[.ca] Godspell (Widescreen/Full Screen) (ISBN 0767827929)

From Amazon.com:
Comparing Godspell to its near-contemporaries Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair is unavoidable, but Godspell has developed its own unique following. With their thrift-store-meets-circus-performer garb, the characters in David Greene's adaptation of the popular off-Broadway production may look more like the hippies in Hair than the biblical personages of Superstar. But Godspell isn't really about the "Age of Aquarius," nor does it adopt a dark or operatic tone towards its subject matter, the Gospel according to Matthew. The mood is, instead, upbeat and uplifting (at least until the crucifixion sequence). The film opens with youthful city dwellers from various walks of life dropping their activities to follow John the Baptist (David Haskell from the original New York production). They sing ("Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord") as he leads them into a fountain where they are (metaphorically) baptized. There they meet Jesus (Victor Garber). Frizzy hair and mime makeup aside, the handsome young Garber (Titanic, Annie) is convincing in his film debut. Once baptized, they follow him around various scenic New York locations, singing and acting out passages from the Scriptures. The largely unknown cast is talented and charismatic, but the film is only fitfully engaging on an emotional level because only Jesus, John, and Judas (Haskell again) emerge as distinct characters. Stephen Schwartz's pleasing pop-rock score, however, helps to smooth over the rough spots, and Robin Lamont's hit version of "Day by Day" remains a highlight. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

When.. you.. feel.. sad..:
My sister and I have been fans of this movie almost since it came out. It is by far my favorite musical. I love most of the musical numbers, except for "Alas For You", which scared me when I was a kid... but, I'm over it now. No, really, I am. :) There aren't too many bonuses on the dvd (which is my reason for four stars instead of five): a couple of short text bios of a few of the stars and some trailers of the movie. The scene selection choices were well done, so if you have one favorite song from the movie, you can go straight to it. The only two stars from this, that I know of, that have had a long lasting acting career, are Victor Garber who plays Jesus (I still can't believe this is the same guy that plays Sydney's father on Alias) and the late very great Lynne Thigpen. Out of my dvd collection, this one has the strangest list of foreign language subtitles: English, Spanish, Portugese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai. I'm guessing the movie wasn't all that popular in Europe. Soooo, when you feel sad or under a curse, this movie should definitely lift your spirits. Enjoy!

When wilt thou save the people?:
I love Godspell, but this film won't be for everyone. The plot is confusing, since it's basically just Jesus and his disciples acting out parables from the Bible as the plot meanders along, somewhat faithful to the Gospel of Mattthew. The cast mugs a lot, using a ton of cartoon-y voices and facial expressions, which can get annoying. My favorite part of Godspell is the music. I love almost every song. "Save The People," "Bless The Lord," "By My Side," "Beautiful City," "Day By Day," "Turn Back, O Man" are just some of the classics that appear in this film, sung with an exciting innocence, and staged somewhat inventively, especially the "All For The Best," number. The cast is great - fans of ABC's "Alias" television series will be shocked to see Victor Garber as an Afro'd Superman shirt singing Jesus. I know I was! The great Lynne Thigpen, sadly passed away, gets a great rollicking number in "Bless The Lord," and the rest of the cast is entertaining as well in their own ways. So this movie may not be for everybody - if you don't think you can handle a movie based on Bible parables, then don't bother buying this. But I suggest giving this a try - I did, and it turned into one of my favorite movies.

THIS MUSICAL IS TERRIBLE!!!:
THIS MUSICAL DOSN'T MAKE SENSE! IT'S STUIPED! WHY DID THEY PUT JESUS ON A BASEBALL GATE INSTEAD OF PUTTING HIM ON A CROSS?!?! THIS MUSICAL CAN NEVER BE MADE SO IT WOULD BE BETTER. THE FIRST SONG IS OK, BUT I'M STILL CONFUSED WITH THE WHOLE SUPERMAN SHIRT THING. I CAN HARDLY REMEMBER THE OTHER SONGS. I SAY IF YOU WANT TO SEE A GOOD BIBLE BASED ROCK OPERA, YOU SHOULD SEE !HERO OR JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.

Day by Day:
A snippet of time. The film made in the 70' with a seventies version of 60's hippies. There are some great views of the twin towers. As with many film adaptations of plays, I the effort to take advantage of the media the essence of the play can get lost. Sure the songs are there but the filler is just that. The play as seen in its many incarnations is inspiring and makes one want to read the gospel of St. Mathew. However this version takes great effort to get through. Also based on the book "The Feast of Fools: A Theological Essay on Festivity and Fantasy". Still this is the only recording we have to remember a play a time and a message. And the song "Day by Day" pretty much expresses the reason for the play and the reason to be part of the larger play.

Better than Superstar:
Someone said that this musical is horrible and if you wanted to see a Bible-based retelling of the Gospels to see Jesus Christ Superstar or !Hero. First of all, Jesus Christ Superstar is not Biblical and denies the diety of Christ (the writers aren't even Christians). !Hero is a well-intentioned try, but it's not the Bible, its paralellism (like sandwiches out of a backpack instead of bread and fish for feeding the 5000). Godspell, while at first seeming entirely bizarre and maybe even mocking, once you take a good look at it, you can see that they are really presenting the teachings of Jesus (whereas Superstar only presented the 'drama' of the story) in a fun and creative way that doesn't take away from the message. The songs are great too, although they may need some time to grow on you (because it is very very 70's). One thing to keep in mind is that this movie is told in presentational form, where the audience is acknowledged and talked to. The actors in the movie are playing *actors*. The movie is meant to be understood that the people in the movie are *actors* acting out the stories. Once you get this, it's a very entertaining movie with great songs, dancing, and creative ways of modernizing some aspects of the Gospel without completely changing the message. I suggest getting it if you enjoy musicals in general, or if you're looking for a good alternative to Jesus Christ Superstar.