Such a frustrating disappointment

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The message of Godspell is basically, hey kids, Jesus is a groovy cat who wants you to treat people good. This was my idea of Jesus as a pre- atheist kid: not the miracle Jesus, or the gory bleeding Jesus, or the Jesus sending folks to hell, or the Jesus that requires nothing except unfailing belief, but that fellow who talked about the Good Samaritan and not throwing the first stone. I'm also a fan of hippies and prefer the folk-rock of Hair to the traditional Broadway of Rogers and Hammerstein, and I had the original cast recording as a kid and was a big fan. So really, this movie is the sort I would expect to like.The movie is wonderfully joyous, with a talented cast prancing and singing and running and painting their faces. It's fun, although it also can feel a little like something you'd get from a Christian group doing skits at the local high schools.One of the movie's great strengths is its New York locales. The movie begins with a bunch of young, multi-racial folk living their frustrating city lives only to be visited by someone bringing a message of joy. Then they run through the fountains and take over the vacant lots and, now ironically, sing "All for the Best" on top of the World Trade Center.The movie finds many imaginative ways to tell bible stories, including using old silent movies, but this is still basically a movie in which people tell bible stories, one after the other. There's little in the way of story or character, so the whole thing begins to feel like a review. For a while my attention flagged, although the darker last third revived me somewhat.The music is terrific, including Day by Day and the honky tonk Turn Back Oh Man (but not, alas, Learn Your Lessons Well, which was cut), and the cast - pulled from early stage productions, is talented and fun and attractive, even if the funny voices occasionally seem overdone.Overall, this is a tremendously fun movie. I may not believe in hippy Jesus anymore, but I still like the fantasy.

It is ironic that one of the financial capitols of the world would be used metaphorically to draw out the last days of Jesus with an ensemble of outcasts and freaks, world-weary in early 70's Manhttan, and brought together by the blast of an ancient trumpet to the song "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!" When Jesus does appear, it is ironically in Central Park's notorious Ramble, facing the Angel which graces Bethesda Terrace's fountain.Everybody who watches this movie is going to look at it in a different way, and for me, it is like Jesus coming to modern times for a day, gathering up young followers craving something to believe in, showing them how he suffered and died, all to remove the sins of the world. Unlike the same era's "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Godspell" is told without pretension, and thus remains an easy-going look at a subject that sometimes becomes taboo because of the political correctness atmosphere which has taken over freedom of speech and the simple joys which was the bulk of the message of Jesus in his real time on earth.David Haskell seems to be playing an amalgamation of both John the Baptist and Judas, seen baptizing young Victor Garber, clad in Superman T-Shirt with suspenders and frizzy afro. This Jesus is like a late-day flower child, filled with love, yet overcome with anger only briefly when his message is not taken seriously. Jesus takes his followers all over Manhattan and to the delightful songs of Stephen Schwartz, tells them what is expected of them. The message is simple: Love your neighbor as yourself, don't worship God AND money, and when wrongs are done to you, turn the other cheek and forgive.A recent Broadway revival failed in the critic's eyes because of its overly simple manner, but any version of "Godspell" is going to have to thrive on its innocence, rather than the pretentious revivals that have been done of "Jesus Christ Superstar". This revival did still have a fairly lengthy run in spite of the reviews, showing that there is still a vast atmosphere of innocence, while the simultaneously running "JCSS" didn't have similar success as far as a lengthy run was concerned.One of the best moments has the cast literally going across town in a matter of seconds from being at Grant's Tomb down to the World Trade Center and back to Central Park. Haskell and Garber have a great moment where they dance on a skyscraper in Times Square that seems like something out of the 1940's. A new song, "Beautiful City", is as potent to me as both versions of "New York, New York" in what makes New York City exciting. This film not only doesn't hide the sinful side of Manhattan's obsession with fiancé, but also pays tribute to the joy that comes out of its creative and sometimes hidden spiritual side as well.Of the remainder of the cast, only Lynne Thigpen has any familiarity, the rest being delightfully obscure yet talented young performers who never became headliners even on the Broadway stage. For that, this film is unique in its presentation, and is a very worthy record of what the original Broadway production tried to reveal to its audience in its very spiritual message. The film does become a downer towards the end, but there is a sense of irony as the shot of the crucified Jesus is replaced by Park Avenue crowds just before the credits roll.

