Pippin: His Life and Times (1982 TV Movie) User Reviews

Fosse lives on in Pippin

[Bingo84 · 8/10 · 17 March 2001]

A very good production of the wonderful musical "Pippin". Ben Vereen is terrific in his role as Leading Player. William Katt and the rest of the cast do an equally stunning job in their roles.

Even though some scenes were cut (the talking decapitated head scene and the duck death scene) and one entire song omitted (I Guess I'll Miss the Man), it doesn't detract from the overall performance, IMO. All of the other songs are included (in the DVD version anyway).

*** Possible spoiler ****

And to clarify one other reviewer's comments - there are officially two ways to deliver the final line in the play. Bob Fosse's approved final line (and the way that William Katt delivers it in this version) is "Trapped ... which isn't too bad for the end of a musical comedy."

Pippin's author and lyricist's actual written line is "Trapped... but happy... which isn't too bad for the end of a musical comedy."

Since this filmed version was supervised by Fosse, his ending line was the one delivered.

*** End spoiler ***

The DVD version of the film was a bit of a let down, though. The video clarity and sound are o.k., but the thing that irked me on this Special Edition DVD was the total lack of any kind of insert (liner notes and lyrics would have been nice - and maybe a performance history), and Chapter Stops that don't make sense (I wish they had chapter stops placed at the beginning of each song, but they don't and you have to fast forward to get to them). The only thing special was the inclusion of a 5 minute Fosse interview.

This performance was very good to deserve something more than this Special Edition offers....

Film - 8 out of 10 (because they cut out my favorite song) DVD - 5 out of 10 (for lack of 'specials' in a Special Edition)

Yeah, the Video Taped version ain't great

[Gislef · 8/10 · 16 April 1999]

But it still manages to capture the look, feel, and spirit of the original stage production. Great musical numbers and dance numbers compensate, IMO, for the flaws of bringing it to video (and the original "director's cut" unedited version makes up for much of the cited flaws anyway).

Pippin isn't really adapted for video, but is rather simply a taping of a stage production (compare it to Cats - the video version _was_ staged for video). This is a mild flaw. Cats obviously takes advantage of F/X, close-ups, etc., while Pippin's camerawork is pretty much static.

The standout is Ben Vereen, at his peak here carrying the show. Chita Rivera (Fastrada) and Benjamin Rayson (Charlemagne) are the best of the supporting player. Katt and Denniston are kinda weak, and Martha Raye, while adequate, isn't as good as Irene Ryan in the original Broadway production.

Overall, Pippin is an entertaining musical which is competently captured on the (complete) video.

A Broadway production; not a Broadway performance

[skippyd89 · 8/10 · 24 February 2013]

I just want to point out a misconception many reviewers here keep expounding: this filmed record of PIPPIN in performance was not done on Broadway. This is either a national tour or a performance of the original show mounted in another city (LA, Chicago, San Francisco, London?). William Katt, Martha Raye, nor Chita Rivera, ever appeared on Broadway during the show's original 5 year run. This could explain the paring down of the script in this video record. Vareen, as pointed out, with his TONY already on his mantle for this role, is an originator. What is most important about this video is that it is the only record of Bob Fosse's work as choreographer and director of a complete show in existence. His dances for PAJAMA GAME and DAMN YANKEES, SWEET CHARITY exist in their Hollywood film versions, but not his conceptual Broadway work. The film of CHICAGO is a homage to him stylistically. However, that's the work of Rob Marshall.

A Masterpiece

[jeisrael · 20 October 1998]

This is one of the finest videos of a musical available anywhere. In addition to being an unbelievable musical, this top notch cast brings PIPPIN to an astounding level.

Particularly amazing is Ben Vereen... his singing, acting, and dancing abilities are on full display. Broadway legend Chita Rivera is also spellbinding in her small but show-stopping performance.

This is a musical not to miss!

One of my favorites

[debdshaw60 · 10/10 · 26 May 2020]

I love the musical and I love this cast. Ben Vereen is amazing and William Katt shines. The Fosse choreography is brilliant as always. Orgy aside, Evergreen is my favorite song.

You can also find the broadway reboot of this starring Neil Patrick Harris as the narrator and that's a fantastic show as well.

History as seen through the eyes of dance.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 13 October 2016]

This is an allegory of a person's life and goals and dreams and disappointments, utilizing a long dead, pretty much forgotten king (actually "Pepin"), practically fictionalized to show off a new wave of musical theatre that has moved on to other avenues yet is still greatly influenced by this entertaining, if now dated style. Bob Fosse, who had been around seemingly forever when this began its lengthy run, took on all the individual styles that he had used in his previous works, and had his first singular work on stage that melded all of those experimental ideas that had mastered his reputation on screen with the film versions of "Sweet Charity" and "Cabaret".

