Godspell (movie)

[alxscrz2]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 12:36am

I never seen this musical or heard any of the music except the song Day by Day. Is the movie worth buying ? Or should I just listen to the cast recording ?

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 1:12am

The movie and the stage show are very different. Godspell is written to be staged in a very stylized fashion: the last days of Christ as performed by a troop of clowns - sort of. There really wasn't an easy path to filming this show, so the movie's concept is dramatically different than the staged version. Having typed this, I think the movie is fun and worth watching. It also has a new song, Beautiful City, that I'm fond of. And, let's not forget that it introduced us to Victor Garber. Hmmm... Definitely rent or buy it and give it a watch.

[BDrischBDemented]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 2:07am

I kind of enjoy the movie, though it's the sort of thing that never really translates too well to screen. While it has its charms, it still feels a little too much like the Gospel according to Sesame Street. It's worth it to me for the generally solid performances and the intense amounts of location shooting.

And watching it only makes me realize how many of the cast members died relatively young. It's pretty sad in that sense, really.

[alxscrz2]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 3:03am

Thanks you guys. It sounds interesting. I think ill buy it :)

[wonkit]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 11:18am

I highly recommend it for its uniformly excellent cast including a very young Victor Garber. The use of New York City - Lincoln Center, Central Park, Times Square, tugboats in the harbor, the derelict Hudson River Piers - as a backdrop is, in my opinion, brilliant, but grab the Kleenex box, as one of the settings is the roof of the then unfinished now destroyed World Trade Center.

[raulmark]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 11:34am

yeah, I was going to mention about the WTC, also. I think the towers were just completed and opened at that time, and maybe not even officially opened? Great movie and use of NYC. I'm looking forward to it opening again on Broadway.

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 11:56am

FYI - the movie is available for instant viewing on Netflix. You may want to check it out there before making the purchase.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 5:47pm

I myself am not a fan of the Movie (there's just those musicals that don't transfer well to the screen) but I would totally recommend it to those who want to see what this musical is all about! it has both a great powerful and emotional Message and it's steven schwartz at his best.
Updated On: 1/10/10 at 05:47 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 5:55pm

...it's steven swartz at his best.

Stephen Schwartz, sweets.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 6:09pm

why I like Wicked I find it to have many flaws.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 6:37pm

THE BAKER'S WIFE is Schwartz's best.

I hate GODSPELL in performance, but that's neither here nor there. That being said, I like Ruthie Henshall's "Turn Back O' Man", but that's about it. Oh, and Laurie Beechman's "Beautiful City". I really dislike the whole approach of GODSPELL on stage/film though with the clown make-up and all that hippie trash.

P

[wonkit]

Posted: 1/10/10 at 8:18pm

I guess all the "hippie trash" doesn't bother me. This is meant to be a naive, innocent (if sadly over-simplified) telling of the gospel stories, and the characters are not HAIR hippies but idealized flower-children. The use of New York backgrounds in the movie eased some of the extreme cutesy-ness of the performance for me. When I saw a live performance at the York, I didn't enjoy the story as much, and found the dress-up approach a little tiresome.

[Dawn Davenport]

Posted: 1/11/10 at 3:44pm

My sister and I were obsessed with that movie the first time we saw it on television, back in the mid-70s. I have it on DVD but I've seen it so many times by now, I don't watch it much anymore.

I agree with those who say it's worth seeing---if only for practically-a-baby Victor Garber and the 1970s New York City locations (besides the wonderful songs, of course!) I wouldn't be the fan I am today of Victor Garber if I hadn't seen Godspell all those years ago...

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 1/11/10 at 3:45pm

I saw Godspell on stage again recently (a local production) and realized that, while I like the songs, I pretty much hate the rest of the show. I found it really obnoxious.

[gvendo2005]

Posted: 1/11/10 at 6:45pm

The one good production of Godspell I ever saw was when I was 8. It played the Victoria Theatre in Harlem, and it was an all-black cast. The arrangements were slanted toward gospel, R&B and rap, with some rock rhythms still in place. Absolutely fantastic production. It was supposed to transfer to Broadway with Ben Vereen and Jermaine Jackson mentioned as potential leads, but nothing came of it.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/11/10 at 7:55pm

Just watched this again on DVD. I forgot how mesmerizing Lynn Thigpen is. I truly miss her on stage, on TV, and in film. And her rendition of "Oh, Bless the Lord, My Soul" is terrific. Such energy and charisma. Wow.

Love the 1973 NYC locations. Love seeing Victor Garber SO YOUNG ... and David Haskell was truly HOT. I remember him from a few soaps later on, too. Sad he died so young.

And Lynn is gone, too.

That's the best part of film. Capturing moments in time like this forever.

And the Stephen Schwartz score is great. Such memorable melodies!

[wonkit]

Posted: 1/11/10 at 9:34pm

best12bars - you're absolutely right. Lynn Thigpen was so marvelous in this, and I never tired of watching her. And Garber and Haskell in "All for the Best" was probably my favorite of all.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 2:30pm

I know this will sound absurd, but I believe Lynne was the voice of the moon in Bear in the Big Blue House. Such a calming sweet voice!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 6:02pm

The book for the stage version of Godspell was always problematic because so much of the show was improvisational. The music has always carried the show. I've worked on this show and you have to make it up as you go along.

The movie had to solidify the book as well as deal with the fact that it wasn't playing to an audience, so it does differ from the stage version.

And I agree that Lynne Thigpen was a great theater artist.