X
- 1973
- G
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 43 m
- 1973
- G
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 43 m
Summary An adaption of the musical, in a modern-day song-and-dance recreation of the Gospel of St. Matthew.
Directed By: David Greene
Written By: John-Michael Tebelak, David Greene
- 1973
- G
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 43 m
- 1973
- G
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 43 m
Godspell
65
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Where to Watch
Summary An adaption of the musical, in a modern-day song-and-dance recreation of the Gospel of St. Matthew.
Directed By: David Greene
Written By: John-Michael Tebelak, David Greene
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
65
50% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
33% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
17% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
65
50% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
33% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
17% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
The thing about Godspell that caught my heart was its simplicity, its refusal to pretend to be anything more than it is. It's not a message for our times, or a movie to cash in on the Jesus movement, or even quite a youth movie. It's a series of stories and songs, like the Bible is, and it's told with the directness that simple stories need: with no tricks, no intellectual gadgets, and a lot of openness.
Thomas Andrews in Titanic and Spy Daddy Jack Bristow in Alias, sings so sweetly and wears his suspenders, goofy face paint, and guileless enthusiasm so well in the film that it’s easy to see both why he was plucked from the Canadian theatrical cast for the role. And why a bunch of similarly-minded hippies would want to follow him around an empty New York City and sing about love for a hundred minutes.
I like its music, its drive and its determination, even when it's pretending to a kind of innocence and naiveté that I never for a second believe.
Original production’s appealing aspects have remained intact – a strong Stephen Schwartz score and an infectious joie de vivre conveyed by an energetic, no-name cast. So also, unfortunately, have its flaws – a relentlessly simplistic approach to the New Testament interpreted in overbearing children’s theatre-style mugging.
Those who lived through the 1960s will enjoy this more than those who haven't, but in the final analysis, Godspell is generally a disappointing film version of a small musical that rocked audiences with its fervor.
Maybe the broad gestures, colorful costumes, and exaggerated acting worked in the theater. As a movie, it's actively, fascinatingly terrible, with a vision of Christ more likely to instill in viewers a fear of traveling bands of loony street performers than a desire to embrace the Holy Spirit.
User Reviews
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Columbia Pictures
Release Date Mar 21, 1973
Duration 1 h 43 m
Rating G
Tagline Godspell comes to the screen!
Awards
Cannes Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Writers Guild of America, USA
• 1 Nomination
