5.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.4 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
Modern update of 'The Wizard of Oz' with Diana Ross as Dorothy leading her gang of no-gooders to the disco chic city of New York.
Starring: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Lena HorneFamily | 100% |
Musical | 98% |
Fantasy | 15% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
What could they have been thinking? Were they thinking? When The Wiz took Broadway by storm during the 1975 season, it was like a breath of fresh African-American air, a soulful revisiting of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. Two years previously to The Wiz, another all (or at least mostly) black musical had opened on Broadway to great acclaim, Raisin, a musicalization of Lorraine Hansbury’s iconic A Raisin in the Sun, and that show had proven that a musical ostensibly about and for a black audience could have universal appeal. (Several years earlier David Merrick had “stunt casted” his long running Hello, Dolly! with an African-American cast including Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway). Raisin was nominated for a slew of Tony Awards, taking home several, including Best Musical of the Year, so the Great White Way was obviously primed and eager for this sort of entertainment, and The Wiz, if anything, was even more exuberant and gospel-tinged than Raisin. With a book by William F. Brown and a charming score by Charlie Smalls, The Wiz was an even bigger hit than Raisin had been, capturing its own pile of Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The Wiz filtered Baum’s vision through a distinctly black perspective, so that Dorothy’s journey became a sort of symbol for black consciousness and pride as a whole. Smalls’ score ran the gamut from outright gospel to more nuanced pop-rock stylings, including what would become a major hit for Broadway’s original Dorothy Stephanie Mills, the gorgeous ballad “Home.”
The Wiz was a fairly ugly looking film in its original theatrical release, perhaps due to Lumet wanting a gritty ambience, and that same ugly garishness is reproduced on this AVC encoded Blu-ray, in 1080p and 1.85:1. There are moments that really bristle with excellent detail, and pop with nicely saturated color. Note the final segment with Diana Ross and Lena Horne, for example, where Horne's cobalt blue, gem encrusted costume sparkles brilliantly, and black levels are absolutely superb. In that same sequence, at the end of "Home," when Ross tilts her head back, you can seemingly see right through her nasal cavities into her cranium. At other times, though, this is a very soft looking transfer, with a lot of grain and drab looking colors. The opening segment in the Harlem apartment shows all of these tendencies. Some of the special effects look pretty cheesy in this new hi-def upgrade, with matte lines clearly visible and opticals adding to the already abundant grain structure.
Despite its flaws, The Wiz does feature a charming, if truncated, score that is mostly brilliantly sung, and the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix does very, very well with this material. Ross, who is really a rather small voiced singer, manages to cut loose a couple of times, delivering some raw emotion on tunes like "Home," and she sounds magnificent on this DTS track. Jackson is also a joy to listen to, with none of the vocal tics which would dot his later performances. The orchestra sounds great as well, with full bodied brass and strings punching up Smalls' gospel-tinged melodies. Surround activity is decent, if not overwhelming, with some nice immersive moments, including the initial cyclone which dissoves into the "new, improved" Oz in New York City. Several of the group scenes especially have some nice surround activity. Dialogue is clear and easy to hear, and the overall balance in the musical segments is satisfying as well.
Aside from the trailer and bookmarks, the only real supplement is the unfortunately named Wiz on Down the Road (SD; 12:30), a kind of interesting vintage featurette offering producer Rob Cohen waxing enthusiastic about the project, before everything went sour. There are lots of behind the scenes moments, including some shots of Lumet showing Jackson how to dance (and, no, I'm not kidding).
Where are Kansas and/or Stephanie Mills when you really need them? This big budget misfire put an end to Ross' film career and didn't do much for Jackson's, either. Some of the music is charming, and a couple of the dance segments are engaging, but otherwise this film virtually defines "dud."
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