I come back to this movie every decade or so of my life, and I always walk away in love with it again.While in content it might diverge a bit from standard canon, in its soul i have always felt it was the BEST and truest to the essence telling of the Christ story ever made.Jesus after all, WAS a peace-loving, communal-living, drug-sharing hippie. (What drugs you ask? I remind you that the drug of choice in the time and place was alcohol, and refer you to a certain marriage scene in Cana.) Just like the hippies of the 60s, he violated the social and moral conventions of his day in order to say that there was a better way to live.JC Superstar is a far more impressive literary work. But Godspell to me says it all without the confusion and pretension that has crept in in the past 2000 years.

As I placed "Godspell" into my DVD player, I could feel a certain skepticism in myself that I don't normally get when it comes to movie musicals. Being a Jewish teen watching a musical based on the gospel according to St. Matthew really makes you wonder whether the film is meant for you. Thankfully, I enjoyed it immensely. "Godspell" is some kind of forgotten and underrated musical classic among the more contemporary movies and Broadway shows. It is relaxing, funny, entertaining, and heartfelt.The film takes place in NYC. Here we are introduced to eight common-folk just trying to make the best of their lives in the world. One is a clumsy waitress, another controls traffic, another is a struggling actress, etc. Then, a mystical being appears, a man by the name of John. Once he blows the shofar, the eight disciples abandon their lifestyle and meet up in Central Park, where John baptizes them in the nearby water fountain in song. That's when another person comes into the picture, a wimpy but outgoing man wearing light circus makeup and a "Superman" t-shirt with an afro by the name of Jesus. He is baptized also by John, who is rather stunned by his appearance. Jesus goes on to teach the eight other people of God's ways and his commandments.You get the point. Basically, "Godspell" is about Jesus Christ. You've probably seen this many times before. But this movie musical, based on the off-Broadway show, is fresh and original in its ways of storytelling.Of course, a heavy point of the movie is religion. "Godspell" came out in 1973, the same year as the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's "Jesus Christ Superstar." Why do I prefer "Godspell" to the latter? As beautiful as the music from "Jesus Christ Superstar" is, Norman Jewison directed the film from a Christian standpoint. Therefore, it doesn't work for everyone. Obviously, "Godspell" finds its place among Christian viewers, but it doesn't favor that specific religion. You don't have to be Christian to like it, as you can already tell from when I mentioned I was Jewish. There are even great instances of spoken Hebrew in the film.Stephen Schwartz, known best for scoring the music for shows such as "Pippin" and "Wicked," makes great music for this film. It is not too difficult for the actors to perform, but it feels like Broadway through and through. Such songs as "God Save The People," "All For The Best," "By My Side," and of course "Day By Day" make their mark here and really stand out among songs from other movie musicals.The cast is relatively, and sensibly, unknown, but everyone shines here, even if they don't have major Broadway voices. At least three of the film's cast members starred in the original stage production, and do very well adapting to film. But many of you will recognize a young Victor Garber as Jesus. With a string of performances in his Broadway repertoire("Sweeney Todd," and "Assassins" came later in his career), this was Garber's big break in the film business, and does an amazing job here. He has a great enthusiasm and love for the role, and provides the character with the wisdom and importance he deserves, as well as a great singing voice.In the end, "Godspell" is a fun and lovable musical with positive morals, a good cast, great songs, and an ending that erupts with intense rock and roll beauty and emotion. The older moviegoers who have known the show since they were young will probably enjoy the movie version as well, but it deserves more appreciation from the teenage theatre buffs who are raised on the newer form of musicals. Thank God for "Godspell!"