USA / 1978 / 134mins / Fantasy, Musical / English

Featuring an all-star cast, The Wiz follows Dorothy (Diana Ross), a twenty-four-year-old kindergarten teacher born, raised, and still working in Harlem, who is celebrating Thanksgiving with her extended family, but doesn't seem to be thankful for much in life. She lives a self-imposed sheltered life; she is shy and unfulfilled. Things change for her when she is caught in a snowstorm while chasing after her dog, Toto. They are transported to the mysterious Land of Oz, where she is informed that the only possible way to find her way back home is through the assistance of the powerful wizard in the Emerald City.

Sidney Lumet

Sidney Lumet was a master of cinema, best known for his technical knowledge and his skill at getting first-rate performances from his actors — and for shooting most of his films in his beloved New York — he made over 40 movies, often emotional, but seldom overly sentimental. Born on June 25, 1924, in Philadelphia, he was the son of actor Baruch Lumet and dancer Eugenia Wermus Lumet. He played many roles on Broadway in the 1930s (such as Dead End), and his acting debut in films came in Dans une pauvre petite rue (1939). In 1947 he started an off-Broadway acting troupe that included such future stars as Yul Brynner and Eli Wallach, and other former members of Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio who had become unsatisfied with Strasberg’s concepts. Lumet made his stage directing debut in 1955. However, he had been directing television shows since 1950, beginning at CBS, and soon became regarded as an important TV director. He made his feature film directing debut with the critical and financial hit 12 Angry Men (1957), which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and earned Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay, and is justly regarded as one of the most auspicious directorial debuts in film history. He is known for directing such classic films as Serpico (1973), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976), and The Wiz (1978), among others. In 1993 Lumet received the D.W. Griffith Award from the Directors Guild of America. He passed away in April 2011 in New York City. Learn More