Godspell: A Musical Based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew (1973)

Director:

David Greene

Writers:

David Greene (screenplay) and
John-Michael Tebelak (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 August 1973 (Denmark)

Genre:

Musical

Tagline:

Godspell comes to the screen !

Plot:

An adaption of the musical, in a modern-day song-and-dance recreation of the Gospel of St. Matthew.

Plot Keywords:

Bible | Hippie | Christianity | Reference To Mae West | Shofar

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Victor Garber	...	Jesus
Katie Hanley	...	Katie
David Haskell	...	John / Judas
Merrell Jackson	...	Merrell
Joanne Jonas	...	Joanne
Robin Lamont	...	Robin
Gilmer McCormick	...	Gilmer
Jeffrey Mylett	...	Jeffrey
Jerry Sroka	...	Jerry
Lynne Thigpen	...	Lynne

Also Known As:

Godspell (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew | Spanish

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:Btl | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Andrew Carnegie Mansion - 2 East 91st Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Victor Garber's first movie.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The conceit that New York City is magically empty of people (other than Jesus and his disciples) is messed up only once - during the baptism scene on Bethesda Terrace, a man in the background of Central Park Lake can be seen frantically trying to row his boat out of the camera's view (he is visible in 3 separate shots).

Quotes:

Merrell: There once was a king.
Everyone: Yeah yeah.
Merrell: Who decided to settle accounts with the men who served him.
Everyone: Yeah yeah yeah.
Merrell: Well at the outset there appeared before the master a man whose debt ran into the millions.
Everyone: What?
Merrell: I said the millions!
Everyone: Whoa!
Merrell: Since the man had no means of paying the money the master ordered him to be sold to meet the debt with his wife.
Everyone: Whoa!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in My Best Friend's Birthday (1987)

Soundtrack:

We Beseech Thee

Wonderful music!

The story of "Godspell" is not one of the Christ's Passion, it's not about the angst among his disciples or the sexual tension he had with Mary Magdalen. It's a positive story focusing on Jesus' teachings and parables, told in a lighthearted way, with some outstanding music and spectacular location photography (particularly in the song "It's All for the Best").

While the hippie-like costuming and the semi-clown makeup seem to outrage some folks, and are admittedly dated today, the movie should be looked at in the context in which it was created. Jesus, in the eyes of those in power during his life, was a radical extremist and a threat to the status quo. He taught lessons of love, empowerment, inclusion, justice--well, you get the idea. Hippie clowns were the logical vehicle to present those lessons at the time "Godspell" hit the big screen.

But when you get past the period set and costume design, and to the basic show, "Godspell" is a wonderful entertainment. First, and most often mentioned by everyone, is the amazing location photography. You have to see it to appreciate it. Next is the music. Although the most commercial song in the show is the repetitive "Day by Day," the one song that most people remember from "Godspell", there are many beautiful melodies. My favorite is "By My Side", the only one with the music NOT written by the composer, Stephen Schwartz. It has beautiful harmonies, and Katie Hanley does a great job on lead vocal. The rest of the songs are nearly as good, and all are quite singable.

About the cast: Victor Garber (Jesus) is the most recognizable today, although for years, until her untimely death, Lynne Thigpen would probably have been recognized by more people. Garber has had quite a successful theatrical career, and has appeared in supporting roles in many movies and TV shows. Ms. Thigpen, who was mostly known for her PBS shows, had an award-winning stage career, as well as being very successful on the small screen.

Sadly, David Haskell (John the Baptist/Judas) and Jeffrey Mylett are no longer with us. I won't list the entire cast, since you can find that easily enough (if you're reading this, you probably already have!), but I will say that they ALL sang very well and displayed personalities that made you want to get to know them. The passing of musicals as a staple of the movie studio probably prevented these talented singer/actors from reaching a broader audience. I hope that they've all found success on stage.

At the very least, I hope that they all know how their lively, engaging performances and beautiful singing have brightened our lives. It's been over thirty years since I first saw "Godspell" in the theater, and as I watched it yesterday on cable TV, I was reminded how much that movie meant to me.

And by the way, I'm not a Christian. But if I were, I'd like to be one as portrayed in "Godspell".