The Wiz 4K 1978 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

Dorothy, a shy kindergarten teacher in Harlem, is searching for her lost dog Toto, trudging through a raging snowstorm. And suddenly... finds herself in Wonderland, where she finds herself on a road paved with yellow bricks.

Review 4K Movie

A failed and forgotten adaptation of the Broadway musical based on L. Frank Baum's famous fairy tale. Although the cast and crew involved in the film are so impressive that it almost immediately becomes considered a cult classic.

Diana Ross, then at the height of her popularity, played Dorothy, while a young, as yet unknown, black Michael Jackson, barely recognizable in makeup, played the Scarecrow. The screenwriters included the future famous director Joel Schumacher, and the great Sidney Lumet was in the director's chair. The musical accompaniment for the film was provided by the brilliant producer Quincy Jones.

This film was the first and last major film project of the legendary Motown music label, which was responsible for popularizing “black” music. The company's first film experience turned out to be just as “black”: all the actors, except for the sorceress Glinda, were African Americans. Perhaps this was one of the main factors that scared audiences away from this film musical, which cost a hefty $25 million by the standards of the time.

However, the lively soundtrack, composed of first-class funk and soul, grotesque sets imitating abandoned ghettos and luxury neighborhoods of New York, and inventive makeup make The Wiz a unique and unforgettable spectacle. Not without a touch of trash, of course. A kind of family blaxploitation. There is even room for social criticism here, and the main message that the magic that can change our destinies lives within each of us, we just need to believe in ourselves, makes the film an almost perfect Hollywood fairy tale.

The main thing is to endure the terribly made-up face of Diana Ross, who is 24 in the plot, but looks 44. Although it is worth saying that her legs are quite nice here, and she jumps very deftly and charmingly in magical shoes with quite high heels.