Let me start this review by saying that I'm not a Christian and I don't believe you have to be one to enjoy this movie. I first saw Godspell when it was released in the early '70's and have seen it many times since then.

I was having a conversation with a friend recently (he is a pastor) and I told him that I've always felt this movie wasn't made solely for Christians. In the 70's, there were a lot of young people looking for meaning in their lives, and I firmly believe Godspell was partially an attempt to reach out to those folks.

Many reviewers have had issues with the movie - John the Baptist and Judas are played by the same person, and while the crucifixion is addressed, the resurrection is not. Some have called it sacrilegious, others have found it offensive. However, if you were a young person in the 70's who was looking for some direction and wanted to find out about the basic teachings of Jesus Christ, what better way than to see a movie full of catchy pop songs and a cast of joyful young people being brought to him in (then) modern New York? Even if you were already a young Christian, you now had a way to celebrate the teachings of Christ with a style of music you were probably listening to anyway. I absolutely believe that this movie had a relatability that might have been missing in some of these people's lives. Bear in mind that the original stage version was written by a college student working on his masters.

Yes, the movie is dated and silly and overacted and hammy in parts. There is a lot of skipping, singing, acting out of parables and dancing going on while most cast members are wearing clownish outfits. All of that being said, I have never seen such heartfelt joy while a message was being given - the cast looks like they are having the time of their lives. The mood does become quite somber and sad towards the end, but the movie ends on an upbeat note of hope.

If I'm not mistaken, all of the cast members were unknown on the big screen when the movie was released. I think casting unknowns was a good move - I don't think it would have packed the same punch or had the same level of relatability if it had bigger names.

I wanted to make a comment regarding the song "Beautiful City". I don't know what the original meaning was for sure, but my take away from it has always been that now that the cast has been taught, they can spread the word to others and help them build a strong foundation that isn't made of alabaster and chrome. Some have thought the song wasn't appropriate for the movie - I guess it all depends on your interpretation.

So taken in the proper cultural perspective, Godspell is a powerful, uplifting and moving film about the basic teachings and crucifixion of Christ done '70s style. If you think you can get past the few discrepancies and the clownish clothing, it is worth a watch. And, again, you don't have to be a Christian to enjoy it.

It's an adaption of Gospel of St. Matthew as a hippie musical in present day NYC. John the Baptist gathers a disparate group of young people from all walks of life. Jesus (Victor Garber) leads his disciples through the city as the stories of the bible are reenacted with songs.

As a stage musical, this continues to be a favorite of the theatrical set. As a movie, this fails to transcends the stage onto the big screen. The limited cast and scale reduces its cinematic potential. It does have the great Victor Garber at the lead. However the transfer from live theater to a movie loses the immediacy. The movie needs to replace it with greater scale which a theater doesn't have.

It is ironic that one of the financial capitols of the world would be used metaphorically to draw out the last days of Jesus with an ensemble of outcasts and freaks, world-weary in early 70's Manhttan, and brought together by the blast of an ancient trumpet to the song "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!" When Jesus does appear, it is ironically in Central Park's notorious Ramble, facing the Angel which graces Bethesda Terrace's fountain.

Everybody who watches this movie is going to look at it in a different way, and for me, it is like Jesus coming to modern times for a day, gathering up young followers craving something to believe in, showing them how he suffered and died, all to remove the sins of the world. Unlike the same era's "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Godspell" is told without pretension, and thus remains an easy-going look at a subject that sometimes becomes taboo because of the political correctness atmosphere which has taken over freedom of speech and the simple joys which was the bulk of the message of Jesus in his real time on earth.

David Haskell seems to be playing an amalgamation of both John the Baptist and Judas, seen baptizing young Victor Garber, clad in Superman T-Shirt with suspenders and frizzy afro. This Jesus is like a late-day flower child, filled with love, yet overcome with anger only briefly when his message is not taken seriously. Jesus takes his followers all over Manhattan and to the delightful songs of Stephen Schwartz, tells them what is expected of them. The message is simple: Love your neighbor as yourself, don't worship God AND money, and when wrongs are done to you, turn the other cheek and forgive.

A recent Broadway revival failed in the critic's eyes because of its overly simple manner, but any version of "Godspell" is going to have to thrive on its innocence, rather than the pretentious revivals that have been done of "Jesus Christ Superstar". This revival did still have a fairly lengthy run in spite of the reviews, showing that there is still a vast atmosphere of innocence, while the simultaneously running "JCSS" didn't have similar success as far as a lengthy run was concerned.

One of the best moments has the cast literally going across town in a matter of seconds from being at Grant's Tomb down to the World Trade Center and back to Central Park. Haskell and Garber have a great moment where they dance on a skyscraper in Times Square that seems like something out of the 1940's. A new song, "Beautiful City", is as potent to me as both versions of "New York, New York" in what makes New York City exciting. This film not only doesn't hide the sinful side of Manhattan's obsession with fiancé, but also pays tribute to the joy that comes out of its creative and sometimes hidden spiritual side as well.

Of the remainder of the cast, only Lynne Thigpen has any familiarity, the rest being delightfully obscure yet talented young performers who never became headliners even on the Broadway stage. For that, this film is unique in its presentation, and is a very worthy record of what the original Broadway production tried to reveal to its audience in its very spiritual message. The film does become a downer towards the end, but there is a sense of irony as the shot of the crucified Jesus is replaced by Park Avenue crowds just before the credits roll.