The whole idea of "Pippin" is basically a tale of growing up and finding oneself among the confusions of life. In the case of the dark ages prince Pippin, he's the smarter of the two sons of emperor Charlemagne, trying to figure out his destiny. Hr finds grandmotherly advice and love from a young lady, fatherly resentment and sibling rivalry. It's the "into the woods" theme with just one confused hero, and the giant in the sky is his own fear of an unknown future.

The greatest of American heroes, William Katt, is handsome, strong and sensual, perhaps lacking the vulnerability that oozes off the original cast album from John Rubinstein. Ben Vereen remains "magical" as the leading player, reminiscent of el Gallo in "The Fantadtiks" and the emcee in "Cabaret". Big names in small roles cone with Chita Rivera as his sensual wicked stepmother who only wants to", Spread a Little Sunshine" and Martha Raye who encourages us all to keep livin' in an audience sing along.

Certainly those who saw the original Broadway production or the smash revival will find disappointments in the cuts and certain aspects of this production, but it's what we've got as a representation of the original show. Most shows don't even get this! It's dated fun in its efforts to show us what it was all about, and indeed, there are moments that are quite wonderful. So as they had magic to do, some of it was really mystical.

We've Got Magic To Do

[FilmWiz · 8/10 · 23 June 2003]

What a wonderfully filmed Broadway show! The show is wonderfully done and the direction by Bob Fosse is like always wonderful. Ben Vereen was great as the Leading Player; full of life and song. William Katt sings beautifully, my only regret is that he is a stick when he does.

The plot is simple. Pippin is a prince who wants to do something important with his life. First he becomes a warrior, and then he becomes obsessed with women. And so on. Yet he never finds what he wants to do until the end, in the delightful scene, entitled `Pippins Grand Finale'. What a show. What a circus.

A musical not to be missed. Its only flaw is that like all taped live on stage videos is that something is lost. But thankfully, not as much is missing here. We have great entertainment, and the show was incredibly funny. So now it is time for me to stop rambling on and for you to click that little `buy the DVD from Amazon.com' button and purchase this movie from Amazon. You won't regret it!

It got magic to do… Just for you!

MPAA: NR

My Rating: 13 and up for mature themes, language and a brief scene of violence.

My * Rating 8.6

My favorite musical

[hempick · 10/10 · 17 April 2004]

I LOVE THIS MUSICAL (and this version in particular). I wish it would come back to Broadway and have Ben Vereen as the Leading Player again. Even though he is older, he would still be amazing. William Katt was great, Martha Raye was brilliant, and Benjamin Rayson was top notch as well.

To the reviewer who said the ending is lacking: They did that on purpose. It is supposed to be anticlimactic. If you paid any attention to the rest of the show you would have realized how brilliant the ending is. They even say at the end that it is a 'musical comedy.' The ending is the funniest joke in the whole show.

10/10

Very disappointing to anyone familiar with the musical.

[Bruce-39 · 4/10 · 15 November 1998]

This should have been great, but anyone familiar with the stage production will be disappointed. Great numbers are cut, (esp. most of Fastrada's "Spread a Little Sunshine" and all of Catherine's "I Guess I'll Miss the Man"). So are important lines, such as Pippin's discussion with the severed head after the poorly staged "Glory." When Pippin is king, he and others refer to critical lines that were cut, making the scene incomprehensible. They cut the death of Theo's duck, which is so important to that part of the show, and without which the rest of that that section makes no sense. They would have done better to cut all the ad libs and most of Martha Raye's pathetic (what's with the microphone?) appearance as Berthe. And to cap it all off, William Katt blows the final--and most important--line in the show, destroying the entire point of the production.

Magically Sarcastic

[dgomez618 · 8/10 · 7 March 2014]

Pippin Pippin is a musical comedy loosely based on a book, by Roger O. Hirson, written in 1891. Although historical events are mentioned within Pippin they are not an accurate representation of those events. Pippin is the oldest son of King Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great. The musical is centered around Pippin's ambitious search for a place where he belongs, but he also wants his life to be extraordinary. Even though the subject matter can be quite serious they have found a way to tell the story in a comical almost absurd, at times, way.

