Godspell

Amazon.com

Comparing Godspell to its near-contemporaries Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair is unavoidable, but Godspell has developed its own unique following. With their thrift-store-meets-circus-performer garb, the characters in David Greene's adaptation of the popular off-Broadway production may look more like the hippies in Hair than the biblical personages of Superstar. But Godspell isn't really about the "Age of Aquarius," nor does it adopt a dark or operatic tone towards its subject matter, the Gospel according to Matthew. The mood is, instead, upbeat and uplifting (at least until the crucifixion sequence).

The film opens with youthful city dwellers from various walks of life dropping their activities to follow John the Baptist (David Haskell from the original New York production). They sing ("Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord") as he leads them into a fountain where they are (metaphorically) baptized. There they meet Jesus (Victor Garber). Frizzy hair and mime makeup aside, the handsome young Garber (Titanic, Annie) is convincing in his film debut. Once baptized, they follow him around various scenic New York locations, singing and acting out passages from the Scriptures.

The largely unknown cast is talented and charismatic, but the film is only fitfully engaging on an emotional level because only Jesus, John, and Judas (Haskell again) emerge as distinct characters. Stephen Schwartz's pleasing pop-rock score, however, helps to smooth over the rough spots, and Robin Lamont's hit version of "Day by Day" remains a highlight. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Godspell a big hit with my Christian school kids!.......2007-09-09

This movie is based on the play by the same name. The music is fun and my students love it. I use this movie to help review the parables of Jesus we learned in class. The only downfall is that Hollywood totally ended this movie the wrong way. While they're singing about "Long Live God" at the end, they walk around the streets of New York with Jesus dead. Not true, Hollywood. The lyrics were meant to show that Jesus lived after he died.

Godspell again.......2007-09-06

The rock opera was filmed in New York in the 70s. The twin towers were prominent. It was very good.

Nostalgic and Fun...and Extraordinarily dated.......2007-08-26

I saw this movie probably a half dozen times when it first came out, and thought it was amazing. Of course, I was 13 then and rock musicals were something new and different. It was one of those films that pointed me in the direction of Musical Theatre performance and direction.

Watching it recently as a reference for a production I am directing and choreographing, I found it to be trite, dated, missing large portions of the musical itself, and just so terribly dated it was of little reference value for a modern production of the show.

There are some things I still love -- the cast (I can imitate half of the facial expressions on command); the songs; the whimsy. I do love that they replaced We Beseech Thee with Beautiful City -- a change not permitted for current productions, and a prettier song at a clumsy transition point in the stage musical.

But watching the movie is almost impossible without cringing now -- the orchestrations are terrible, the videography dated, the colors washed out. Victor Garber looks more effeminate now than he did when I was 13, of course, but it detracts from the overall taste. NYC looks dirty, dingy, and...well...smelly in this movie. Yeah Yeah, I know, I lived there for 14 years shortly after this movie was released and it WAS dirty, dingy and smelly...but it's a NYC most of us would choose to forget rather than glorify.

For a far superior musical theatre interpretation on film, set in NYC, see HAIR.

Don't get me wrong, I love the show, once upon a time this was a solid movie musical, but it is just an empty shell of itself at this time. For serious musical theatre nostalgia buffs only.

BUY THIS MOVE+ONE FOR A FRIEND!.......2007-08-26

Godspell is something like a deceptively whimsical "Sesame Street" style synopsis and presentation of the very real, hard hitting, teachings and ministry of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The music and acting are both enchanting and thoroughly enjoyable.

Watch this movie a few times -- carefully -- and you'll have more than an elementary grasp of the essential teachings of Christ and the foundation of His Church. That is, apart from the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Scribes (called lawyers here), and what was ungodly and godly, common Judaism.

I very highly recommend Godspell to anyone over age 15. Kids will find it funny and amusing, whereas it is hoped that older, more thoughtful and open minded people, should come away from this amazing movie both disturbed and greatly exhilarated.

FYI, Godspell was filmed (partly) atop one of the yet-unfinished World Trade Center towers. (Just before their completion, whilst filming Godspell: circa 1972-73.)

May this movie plant a holy seed within you, to grow into something beautiful -- and bear much good fruit.

godspell dvd.......2007-07-30

we love this movie and I knew that i would be able to find it on amazon! thanks!

Average customer rating:

WOW! I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS IN A LONG TIME! GREAT TV MOVIE!

The California Kid
Starring: Nick Nolte , Michelle Phillips , Stuart Margolin , Vic Morrow , and Martin Sheen
Director: Richard T. Heffron
Manufacturer: Edi Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000S88JT8
Release Date: 2007-07-24

Customer Reviews:

WOW! I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS IN A LONG TIME! GREAT TV MOVIE!.......2007-07-10

This is a very good TV movie from the mid 70's. The story is about a small town and it's sadistic sheriff(played by Vic Morrow) who has a unique way of dealing with out of town highway speeders. He just rams them until they go out of control and go over the side a famous cliff on the outskirts of the small town. Saves a lot of time and the tax payers money! right? That is until the "California Kid"(played by Martin Sheen) comes to town looking for his brother, who's missing! I was lucky enough to order this through Amazon when it was available! The DVD transfer is very good, but no extras. I would be happy to have a few classic TV movies on DVD like this, extras or not! Keep them coming! "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark",Bad Ronald,"The Boy Who Cried Werewolf" Oh the 70's TV movies were great!

