The contrast between Judy Garland's Oz and her native Kansas is many times greater than that between Diana Ross' Oz and her native New York. Unlike the setting in 'The Wizard of Oz,' which exists in our dreams, 'somewhere over the rainbow,' the setting in 'The Wiz' occupies our nightmares. Interestingly, due to her advanced age, the circumstances that befall her must be harsher in order to invoke the necessary change of heart. Unfortunately, albeit appropriately, the Oz we witness is through an older Dorothy's eyes. Though 'The Wiz' does not convey the same childlike wonder, magic, and fantasy that both the original film and the novel do, it translates those elements into more of an industrialized, mechanical, inner city playground. From the Scarecrow, who represents a pitiable, underachieving product of his environment to the poppies, which represent drug addiction to the denizens of Oz, who are ready to follow the latest trend just to be 'in ' the story presents its audience with a generalized glimpse at the breakdown of 'black' culture and society.

'The Wiz' focuses on the 'black situation.' It redresses all of the elements from its source material to meet the needs of its revamped, modern, social subject matter. Frank Baum's 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.' A few others that spring to mind are 'Logan's Run' and 'The War of the Worlds.' I mention these not because they were simply a good translation of book to film, but because they maintained the book's overall story (plot, theme, characters, etc.) while retailoring the environment and/or situation. Seldom have I witnessed a more creative work of adaptation than that which is presented by 'The Wiz,' which is, of course, adapted from L. It compliments the seriousness of its themes and situations-both of which it has in more abundance than its predecessor-with a copious amount of humor. Like its predecessor, 'The Wiz' is both visually stunning and musically engaging. Whereas 'The Wizard of Oz' is more of a child's film, the intended audience for 'The Wiz' is a few steps above that. Profits aside, what is the motive? What is there to add? 'The Wiz,' however, is one of the few exceptions to my belief. Normally, I feel that it is a travesty to remake an older, classic film (sequels excepted).

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