Godspell

Rating:
Summary: I absolutely love this video!!!!
Review: I really love this video. It brought back my days as a young girl when I heard all the music from the play during my First Communion classes. I got chills back then, and still get them today. Our choir at our church played "Prepare Ye" on Palm Sunday, and I really was ready to jump out of my seat during this song. My dear daughter loved it as well, and I can't wait for her to learn every song!! An absolute must-have for all Christians to listen to. The kids will love it!!!

Rating:
Summary: Fun, but an Acquired Taste
Review: Godspell takes the story of Jesus from the Bible and transposes it to "modern" (read 1970's) New York City. It uses a small cast to act out various parables and stories from the life of Christ. Interspersed are songs inspired by the events the cast has been reenacting.

This movie musical has several drawbacks. The biggest is that it is obviously a 70's musical. The costumes and arrangements just scream it out. The second is a personal pet peeve. They removed the song "We Beseech Thee" and added the song "Beautiful City." I've tried, but I just don't think it's a good substitute. Third, the "crucifixion" scene is almost laughable in this version. Lastly, with the small cast, everyone but Jesus plays multiple "rolls" in the overall story. This can be very confusing and often interrupts the message that segment was trying to get across.

In my mind, the positives out way the negatives, however. The cast is obviously having fun with the material and each other, which makes the movie more enjoyable. There are many good songs, including my favorites "God Save the People" and "Day by Day." The video choreography for "All For the Best" and "Light of the World" are imaginative as well. All in all, I enjoy it.

The DVD only includes the movie. Some behind the scenes info would have been interesting. But it does include both wide screen and full frame versions of the movie.

If you're looking for a strict filming of the life of Christ, you will be disappointed. If you want a fun, slightly cheesy musical that is relatively faithful to the gospels, you'll enjoy this movie. It's not for everyone, but it is fun.

Rating:
Summary: Uplifting, Inspiring, Pure
Review: I never heard of Godspell, until a friend of mine directed a Church production of this outstanding show.

My infatuation, and deep love for this musical extravaganza, wasn't solidified, however, until I was cast in the local community theatre's production. I formed great friendships, and learned the real meaning of the story thruout our 9 week rehearsel, and 3 week production of Godspell.

I saw the actual video, on the night of our final show. My emotions were high. And I gleefully sang along with the film cast. I cried at the end when Jesus died, because I felt like I lived it just hours before. We performed this show, one week, after the tragic events of Septemer 11th. And our crowds took with them a meaningful story, and a deepend bond with the Lord. As we in the cast all did.

This movie did the same for me, as I am sure it did for our audience. It deepend my faith and spirituality, and it helped me better understand the story of Jesus and his diciples.

My only complaints, are, that By My Side wasn't sung as it was intended, as I know, since I sang that song in the show.
And We Beseech Thee wasn't even included!!! Instead they used "beautiful City". Which, i'm sorry, but it was horrible.
Contrived, forced, and ridiculous lyrics made this song a downpoint for the whole film.

Yet, the rest of the film made up for it. With it's costumes, laughter, and humor. I highly recommend this film. For anyone who needs an uplifting moment. Or to deepen their faith in a fun way. Godspell is for you.

Rating:
Summary: UPLIFTING FILM EXPERIENCE...
Review: It has been may years since I have seen this film. Since it is now on DVD, I thought it would be a nice addition to my collection. Boy was I ever right! Victor (TITANIC) Garber is outstanding in the lead role, not to mention his awesome voice.

The film is brilliantly edited by Alan "All That Jazz" Heim (assisted by the always remarkable Trudy "House of Games" Ship), adding exactly the spark that the film needs, to what is lacking in the choreography department. FOSSE IT AINT!

The score by Mr. Schwartz NEVER sounded better, and his most recognizable "Day by Day" is not nearly as wonderful as, "Save the People", "All Good Gifts", and the awesome "All For The Best" (A scene which was partially shot on the top of the World Trade Center with the rest of the NY skyline as a backdrop...see the CD soundtrack cover for visual. The towers were not even completed at the time. Extremely disturbing after 9/11/01.)

A must for any fan of musicals and film buffs alike!

Rating:
Summary: Far out!
Review: I love this movie. I grew up on the soundtrack, and the songs are still among my favorites. The movie is such a picker-upper for whenever I'm feeling down...none of the angst from Jesus Christ Superstar. Yeah, true, it's very much a 60's product, but what's wrong with a little dose of love nowadays? And it's so much more fun to watch than sitting in church...beautifully filmed in NYC.

Rating:
Summary: Weird....
Review: I really tried to watch this movie with an open mind, and tried really hard NOT to compare it to Jesus Christ Superstar.

I found it VERY dated. The costumes were freaky. I'm sorry, Jesus Christ was scary-looking. A guy in a 'fro with a Superman shirt? I'm not sure what they were trying to do with this. Were they trying to make him seem more human and approachable? I think I'd run the other way.