Jesus Is My Superhero - Hillsong Kids - DVD

Average customer rating:

Great DVD!
awesome dvd's

Jesus Is My Superhero - Hillsong Kids - DVD

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

ASIN: B000F5J12S

Product Description

Jesus Is My Superhero is the first ever kids worship album from Hillsong, and features live, energetic praise and beautiful worship. DVD Features: 15 Song Live Event Video. 14 Performance Trax Videos with lead vocals On/Off functionality. Superhero King Of Majesty I'm Really Happy Never Give Up Blessed Oh How I Love You Anthem Of Praise Alive You're The One Get Up And Dance Breathe Night Song Did You Konw Your Eyes Superhero (reprise)

Customer Reviews:

Great DVD!.......2007-04-25

This DVD really keeps my children hopping! They like to do the hand motions, and worship along!

awesome dvd's.......2007-03-14

The Hillsong Kids dvd's are tremendous! Great music, hand motions, dance moves and spiritual truth. Highly recommend!!!!

Average customer rating:

Why did you called it "life of Jesus", M. Dumont ?
All thumbs down
North Punch

Life of Jesus
Starring: David Douche , Marjorie Cottreel , Kader Chaatouf , Sébastien Delbaere , and Samuel Boidin
Director: Bruno Dumont
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 1572524774
Release Date: 1999-12-31

Amazon.com

In a dreary small town in the north of France, the local teenagers go around in circles. Twenty-year-old Freddy (David Douche) might be called a skinhead, but that suggests some passion or political direction, and Freddy has none. A mean-faced, rudely simple young man, Freddy is aimless and indifferent, and his relationship with his girlfriend Marie (Marjorie Cottreel) seems to be entirely about mechanical sex. Things turn violent when an Arab boy flirts with Marie, and Freddy explodes in vengeance. Life of Jesus director Bruno Dumont means to disturb, and he succeeds almost too well; the misery of this world, rendered in detached glimpses, is relentlessly bleak. Clearly influenced by the great French director Robert Bresson, Dumont does have a purpose, and the enigmatic title hints at it: if we can find a divine spark in the brutish Freddy, then charity can exist anywhere. Among the startling elements in this film are a few moments of unfaked sexual explicitness, reportedly achieved by use of body doubles. But for sheer shock value, sexual frankness pales next to the vacant, voided lives laid bare in this grim picture; that's the real obscenity. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Why did you called it "life of Jesus", M. Dumont ?.......2001-03-13

The answer of Dumont is "keep searching, sir". Watch again the movie in 20 years, Scott, and you will may understand... Dumont is simply one of the greatest directors of our time. "Humanity" was the confirmation. And Cronenberg doesn't miss the point in Cannes...

All thumbs down.......2000-04-11

Neither the story nor the characters presented in Life of Jesus are very complicated. And no doubt that's intentional. But for me the simplicity seemed to feel as much like the results of a first-and-only-draft screenplay than anything else. The main character, Freddy, is a shallow, sullen, uninteresting sort of fellow. He and his friends dislike and harass an Arab teenager, initially for racist reasons, pure and simple, but then the Arab boy starts flirting with Freddy's girlfriend and conveniently presents Freddy and his friends with another reason to despise him. But of course the Arab boy doesn't really seem to be such a bad guy at all-not nearly as unlikable as Freddy and his friends. You almost wonder why can't Freddy and his friends just sit back and watch the movie with us and see how obvious it is-painfully obvious in fact-that this Arab fellow is really just a nice guy and that there is no good reason for them to hate him?

I guess we as viewers are intended to ponder whether it's possible to find in Freddy's soul any trace of decency and goodness that might be found in someone at the other end of the good-bad spectrum of humanity--someone like, oh--I don't know--how about maybe Jesus, for example? Well, I did take a moment to ponder that. (My answer: maybe, I guess--whatever.) Then I took a moment to ponder the still-shrink-wrapped promotional copy of Lost in Space in the closet that had been--of the movies available for me to watch that afternoon--the one I mistakenly thought I would least like to see.

Now I've never been a teenager who lived in a small town in the north of France, but I have been a teenager, so I think I can speak with some authority on how they act. I suspect if this film captured anything about teenagers it is how teenagers would act if they were asked to play teenagers in a bad, slow-moving French movie. In one scene that crawls by at an excruciatingly slow pace, the boys sit outside in the sun and complain about hot it is and wonder aloud what they should do next (finding a shadier spot in which to sit is not among the suggestions). Somehow these French-movie teenagers manage to be even more dull, sullen and annoying than real-life teenagers.

