Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1999)

A humourously musical retelling of the Biblical story of Joseph (Donny Osmond).

Director:

David Mallet

Writers:

Tim Rice (book), Michael Walsh

Stars:

Donny Osmond, Maria Friedman, Richard Attenborough

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donny Osmond	...	Joseph
Maria Friedman	...	Narrator
Richard Attenborough	...	Jacob
Ian McNeice	...	Potiphar
Joan Collins	...	Mrs. Potiphar
Robert Torti	...	Pharaoh
Christopher Biggins	...	The Baker
Alex Jennings	...	Butler
Nicholas Colicos	...	Reuben (as Nicolas Colicos)
Jeff Blumenkrantz	...	Simeon
David J. Higgins	...	Levi (as David J Higgins)
Patrick Clancy	...	Issachar
Shaun Henson	...	Napthali
Martin Callaghan	...	Asher
Sebastien Torkia	...	Dan

Storyline

In this filmed adaption of the long-running musical, we see the story of Joseph (Donny Osmond), son of Jacob (Sir Richard Attenborough). The favored son, he is betrayed by his jealous brothers and sold into slavery and driven to Egypt. Though beset with adversity, Joseph perseveres through wit and faith and becomes the Governor of Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh (Robert Torti). This all the sets the scene for when he meets his brothers who have come to Egypt to purchase food.

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Plot Keywords:

slavery | pharaoh | lifting male in air | lifting someone into the air | brother brother relationship | 

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Taglines:

Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber's Classic Family Musical

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Genres:

Musical

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Coat of Many Colors" is a mistranslation. According to the highly-respected eleventh-century scholar Muhammed Ibn Ibrahim Al-Thalabi, the original words were "garment with marks". (One of the King James Bible translators added the word "many"). It is not certain what the "marks" were nor what they represented. Some scholars believe that the garment may have been a symbol of Jacob's position as High Priest of the tribe, and that the older brothers were angry because Jacob chose to pass them over and give Joseph the priesthood instead of them.

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Goofs

When singing "Any Dream will Do" (reprise), during the lines "Give me my colored coat, etc" Joseph comes forward holding the coat in front of him. Two children dressed in red are standing next to Jacob and the Narrator. They are now behind Joseph. Just when the song ends, the cast crowd around him and then we see and overhead shot of a star. Joseph is now at the back with the two children, Jacob and Narrator in front of him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Some folks dream of the wonders they'll do before they're time on this planet is through. Some just don't have anything planned, they hide their hopes and their heads in the sand. Now I don't say who is wrong, who is right. But if by chance you are here for the night, then all I need is an hour or two to tell the tale of a dreamer like you.
Narrator: We all dream a lot. Some are lucky, some are not. But if you think it, want it, dream it, then it's real. You are what you feel. But all that I ...

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Crazy Credits

Ending credits feature clips of each actor with real name listed and then of that actor in his/her character with that name listed as well. The credits of each of the 11 brothers appear in the same order as they are mentioned during the 'Jacob & Sons Song' scene: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Naphtali, Isaachar, Asher, Dan, Zebulun, Gad, Benjamin, Judah

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Connections

Referenced in The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

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Soundtracks

Those Canaan Days
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Performed by David J. Higgins, Richard Attenborough and the Brothers

User Reviews

Ah, a return to my own childhood

Nearly thirty years ago, the church choir I was a member of staged an entertainment evening, the first half of which was a 45-minute 'sung story' called Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Nearly thirty years on, and I have a chance to show my own children what a wondrous musical this was and continues to be.

I also have to confess that, when I first heard of this release, I was one of those people who went 'Donny Osmond???!!??'. Again, this was coloured by memories of 30-odd years of knowing him as a 70's teenybopper, but I have to admit that I was very pleasently surprised by his performance here. The years he spent playing Joseph on stage show in his performance, and it also made me forget Jason Donovan or Philip Schofield in the part.

The film succeeds both by acknowledging the most recent stage productions, and returning to its roots. It was originally written as a school stage show, and the prologue in the assembly hall returns to it to the original setting. Having the teachers (and yes, I took a double take on Joan Collins on the piano) go on to be the singers and actors grounds the film, and the opening up of the stage setting is done without ever letting you forget it was a stage show.

The support cast are all good - it's especially satisfying to see the likes of Richard Attenborough and Christopher Biggins doing musicals again after nearly 30 years as well. Joan Collins has a whale of a time as Mrs Potiphar, and Pharaoh gets down and rocks with the best of them. Maria Freidman as the narrator shows her vocal range to perfection - currently she is the main attraction in the stage show of Witches of Eastwick.

All in all, good family fun, and worth watching with your kids.

Details

Official Sites:

The Really Useful Group

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Great Performances: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Really Useful Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.55 : 1