.
Those puppets in the subway really freaked me out.
This movie is not that good I admit, but honestly I did like it when I watched it. I actually nearly cried near the end and it sorta inspired me coming up with my own future musical that has a black/biracial Dorothy. It's a take on what Dorothy is like in the Wicked universe, with Dorothy being Elphaba's counterpart rather than Gulch being Elphaba's.
Personally, i liked this review a lot and it's great to have it back
Reupload? Now I have to re-re-rewatch it, dangit!
The change to showing speed and using "Yakety Sax" in the soundtrack made it better 17:30
15:00 Is it just me, or is there a disturbing undercurrent of "know your place" in this movie? By so literally making midtown Manhattan into the Emerald City, and contrasting it with lower-income neighborhoods -- not to mention turning Queens into a blasted herescape -- it idealizes Manhattan even more than usual. Yet the main character "could never be happy here" and only wants to go back to Harlem. Dorothy is ultimately rewarded for NOT being ambitious. That seems like problematic messaging, at the least.
The twin towers nonetheless
That takes a good degree of digging. It's not in the least bit overt. And honestly that same argument may apply to *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz*.
@@TheNotverysocial At least in the books, Oz is a real place and Dorothy, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry eventually relocate there for keeps.
@@jenniferschillig3768 That brings me to something else. A big problem with book Dorothy is her obsession with Kansas, which she mentions far too much. When pressed about it, she says Kansas is her home, and bio people would not leave them forever for anything. Throughout she occasionally mentions her aunt and uncle, but Kansas always seems her main goal, and she doesn't explain that when first asked. Had Aunt Em been with her when the house was taken away her determination to get back would not be so great. And when you know where the tale goes ultimately Kansas is overrated and unimportant. Something most movies and serie would fix. The movies make her character less vapid, even when the land of Oz is far more nuanced than all adaptations of it.
I'm glad you reposted this, because it's one of my favorite reviews by you.
My feelings about this movie remain the same, it's just not very good at all. Yes, I understand completely what it meant for black folk and representation of their culture, and I'm a HUGE FAN of black-centered cast movies (Black Panther, Us, Southside with You), but the truth is, the movie just sucks, and I really hate to say it because I WANTED to like it so bad. It's literally just a poor ghetto man's version of the musical it's based on.
It has its shining moments (some musical numbers), but those are too small to not ignore the rest of it's problems. It being directed and written by two white men who obviously don't understand the culture didn't age well either, and it shows. You don't have to be black to understand how that's wrong either (speaking as a Mexican who was practically raised around black culture, and adores them too), and you don't have to be white to not like the movie either. If they really wanted to leave the director, they could've easily replaced Schumacker's ass for someone who actually understood black folk's culture, or had someone consult them (Oprah always does a good job at that).
Also, I CANNOT ever look passed that "Brother Crows" scene. Even someone as naive as Booby Hill would be able to see how easy of a target that is for racist puns t be thrown at.
To be fair, the NBC musical that's praised so much took that out of this movie rather than the stage musical, and is clearly more a hybrid of both than most want to admit. The crows from this film turned up in that as did the song. The more urban elements of Oz like the witch's castle being turned into a factory and references to contemporary figures are inspired by this. And turning Oz into Dorothy's personal dream world rather than it being a place she was physically sent to... Do I really need to explain this?
Honestly, I thought the Crow thing was intentional. The Scarecrow is singing "You Can't win, you can't break even, and you can't get out of the game." As he's hounded by crows that continuously use him and refuse to fulfill their promises. Segregation and Jim Crow was supposed to have ended by this point, but for a lot of black people the discriminatory policies have continued in new form. Additionally from 1974-1976 there were 40 riots protesting integration in Massachusetts. I always thought the symbolical of the crows not scared of the scarecrow and promising to help but only harassing him was intentional.
I wish I could see the original play, I bet it was amazing! Still this movie have a special place in my heart.
What do you think of the Brand New Day scene? As a kid, I always felt awkward watching the "shedding costumes down to underwear" part with my family. Lol
@@glndlbro83 that was weird to me because I had no idea what was happening. 😅
@@Ghostkidparadise Think they can get away with putting that in a kids movie today?
@@glndlbro83 hey, I seen weirder things in PG movies, depends on the director and the movie companies they pitch it to
@@Ghostkidparadise Was the part where the sweatshop costumes burned on the ground too intense for you?
I've seen a few stage productions of The Wiz over the past four decades and enjoyed them very much. What I can't stand, however, is the film. Why is it SO HARD for Hollywood to get musicals right? After doing a great job with Grease, Hollywood proceeded to screw up The Wiz, Annie, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and A Chorus Line. At least they did a decent job with Little Shop of Horrors... but even that one had issues. Ugh.
Diana Ross isn’t necessarily a *bad* actress as she was really good in Lady Sings the Blues and one of the first black actresses to be nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. The part of Dorothy was completely wrong for her and totally killed her acting career.
Thanks for re-uploading. I get that this is a special movie for a lot of black people, but the show deserved waaaaay better than this. At least we have The Wiz Live on dvd now.
I own both and love both. And have seen the bootleg available on RUclips here, and find that quite enjoyable, too. On the first viewing. I suppose actually being there to see it live would greatly enhance my enjoyment of it. But I never tire of the 1978 film.
Post statement: *The Wizard of Oz* wasn't perfect either.