The main story line touches on a very basic human need, "to find where we belong." Within the story, they also explore many other emotions that are felt by people in general, to some degree or other, such as jealousy, greed, lust, envy, and love. Pippin was sent to the university, because his father values education, even though his father is not educated and can't even write his own name. While at the university Pippin became a scholar, but that was not fulfilling, and so he leaves the university and returns home. This is where the story begins.

There are many times within Pippin's search where I can see how this story represents everyday people, and their needs and wants. He joins his father and half-brother in war to try to win his father's approval, but finds that fighting a war, to further the spread of Christianity, "Even if we have to kill all the non-believers," does nothing but leave the stench of blood on his hands. He does not understand the "glory" his father and brother feel. Just like many of us don't understand the feelings of others when we disagree with what they are doing.

His grandmother tries to explain to him that he will find his "corner of the sky" by finding the simple joys in life. She explains that he doesn't want to be, "A man who never learned to be free until he was underground." So, he takes this advice and goes after what he considers the "simple things" sex, drugs, and alcohol, but this just leaves him feeling, "empty and vacant." Just like in real life these "simple joys" are never the answer. People think at the time it is helping, but soon find out that they have just embarked on a whole new set of problems.

Just like many of us, he then complains about how someone else is doing a job, thinking we can do it better. He sees his father as an unjust, prejudice, tyrant. He tries his hand at being king, but finds he can do no better, because you can't please everyone. He tries many other avenues such as art and the church before he encounters a widow and her young son. He tries to run from love, because, "nothing ever turns out how you think it will." He is then presented with the fact that there is only one perfect act, "The Finale." The conclusion that "The Finale," represents death is stated when he is told, "The final affirmation of life is death." For many people who spend their lives looking, and never finding what it is they are looking for, this is a true statement, and can be a very sad life. Pippin does finally come to the conclusion that, "If I am never tied to anything I can never be free." This musical touched on many things I see within life, and how people relate to the world around them. It was good to see a comical way of addressing the feeling that seems to be popular right now that, "I want such a little thing from life, I want so much." We seem to always be looking for something better, but when we get it it's not what we want. Everything is flawed in one way or another. It's like the old saying, "The grass always seems greener on the other side." Pippin was a great representation of this feeling. It also comically addressed societies' constant search to find happiness.

I really enjoyed the musical compositions, and actually found myself singing along. The dancers were wonderful. Ben Vereen's stage presence as the leading player was remarkable, and William Katt was an excellent choice to play Pippin. The part of Pippin's grandmother has beautifully portrayed by Martha Raye. I watched the DVD and now I can't wait to see it live.

Can you paint with all the colors of my wind?

[onepotato2 · 1/10 · 10 February 2007]

Perhaps there's a worse librettist in the history of musicals than Stephen Schwartz but I don't know one. What the hell does the lyric "morning glow/fill the earth/come and shine/for all you're worth/we'll be present/at the birth/of old faith looking new..." mean? He begins with a vague hopeful image but then the sentence keeps going and going, desperately trying to find it's point; the next twelve words do little to deepen things.

This is what annoys people about musicals. You can get away with perky, poorly written sentiment tossed away as dialogue (I've just named every drama that won an Oscar in the last 70 years) but as songs, the schlock is transparent. It's called padding; it appears most often on college exams and in poor creative efforts from the 60s and 70s. It was all Fosse could do to undermine this amorphous treacle with his more acid take on things. Schwartz could make a decent melody but his lyrics...ugh. Give him enough rope and he'll hang himself.

Pippin is absolutely trite, and in it's current form it barely resembles Fosse's work.

Extraordinary? Not quite...

[rdedirektor · 27 July 2003]

I first saw this movie while I was acting in a production of the show...just to get a feel for the songs and the choreography, not really paying much attention to the quality of the performances or the show as a whole. On repeated viewings since, however, I can say that...well, frankly, it doesn't make a very strong impression on me. I suppose there are several reasons for this; first of all, there's a lot of the script missing. But which script? There were actually two different "Pippin" scripts, which shared most of the songs and basic structure, but very little else. This production seems to be a mishmash of elements form both versions.

There are certain things I liked... Ben Vereen, of course, whose Leading Player was nearly flawless. William Katt did not sing as prettily as John Rubenstein, the original Pippin, but he seems to have a level of guts and passion that was missing earlier, as well, so that's okay, too. The nauseating "I Guess I'll Miss the Man" was cut (thank God). All good things.