The reason many people are averse to watching foreign films is not always because people are philistine no-nothings. Sometimes it's simply because they've got a not-entirely-baseless apprehension of getting stuck sitting through a movie like this one-a movie that is not just a bad movie but a slow and boring bad movie. I mean, I get it--its stark, passionless tone and its flat-tire pace were because of its subject and all that, but sheez!

This had to be one of worst movies I have ever seen.

One thing to note: if you are the sort of viewer who occasionally enjoys transforming the movie-watching experience into a more interactive one by making smartass, Mystery-Science-Theatre-like comments during the course of the feature, this movie, with its long, witty-retort-friendly silences will provide a perfect opportunity to do so.

North Punch.......1999-10-29

This movie is genuinely disturbing.There is no manicheism : the beginning shows us that a racist boy can have feelings towards a boy who has got AIDS, how the boredom of poor areas can turn people into criminals ( cf the raping scene, the killing of an arabian ). It refuses the happy end : the arabian guy dies because of the jealousy of the boyfriend of the girl he flirted with. Lots of french critics have criticized the final redemption. But this end is reminiscent of the redemption of the bad lieutenant and Bresson's Pickpocket : how horrible and disgusting your sins might be, you may have god's pardon if you suffer enough to get it. This movie might not be friendly but it is as radical as Ferrara or Cronenberg and it obsesses the viewer a long time after he's seen it.

Average customer rating:

Simple, Straightforward Bible stories for Kids
Not geared for 4 - 6 yr olds
Excellent, Biblically Sound!!

Jesus for Kids

Manufacturer: Vision Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00079RBZG
Release Date: 2004-12-15

Description

Includes English and Spanish language tracks.

Use this five-part video series to introduce your children and grandchildren to Jesus. If you are a parent or a grandparent, you are aware of the amazing capacity of small children to learn at a fantastic rate. They will pick up a lot you might wish they didn't. So don't miss the opportunity to insure they also are exposed to the most important sources that will deeply imprint their young hearts and minds for a lifetime. Acquaint them early with the greatest life ever lived, the greatest words ever spoken, the brightest hope humanity ever was given. The delightful animated stories of Jesus are based squarely on the Gospels. They are geared for children 4-6 years old. A companion guide is .pdf format is included on the DVD. Five segments: The First Christmas, Jesus the Storyteller, Jesus the Miracle-Worker, Jesus the Healer, and The First Easter.

Customer Reviews:

Simple, Straightforward Bible stories for Kids.......2007-01-15

My four and six year olds like this DVD a lot and so do I! There are five ten minute stories which can be viewed individually or continuously in english or spanish (I like that option, the kids can learn about God and a foreign language!) The stories and animation are quite simple, without much imbellishing; just the straightforward Bible stories presented at a young child's level. Although some may consider the stories oversimplified, I think the pure, simple presentation lets the beauty and thruth of the Bible shine through!

Not geared for 4 - 6 yr olds.......2006-12-27

Hello,
I've been shopping around for videos to show my grandkids and Sunday School kids. I liked the idea of this video (Jesus for Kids) because of it stating that it was geared for 4-6 yr olds and because attention spans at this age can be challenging. 10 minutes per story sounded good. Unfortunately, I was terribly disappointed. First, I saw nothing on the case that warned me that it was not fully animated. It's just narration and the one guy doing all the voices. This I found is very boring and confusing for this age. The most upsetting was the inclusion of way too much detail of the horrible deeds of King Herod during The Story of the Nativity. Children of this age should not focus on the death of innocent babies and witness a mama and her baby terrified of what was about to happen. They only need to know of King Herod's jealousy of the New King and that Jesus was protected from Herod. There are ways of including the truth without focusing on the horror. Several other people I talked to were also floored of this inclusion. I also don't believe 4-6 yr need to be focusing on the crown of thorns 'piercing' and hands being 'nailed' during the Story of the Resurrection. The other stories were OK, but the things I discussed above makes me inclined not to use this video anymore. I did show the first story, but I had to skip over the Herod part, of course. And the only comments during it was about the lack of different voices. They didn't pay attention to the story of Jesus and actually said they wanted to do something else.
The next week I showed The Beginner's Bible version of the Nativity, and all the children (including my grandkids) watched the whole thing (all 30 minutes). It took a little creative license by using a little humor, but we were able to discuss it successfully because they were paying attention to the story of Jesus.
(notice the other reviewer said perfect for ages 5-10 not 4-6 as claimed)

Excellent, Biblically Sound!!.......2005-06-21

This is an EXCELLENT Christian resource for kids ages 5-10. You won't get much better in terms of Biblical accuracy. The five segments lend themselves very well to children's attention spans. BEAUTIFULLY DONE! I've been teaching for 10 years, and finding biblically sound DVD's/videos is difficult. This is truly the VERY BEST for primary kids, or even older! Christians of all denominations will find this helpful and enjoyable. Any review saying this DVD is unrealistic is simply bogus. The kids just love it, as do the parents. The DVD clearly tells about the life, works, and teachings of Jesus. A++

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