Search - The Wiz [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: G Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1978 DVD Release: 04/13/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Studio: Universal Studios Members Wishing: 4 Genres: Fantasy, Musical, Fantasy Adventure, Musical Fantasy See Also: The Wiz [30th Anniversary Edition] [DVD/CD], The Wiz [Widescreen], The Wiz [Fullscreen] [Holiday Packaging]

Sidney Lumet's The Wiz is the film version of the popular Broadway musical that retells the events of L. Frank Baum's classic novel -The Wonderful Wizard of Oz through the eyes of a young African-American kindergarten teacher who's "never been below 125th Street." Leaving a large family dinner to chase her dog into a snowstorm, Dorothy (Diana Ross) is swept up by a cyclone and transplanted to the land of Oz -- which looks suspiciously like a skewed version of the run-down Manhattan of the late '70s. Landing on top of the Wicked Witch of the East, the puzzled Dorothy is greeted by munchkins who peel themselves from a graffiti mural and sing to her about the Wiz (Richard Pryor), a powerful wizard living in Emerald City who can help her get home. On her journey down the yellow brick road, she encounters a garbage-stuffed scarecrow (Michael Jackson) in a junkyard, a broken-down tin man (Nipsey Russell) caught in the decay of an old amusement park, and a cowardly lion (Ted Ross) posing as a stone statue outside a museum. The quartet tangles with a subway station that comes to life, a poppy den, and a gaggle of motorcycle henchman on their way to the Wiz -- who orders them to kill the Wicked Witch of the West (a sweatshop tyrant) before he will grant them their wishes. The Wiz has about double the large-scale production numbers of The Wizard of Oz (1939), with songs written and composed by Charlie Smalls. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

Diana Ross - Dorothy
Michael Jackson - Scarecrow
Nipsey Russell - Tinman
Lena Horne - Glinda the Good
Richard Pryor - The Wiz (Herman Smith)

Sidney Lumet's infamous screen adaptation of the Motown-originated Broadway musical based on The Wizard of Oz gets the DVD treatment in this release from Universal. With a 1:85:1 aspect ratio and Dolby 4.0 Surround Sound, this release also features some run-of-the-mill extras, such as production notes, cast and crew bios, the original theatrical trailer, and some web links. The language choices are either English or English with French subtitles. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide