This might be mentioned on another thread but this has really bothered me. At the end of the movie they cruicified Jesus but they never showed his resurection! The ressurection is part of the story. It proves Jesus' power over death and the grave. It is central to the Christian faith. I was really upset when they failed to include it. Anyone else agree?
shareI just came here to post this very thing. This has always bothered me about the movie. The last chapter of the gospel of Matthew for which this is based ends with a risen Savior. It would have been so easy to have symbolized this in the movie at the end, they could have placed "the body" down and Jesus could have finished the final song with them. To keep from getting too bent out of shape, I just have to remember that the presence of the Holy Spirit is among the pedestrians that come around the corner.
share[deleted]
Yeah, at first I thought it was weird, too. But the show is not meant to be an accurate portrayal of Christ's ministry or a literal telling of the Bible. It's art--it's meant to make you think, and the ending in particular leaves it to you to decide. Whether you believe in his divinity or not, Christ's teachings were groundbreaking. The whole film has taken place in a completely deserted city, but then everyone reappears at the end, going about their lives with no idea (seemingly) what has happened. So it's left up to you to decide whether his life and teachings make a difference. That was my take on it, anyway.
sharegreat point olbykay. There are religions who don't believe in the resurection so that makes sense
shareOnly it explicitly says it's based on Matthew's Gospel. To base it on something but leave it the most important aspect doesn't make much sense. It would be like basing something on Dicken's A Christmas Carol and having Scrooge remain a miser at the end.
shareThe tag line: A Musical Based Upon The Gospel According To St. Matthew was added for the New York stage production.
But the show also uses quotes from Luke and John.
...and I suspect Jesus would have approved, since He always downplayed the importance of His power and concentrated instead on the power of each person's faith. Since the movie ends with an acclamation of faith by the disciples, and since God is said to live in each of us, isn't that enough to suggest His power over death?
shareI think they made it metaphorical. After singing, "Long Live God", the streets suddenly fill up with people again. From the time Jesus makes his appearance until his death, the people disappear... but when he's killed, the streets fill up again. I think they were going for an artsy ending-- I don't know really. Hope I help at least a little bit!
shareI agree. Also, not only are the streets full again, but the crowds seem in a better mood than they were at the beginning of the film, if I recall correctly. This suggests that Jesus was perhaps resurrected in spirit anyway.
There's a light (Over at the Frankenstein place)--The Rocky Horror Picture Show
I agree. Note also when the cast turns the corner filled with faith, the first people we see back in a repopulated NYC are a loving couple walking arm in arm. And then the rest of the people are in a much better mood than in the beginning of the film when so many people seem to be angry or frustrated.
A couple of parents are then seen with their children, lovingly (no children or anything like that at the beginning of the film, I think). The negativity from the beginning of the film is gone. People are smiling.
I noticed the omission of the resurrection when I saw the play on Broadway with my eighth-grade Catholic school class.... When others mentioned this gap, I chimed in that Christ was resurrected when the lights went up in the theater. ;-)
shareI always felt that, at least in the theater, when the cast raises him above their heads, this signifies the ressurection. They begin singing Prepare Ye once more since he's coming right back again. :)
jessika
Je dois partir maintenant parce que ma grand-mère est flambé.
I think the movie DOES depict it but it's symbolized.
While the cast is carrying Jesus out, the streets completely fill up. I am taking this as Jesus had come to save the world and we are all subject to His salvation through the apostles (played by Robin, Joanne, Lynne...in the movie).
Yeah, they could've added one more scene with the cast, but maybe they left that part up to the viewer.
An alternate ending, going beyond that, would be all of the "apostles" (Robin, Joanne, Lynne...) going back to whatever they were doing in the prologue but approaching the situation after they got "saved" by Jesus.
The central theme of "Godspell" concerns the effect of Jesus' teachings after he left the Earth. It was then encumbered to his followers (and not just his disciples) to carry on Jesus' messages.
The final scene has his followers (again, they are not just disciples) carrying has body, then disappearing, with crowds of people appearing. This is a metaphor for his Christ's followers carrying his message to the world. And a beautiful metaphor it is.
It's nice to hear some people have gotten a good interpretation out of it...I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to explain it all to my mother when we see it...she's already very skeptical about it.
shareI'm going to explain it all to my mother when we see it...she's already very skeptical about it.
gowland85 - I wouldn't say fairytale. Even from an atheist point of view I would still look at the stories as Parables. Since no matter your beliefs, there's still a message that every person can take from the stories. That's what I believe is the best part of Godspell. You don't have to believe to understand the morals and see that, if anything, these are standards that all men, woman, and child can live by.
And about the resurrection, I believe that the musical/movie does ends before Jesus rises. However, the resurrection is alluded to when the Men start to sing Prepare Ye (which was sung at the beginning before Jesus came). They are singing to tell people to get ready for the rising of the lord.
This "no Resurrection" bothered me too and if you know the Word of God and the Spirit of the Bible, anybody would be bothered. I loved this movie except for the very obvious way they avoid calling a spade a spade: Jesus Christ, Risen from the Dead. This movie does something worse than try to "talk about Jesus in a movie." It lies about Him. And makes other people believe the lie.
I very much doubt that the writers of this play were Christians in anyway.
They completely avoid talking about the central truth of Christianity.
It's got a lot of good music and words about Christ but then renigs on the final, insistent truth about Him.
What is it that is said about rat poison? Put in good food, with lots of good flavor-- it still kills you!
Flanagan
Another variation on this from the last show of the original CMU production is described by Robin Lamont. "Because the
theater was so small, and so packed with students, we couldn't get out through the audience. The the only way we could
get out was through the back doors behind the fence. ... At the last minute, John-Michael said, 'What I want you to do is
when you take him off the cross, walk around, we'll open the back bay doors for you which are about ten feet wide, and
what I want you to do is take him out and leave.' That night it was snowing. I can imagine what it must have looked like
to the audience because people came up to us for days to tell us about this. As we walked Jesus back on our shoulders, and
the crew people opened the doors, it was pitch black except for the snow. And we walked out and they said, 'You disappeared
into the world.' "
I saw him on Alias. Clearly he rose again. :D
shareIn the live productions I have seen, his resurrection was part of the curtain call. Jesus would be the last one out, and his appearance would be greeted with literal screams of joy in the audience...and he would make a point of hugging all the other cast members, including Judas, who would 'hang back' at first.
Made perfect sense to me, artistically.
And the curtain call on stage usually features the cast, and the audience on a good night, singing "Day By Day",
an affirmation that Jesus spirit lives on in the hearts of his followers.
If you really want to see a musical Resurrection, check out The Word: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbXVLr-dn3Q&feature=channel
It's pretty cool.
You weren't listening. The lyrics they are singing as they carry Jesus around the corner are "Long Live God", followed by a reprise of "Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord". Both signifying the resurrection. What it said to me, was to carry Jesus into the real world, which is exactly what the cast did. Just my interpretation, but it speaks to everyone who watches it differently.
If we all liked the same movie, there'd only be one movie!
You are right that the resurrection of Christ is central to Christianity. 1.5 billion adherents worldwide that consider themselves part of the continuous stream of historic Christianity confess and profess that Christ is risen indeed and that it is this act which gives the believer hope and promise in Christ's triumph over death. Without the resurrection, there is no hope, and without the resurrection, there is no hope. Christians, through faith in the working of God[Col 2:12] are spiritually resurrected with Jesus, and are redeemed so that they may walk in a new way of life.[Rom 6:4] As Paul the Apostle stated: "If Christ was not raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your trust in God is useless.
This movie was made by a Jew, and the absence of the resurrection is not accidental.
This movie was made by a Jew, and the absence of the resurrection is not accidental.
I assume you are referring to Stephen Schwatz who wrote the music for the show. But John Michael Tebelak the
originator of the show is Christian. And the show never had an explicit resurrection scene.