Godspell (film)

Godspell
original film poster
Directed by	David Greene
Produced by	Edgar Lansbury
Written by	David Greene John-Michael Tebelak
Starring	Victor Garber David Haskell
Music by	Music and new lyrics Stephen Schwartz Song "By My Side": Peggy Gordon Jay Hamburger
Cinematography	Richard G. Heimann
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	March 21, 1973
Running time	103 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Godspell, released in 1973, is the film adaptation of the Off-Broadway musical Godspell created by John-Michael Tebelak.

Set in modern New York City, the film stars Victor Garber as Jesus and David Haskell as John the Baptist/Judas. John-Michael Tebelak is credited as co-writer of the screenplay and served as the creative consultant, although director David Greene said Tebelak did not write the screenplay. It was filmed in New York from August to November 1972.

Plot

The structure of the musical is, in large part, retained: a series of parables interspersed with musical numbers. Many of the scenes take advantage of well-known sites around New York City. John the Baptist (David Haskell) gathers a diverse band of youthful disciples to follow and learn from the teachings of Jesus (Victor Garber). These disciples then proceed to form a roving acting troupe that enacts Jesus's parables through the streets of New York. They often make references to vaudeville schtick.

Differences from the musical

The song "Beautiful City" was written for and first included in the film, while the songs "Learn Your Lessons Well" and "We Beseech Thee" were left out. The melody for "Learn Your Lessons Well" is used briefly in an early scene of the film and again as incidental music, while "We Beseech Thee" is heard in the scene inside Cherry Lane Theatre where Jesus (Victor Garber) plays its melody on the piano during the story of The Prodigal Son.

The film is deliberately less stagy than the stage version, with more dramatic emphasis put on the location shots, including the following:

• the Brooklyn Bridge, where John the Baptist walks down the pedestrian walkway while humming "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord" in the opening sequence;
• Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, in which the new disciples are baptized by John while singing "Prepare Ye";
• the Andrew Carnegie Mansion, in which they sing "Turn Back O Man";
• Times Square, where Jesus and John are silhouetted by a screen of lights as they dance to "All For the Best";
• the central fountain at Lincoln Center, where Jesus and Judas dance on the fountain's stone lip as they sing "All for the Best";
• the top of one of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, which was nearing completion at the time of the film's production;
• the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument on Riverside Drive;
• A bird's-eye view of Fifth Avenue from above and behind St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York), looking down on the Tishman Building, street address 666 Fifth Avenue during "Beautiful City";
• the Hell Gate Bridge on Randall's Island, where the disciples carry Jesus' body through the arches, creating a barrel-vaulted cathedral effect, after his crucifixion on a chain-link fence.

However, except for the opening scenes and the very last scene, the city appears devoid of people other than the cast.

While the film still presents the group in the form of a roving acting troupe, the characters overall are made out more as flower children and less as edgy social rebels.

While not visible, John-Michael Tebelak voiced the Pharisee Monster in the "Alas For You" song sequence.

Vocally, the chorus is very much in the same style, but solo parts are, at times, more lyrical. Notably, in "All Good Gifts", whereas Lamar Alford had used a dramatic tenor voice, Merrell Jackson uses a lighter voice and falsetto for the high ornament which creates a joyous effect.

Reception

The film was entered into the 1973 Cannes Film Festival.

Godspell received generally positive reviews in 1973. Allmovie Guide currently gives the film a three out of five rating. Various bands have covered songs from the film/musical.

Cast

For the eight (soon becoming nine) apostles, the role name is simply the actor's name. In the opening scenes, each of the eight apostles is presented in New York City as having an occupation. Several members of the cast were from the Off-Broadway show and attended Carnegie Mellon University, and many of them made their film debut with this production.

Below is a list of the characters and their songs, sorted by order in which the songs occur in the film.

Cast

Actor	Role	Occupation	Song(s)	Later life
Victor Garber	Jesus Christ	n/a	Save the People/All For the Best/Alas For You/Beautiful City/Finale	Working actor; appearances include Deathtrap (1978) and Sweeney Todd (1979) on Broadway, James Cameron's film Titanic (1997), and TV series Alias
David Haskell	Judas Iscariot / John the Baptist	n/a	Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord/All For the Best	Died of brain tumor in 2000
Robin Lamont	Robin	window shopper	Day by Day	Currently a lawyer and criminal prosecutor.
Joanne Jonas	Joanne	ballet dancer	Turn Back, O Man	Health care professional/therapist in Northern California.
Lynne Thigpen	Lynne	college student	Bless the Lord	Died of cerebral hemorrhage in 2003 Featured as the DJ in 1979's 'The Warriors'
Merrell Jackson	Merrell	garment trade	All Good Gifts	Died in 1991
Jerry Sroka	Jerry	parking attendant	Light Of The World (1)	Voice actor
Gilmer McCormick	Gilmer	model	Light Of The World (2)	Working actor and teacher. Married Stephen Reinhardt, who was one of the music directors.
Jeffrey Mylett	Jeffrey	taxi driver	Light Of The World (3)	Died of AIDS in 1986
Katie Hanley	Katie	diner waitress	By My Side	Sculptor living in Illinois.

See also

• Godspell (album)

External links

• Godspell at the Internet Movie Database
• Godspell at AllRovi
• Patches and Face Paint- A Godspell Fansite
• Godspell: From Stage to Screen
• Kelly's Godspell Playground