But outweighed, unfortunately, by some negative aspects. First, casting...Chita Rivera has no place in the show. She doesn't sing it well, and the dance break seemed to be so that the producers could say, "Hey, look! We've got Chita Rivera!" The editing left a lot to be desired as well...there were whole expository scenes missing, and some really unnecessary ones left in. And most of all, it was just so FAST! Everyone spoke as if they would be penalized if the show ran over two hours...Ben Rayson as Charlemagne is most indictable for this, but all of the cast (even the incomparable Vereen) are guilty of it from time to time. I also felt that the ending was WAAAY too abrupt...there's so much more to be done with one of the most powerful final scenes in musical history, and they took the easiest possible exit.

All in all, I own it and watch it simply because there are way too few filmed stage versions of musicals available (the only others I can think of are Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Jeckyll and Hyde, Putting It Together, and Sweeny Todd).

I like movie musicals, but I like seeing them done on stage more than anything. I just wish there was a better reason than that for owning this one.

An excellent show that suffers (slightly) from replacements!

[909 · 8/10 · 15 June 1999]

Those people lucky enough to see this show in it's original Broadway run saw a brilliant cast performing a brilliant show with an equally brilliant director. The original cast, Ben Vereen, Irene Ryan (of Beverly Hillbillies fame) Leland Palmer, Jill Clayburgh, John Rubinstein, and others easily outshine William Katt (of Greatest American Hero fame) Martha Raye (of denture fame) and the rest. Still, it's a very good production, and nice to see that a Broadway show can, in fact, be filmed and appreciated without paying $100 to see it! The choreography is splendid. Katt's voice isn't horrible, in fact, he sings the difficult Stephen Schwartz music with apparent ease (not to same effect that John Rubinstein had, mind you) All in all, it's a good production, but more on par with what one would expect from a regional theater or really good community theater.

entertaining- touching- honest -and yes-sexy

[glen10000 · 8/10 · 14 March 2005]

here in the summary you have all of the elements for why i give this stage play an 8. probably it does not get a higher rating because i fail to understand why the author uses Charlemagne,his first born, Pippen to get where the go. maybe you have to read the book for that.Sometimes I think this play didn't know where it wanted to go. It appeared to be historical course with Chita Rivera, Pippin's mom pushing the second son to the king's attention. Then it appeared to address the futility, foolhardiness and carnage of war . Then we have the sex orgy. I wonder if this was a controversial play when it first appeared (60's ?} Even today, the anti-church line would be sure to attract the wrath of some section in the religious right And yet, this play "magically" (you'll See why I use quote if you watch) succeeds as a coming-of- age tale. Incidentally, I saw "Bonnie And Clyde" first; and believe it or nor - the both relate ! Pippin, however, realizes what is truly important.

Watch the Workprint on YouTube; the Televised Edit SUCKS

[udrivemenutty · 8/10 · 29 January 2015]

I had no idea what to expect when I watched this a few months ago. Irene Ryan lead me to "Pippin" (it's a shame her performance wasn't taped). This was my first "Fosse" experience - and I must say every performer was captivating.

The first version of this 1981 filmed production of "Pippin" that I watched was a leaked unedited workprint on YouTube. This offers you EVERY scene and EVERY song, with different camera angles than the released print. Once I watched the DVD, I truly question if the editor even paid attention to storyline (particularly the segment after "Morning Glow"). Perhaps the most butchered part was "The Hearth" portion of the show (as titled in the original Playbill). I wonder how Leslie Denniston felt when they cut out most of her narration and her song "I Guess I'll Miss The Man". Many many things were cut, including a stanza of my personal favorite song, "No Time At All". I can never watch this edited version so I have opted with a homemade edit combining both versions.

The production itself is truly amazing. Ben Vereen reprises his role as the Leading Player and Christopher Chadman reprises his role as Lewis. William Katt is wonderful as Pippin. Actually every actor does wonderful in this; there is not one person who I think was miscast. This production preserves the original sets and choreography of the original 1972 production - which is a big plus. One interesting note is that the lyrics for "War Is A Science" and "With You" differ from the Original Broadway Cast Album, the latter being changed the most. I don't necessarily prefer one over the other; it's nice to hear different versions of it.

I will warn you that this musical is very unlike most musicals out there as it bounces all over the place. It goes from war to sex to romance to suicide (but hey - it is a story about a man trying to find himself in the world). When I first watched this, the only song that stood out to me was "No Time At All", only because I previously listened to it before watching it. Then I found myself liking "Magic to Do" and "Simple Joys"....then practically every other song in this. This musical really grows on you. Great messages are scattered throughout; "Glory" is amazingly true (and haunting), as well as"No Time At All".

So be sure to watch the workprint on YouTube - you'll get some surprises out of it too; Martha Raye flubs lines in "No Time At All" which are dubbed over in the released print and at the end of "Morning Glow" the tape briefly cuts to a soap opera. Very amusing! But this is the only way to achieve the full experience of "Pippin".

