The Wiz"Ease on down.ease on down the road." with Dorothy (Diana Ross), Scarecrow (Michael Jackson), Tin man (Nipsey Russell), Lion (Ted Ross) and Toto in this New York-set remake of The Wizard of Oz (a Broadway smash hit also), featuring Motown-styled musical numbers by Quincy Jones. The wonderful Lena Horne cameos, with Richard Pryor as the Wiz.
There won't be a dry eye among Jackson fans as Scarecrow, mercilessly bullied by the Four Crows when Dorothy happens upon him, slowly blossoms in confidence: "They told you that you couldn't and you believed them," Dorothy gently remonstrates, encapsulating the key social and cultural 'truth' Black consciousness worked to debunk.
"Success, fame, and fortune, they're all illusions," he tells Dorothy, "All there is that is real is.friendship."
Imported 35mm print.