The setting was fine. Walking around NYC seemed fine, not at all dated. In fact, the city is probably the ONLY thing that isn't dated.

The tunes were acceptable and catchy. Some of the lyrics were less than...imaginative. The crucifixion scene was laughable. Not because of the "chain link fence crucifixion," but because of the singing (Oh God, I'm dying!.... Oh God, you're dying!)!!! That seemed very...forced and totally fake.

I wonder if I would feel differently if Godspell was updated and re-done. New interpretations do wonders to aged musicals. Come to think of it, I DID see this performed by a high school years ago. They updated it and used modern clothes. I remember thinking it was excellent and wanted to see it again.

Overall, I did not feel particularly touched by this movie. I did not think that Christ was any more tangible. On it's own, I'd say it was "decent, though dated." But then comes the inevitable comparison: Jesus Christ Superstar. At least with that musical, it was written from Judas Iscariot's viewpoint. It took some creativity as opposed to taking passages right out of Matthew and sticking them between songs.

While the 1973 Superstar movie is dated as well, the 2000 version with Glenn Carter is much better. Give it a shot!

Rating:
Summary: Long live Godspell!
Review: I've seen literally thousands of movies, but "Godspell" is on my short list of beloved all-time favorites. How many movies can leave you with a feeling of joy? That may be a devalued emotion in our cynical, ironic age. But if it is, "Godspell" may be the antitode.

Two things about the DVD version. First, the wow and flutter heard on the soundtrack of the videocassette version, especially during "Day by Day", has been corrected on the DVD. (Note to others here: it had nothing to do with the "age" of the film. That flaw was not present in the theatrical release or on the soundtrack album, it was the result of a sloppy audio transfer to videotape.) Second, the "full screen" version on the DVD actually shows MORE of the original film image than the "widescreen" version on the flip side of the DVD. That's because "Godspell" was shot with an "open matte" aperture that uses virtually all of the film frame (1:1.37 ratio). Its apparent widescreen ratio in theaters (1:1.85 ratio) came about only because the top and bottom of the image were intentionally cropped by the projector aperture and by the screen dimensions; the "widescreen" version on the DVD imitates this by blocking off the top and bottom of the image. (Note to the confused: on most DVD releases, the widescreen version shows you more of the film image, because the movie was actually shot in widescreen. "Godspell" was not shot in widescreen.)

Rating:
Summary: This is just not right...
Review: I was in a production of Godspell and can honestly say the movie lacks the edge of the stage production. It's way too dated and portrays Jesus & Co. as a bunch of flower children. Some cute moments, but all in all the play is tons better. (Oh, to the reviewer who called it Christian propaganda: trust me, this is not what Christians are really like.)

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Several years ago I was involved in two back-to-back productions of Godspell. It is and always will be one of my favorite shows, both to watch and work in. I hadn't realized the movie had been released to video until a few nights ago, when I saw it at the local video store. So I rented it, fell in love, and next went out and bought the DVD.

I bought the DVD rather than the tape, because I like the availability of Wide screen edition. I don't yet own a DVD player, so I had to go over to mom's house to watch it. :-) Anyway, I think the movie is terrific. It's upbeat, happy, colorful, and timeless. The characters are lovable and realistic, and they tell the story of the Gospel without becoming preachy.

Especially adorable is Jeffrey Mylett (1949-1986) in one of his regretfully rare film appearances. I did not really understand what it means for an actor to have "presence" until I watched his performance. No matter how small his part is in the scene, your eye is drawn to him. The camera doesn't love this man, it downright WORSHIPS him.

The only negative things I can say about this film are that I HATE that they excluded the song "We Beseech Thee". It's one of the best numbers in the show, performed onstage by Jeffrey Mylett. By leaving it out, the filmmakers missed out on a great opportunity to showcase the musical talents of possibly the best actor in the troupe. And it ticked me off, too. :-(

The other negative thing is related to the first, in a way. "Beautiful City." Blecchh. The troupe valiantly does the best they can with a real bow-wow of a number. How the producers could think this would be a better choice than "We Beseech Thee," I will never know. It's tedious, repetitive, forgettable, and sticks out like a sore thumb. It looks like it was thrown in at the last minute. This feeling is increased by the "choreography" of the scene; everyone walking and skipping down the street... and I mean for the WHOLE SONG. I suspect that the producers were hoping to generate another hit single with this piece, as it seems to have more of a pop sound than the folk of the rest of the numbers.

I've watched the film about 6 times now, and I always bawl during "On the Willows," one of the most beautiful songs ever written. And the tears flow again during the refrain of "Prepare Ye" at the end. Not too many films can do that to me.

In general I can't give this film a high enough rating.

Rating:
Summary: Lost Innocence
Review: You have to be able to remember the 70s to truly love this trip back...today's veiwers may have lost too much of their innocence to accept the simplicity and joy of this clever retelling of the gospel according to Matthew. This is not only a parable in itself, but also a great "period" piece for those who long to go back in time a couple of hours. It made me smile, think and remember.