Godspell (1973)

Godspell
Directed by David Greene
Written by David Greene and John-Michael Telebak from Telebak’s book for the Off-Broadway musical
1973/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental

When your faith is all but shattered
When your faith is all but killed
You can give up bitter and battered
or you can start to slowly build …

A beautiful city
Yes, we can; yes we can
We can build a beautiful city
Not a city of angels but finally a city of man  – lyrics and music by Stephen Schwartz, updated post 9/11

It’s hard to write a review today as the U.S. Capitol is under siege.  I’m not thrilled with the direction or concept of this movie but the music is so inspirational and uplifting that I might watch it again today.

The film is set on the streets of New York City and you almost get a travelogue along with your musical.  It was filmed when the World Trade Center had almost completed construction so the towers keep showing up everywhere.

The story is based on the Gospel According to Matthew.  It covers Jesus’s life from his baptism by John the Baptist through the Passion and a symbolic resurrection.  The performers are clad to look like a combo of hippies and clowns.  Everything is done fairly simply and broadly.

The message of the Gospel is conveyed through vignettes including several amusing enactments of the Parables.

I’ve been listening to Steven Schwartz’s score since before the movie was made.  I still listen to the Broadway and off-Broadway cast recordings once in awhile when I need to cheer up.

The cast performs “All for the Best” throughout New York ending the song atop the World Trade Center, which was then under construction.