The Wiz Details

A 34-year-old Diana Ross plays Dorothy in this all-black version of The Wizard of Oz, which casts a pall over memories of the 1939 classic. It's easy to see why director Sidney Lumet's clunker ranks as one of the most expensive movie flops of all time. While the Tony Walton sets are fabulous, the famous plot is immersed in a dark inner-city impressionism, the quasi-rocker songs are lacklustre, and diva Ross is just ludicrous in the Judy Garland role. Michael Jackson is surprisingly good as the Scarecrow, though, and among the songs is the hit Ease on down the Road.

Dorothy and her entourage of malfunctioning under-achievers move on from rural Kansas to face the contemporary perils... read more on Time Out