Surprising & satisfying if you aren't familiar with the show

[jcravens42 · 9/10 · 1 November 2012]

I wasn't at all familiar with this musical. I had no idea what it was about. I knew Ben Vereen won a Tony Award for his performance in the 1970s production, and that there have been endless numbers of high schools and colleges of it. That's it. I stumbled upon this production on TV with no intention of watching it - and watched the whole thing, mesmerized and delighted. It's not so much the music, which is dated, and certainly not the Bob Fosse choreography, which is always *really* dated (jazz hands!!!). Rather, it is the amazingly layered story and themes, which are much more complex and timely than I ever expected, that drew me in. I suspect these very risqué, biting themes are completely glossed over/ignored in high school or college productions. And the performances by Ben Vereen, William Katt (he can sing?!? who knew!), Benjamin Rayson, and the amazing Chita Rivera are wonderful - I realize other reviewers did not like them, because they had seen other people in the role, but looking at them from a clean slate, I thought they were all perfectly cast and quite compelling. I really loved the simplicity of the production. Sure, I wish the camera work had been better, but given how rare it was (and still it) to film live theatrical productions, I thought the videographers did quite well.

It's all we got...

[nycruise-1 · 15 January 2008]

David Sheehan needs to be drawn and quartered for his handling of this classic musical (ugh - the cross-fades during the Manson trio dance, the poor framing, etc).

I love Chita Rivera but she is bit miscast as Fastrada.

William Katt might sound better if he was miked to the camera.

On the other hand, this is the only record we have this amazing musical circus. Obviously, even in pristine state, it would still lose something because it really is a live theater piece.

I simply have newbies watch it, explain the mistakes/edits, and have them listen to the original cast album.

A young prince named Pippin tries to find "his little corner of the sky" and ends up finding out it was right in front of him the entire time.

[Etoile1215 · 8/10 · 24 September 2005]

I thought the movie was hysterical. I thought William Katt was amazing as Pippin... he has a great voice. And Ben Verene? Yes. Amazing. I agree though- the orgy scene- oh my goodness. Way too much. But seeing as they're a Broadway company I guess they're able to do that. Two of our area high schools are planning on doing this show in the next year and I cannot imagine how they are going to be able do get it approved by the school board! Its a good laugh. I suggest it to anyone over the age of 13 who isn't too squeamish. I didn't know anything about Theo's duck dying. That's sad. And the bed scene is so funny... I don't see how the production could be done without it! Good luck pulling that off. All in all I think it was a challenging production that was done in a creative and classy way.

Wonderful, but strays from original

[starsaturn33 · 28 January 2001]

I'm in a production of Pippin (Player, Girl, Beggar, Courtier), and one day, my director sat us down and screened this movie for us. Well, Ben Vereen is fantastic!!! And Chita Rivera IS Fastrada. I don't think that anyone else can pull off being sexy in the same way that she does. The only one who blew it in my book was William Katt. He was a HORRIBLE Pippin. And what the heck was he doing bouncing around the stage like that yelling the line "GLORY'S IN THE AIR!" And the only thing that didn't tickle me like the rest of the movie did (the bedroom scene was HILARIOUS)was the cuts. They cut out Theo's duck dying and most of the lines when Pippin was made King. Some of the adlibs, I admit, were pretty funny, i.e. when the leading player yells at Catherine about flubbing the line ("But he touched my hand, they don't normally do that!" "I don't care WHERE he put his hands!"), but others were just really dumb. And the orgy scene made me blush furiously. Now, I admit, my production is cutting the bed scene and the duck dying, but it would've been better if we hadn't. The same applies for this. But other than that, this is a great movie.

Film Revival

[brookeshanks · 12 August 2005]

I read this on the Hollywood Reporter website: June 26, 2003 Miramax sets stage for 'Pippin' redo NEW YORK -- In the wake of the success of "Chicago," Miramax Films has danced its way to another Bob Fosse project by acquiring feature film rights to the Broadway musical "Pippin." The musical -- which debuted on Broadway in 1972 and ran for five years -- follows the story of Pippin, the son of Charlemagne, ruler of the ninth century Holy Roman Empire. After experimenting with sex and politics and experiencing the lessons of war, Pippin learns that the meaning of life lies in true love. "This is a passion project for me, just like 'Chicago,' " Miramax co-topper Harvey Weinstein said. "I saw this approximately 30 years ago with the original cast and have always wanted to make it into a movie."