by Kandiss Edwards
Might 3, 2025
‘The Wiz’ is coming again in its full grandeur—however just for a short while
Common Footage has introduced the nationwide theatrical re-release of The Wiz, the 1978 Oscar-nominated musical starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor.
The movie will return to theaters nationwide for particular screenings on Sunday, Might 18, and Wednesday, Might 21.
On this retelling of The Wizard of Oz, Harlem schoolteacher Dorothy (Ross) tries to save lots of her canine from a storm and is whisked away to an city fantasy land referred to as Oz. After unintentionally killing the Depraved Witch of the East upon her arrival, Dorothy is advised in regards to the Wiz (Pryor), a wizard who can assist her return to Manhattan
Common Footage has restored The Wiz in 4K. The restoration makes use of the unique 35mm damaging, 35mm audio stems, 4 monitor authentic music recordings. Common’s workforce of restoration consultants carried out in depth analysis into the unique manufacturing.
The brand new combine will probably be introduced in choose theaters, providing an immersive Sonic expertise that honors the brilliance of producer Quincy Jones, the movie’s Oscar-nominated music supervisor and producer .
Directed by legendary director Sidney Lumet (Canine Day Afternoon, The Verdict) The Wiz was a daring and bold movie that captured the spirit of Broadway present whereas reflecting the colourful Black zeitgeist of the Nineteen Seventies. Joel Schumacher, who later went on to his personal profitable profession as a movie director, tailored the screenplay from William F. Brown’s Tony Award-nominated Broadway e book.
The movie’s unforgettable music, a fusion of soul, R&B, rock, and gospel, is a large a part of its cultural legacy. Jones reimagined Charlie Smalls’s Broadway compositions, infusing them with cinematic grandeur that introduced music to life on the large display screen.
Jones and Jackson’s time throughout The Wiz proved transformative. The partnership led Jones to supply Jackson’s breakthrough album Off the Wall, adopted by Thriller and Unhealthy, creating three of essentially the most influential and commercially profitable albums in latest music historical past.
To see The Wiz in all its glory, click on right here for showtimes.
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