HON3000 American Jesus - Work Products


After having read and discussed Prothero's "American Jesus," the following document is the product required by Professor Parker in Honors 3000; wherein I justify Godspell (the movie) as most uniquely portraying an Americanized Jesus:

"Beginning in 1927 with the release of Cecil B. DeMille’s silent film The King of Kings, up to and including the recent release of Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ, the life of Jesus Christ has been portrayed in more than a dozen films. Perhaps none of those portrayals is more uniquely ‘American’ than the interpretation presented by John-Michael Tebelak’s Godspell.

Completed in 1971 as a musical drama, Tebelak wrote Godspell while pursuing a Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of the premier inspirations for this work came from Tebelak’s belief that, “ The church has become dour and pessimistic; it has to reclaim its joy and hope” (Gilmour, September, 1999, p.1). Adapted for the screen with help from David Greene, and produced by Pulitzer Prize winner Edgar Lansbury (The Subject was Roses), the movie Godspell debuted in 1973 (Lansbury & Greene, 1973).

The sociopolitical climate of America in 1968 and 1969, the two years before Tebelak completed the stage play, were one of civil unrest and political upheaval. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, the action in Vietnam continued to be a source of stateside discontent, the Charles Manson cult committed their atrocities, and Ted Kennedy was involved in the Chappaquiddick incident (World Almanac & Book of Facts, 2004); the time of the “hippie” and the “flower child” was at hand, and no more prevalent than on the campuses of American universities. These were the social, political, and cultural influences that shaped Tebelak’s experiences and his telling of the Christ story; making Godspell the most uniquely American portrayal of Jesus in film history.

The movie Godspell was filmed primarily on Manhattan Island in New York City; therefore, the canvas upon which Tebelak paints his picture is rife with iconic images of America – structures like the World Trade Center, Brooklyn Bridge, and Chrysler Building; monuments like Central Park, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. All of these background images are recognized around the world as beacons of Americana.

Tebelak’s cast of characters, representing Jesus and his disciples, carry all of the stereotypical visual hallmarks of the 60’s hippie culture. This American Jesus sports a Superman© t-shirt, orange Converse Chuck Taylor® basketball shoes, an afro hairstyle, and a bright red heart painted on his forehead – Superman© being a well known American DC Marvel Comics icon as well as Chuck Taylor’s® being the number one selling shoe in the world (Kim & Mravic, February, 2001). Jesus preaches in a junkyard from the seats of a classic 1932 Ford Roadster; his pulpit painted garishly with peace signs, flowers, and lightning bolts. Other objects used by Jesus that subtly emphasize the connection to American culture include use of a Genuine Duncan® Imperial Yo-Yo and the distribution of ceremonial wine in Dixie Cups®.

Several instances of Americanized speech, or slang, are used in Tebelak’s scriptures. Most notably is when Jesus tells the character of John the Baptist, “I wanna get washed up,” which is Tebelak’s colloquial equivalent to the biblical passage in Matthew 3:13-15 where Jesus asks John to baptize him in the river Jordan, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Holy Bible, New King James Version [NKJV], 1982, p.849). Additionally, Jesus tells Judas, before being betrayed in the junkyard symbolizing the Garden at Gethsemane, “Friend, do quickly watcha gotta do” (Lansbury & Greene, 1973). On several occasions in the film, Jesus uses imitated speech along with colloquial expressions. Upon concluding the lesson of the ‘Do Not Judge’ parable (Matthew 7:4-5), Tebelak’s Jesus says “Did I promise ya an answer to the question?” using an obvious Groucho Marx imitation; gospel renditions of James Cagney and W.C. Fields are also evident (Lansbury & Greene, 1973).

Although the parables and cited biblical text used in Godspell are taken as simplified translations of the gospel according to St. Matthew, Tebelak uses the disciples, as well as the character of Jesus, in their telling. It may be inferred that, although a disciple is preaching, they are the words of Jesus Christ and, therefore, are a manifestation of his character. Aside from the pervasive imagery of 60’s clothing and hairstyles that adorn the disciples, the Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32) is told by a character donning a ten-gallon cowboy hat with a Texas accent, and concludes with the exclamation “Yahoo, yippity!” – the personification of the western cowboy being yet another powerful image recognized around the world as uniquely American; and, aside from the rock music that forms the foundation of this musical, or rock opera, other instances of uniquely American music are used during Jesus’ parables. For example, Jesus plays ragtime piano music during the telling of the Parable of the Lost Son (Holy Bible, NKJV, 1982).

Tebelak chooses a cast that mimics the American melting pot of cultures with inclusion of Caucasians, African-Americans, and characters of Hispanic and Italian decent. Nowhere else on Earth do so many cultures and creeds live amongst each other as they do in America. Tebelak writes Godspell during the height of the social unrest associated with our modern civil rights movement and the Vietnam War; therefore, it may be argued that this is why no other single film personification of Jesus Christ is more overtly affectionate to men and women while preaching the virtues of loving thy enemy as thy brother, and treating others as you would have them treat you. Stephen Schwartz, Godspell lyricist and associate writer, believed that the United States was fractionalizing and hoped to instill in the viewers a desire to promote reformation of the American community stating, “There's a necessity for us to pull together as a community instead of dividing even more into armed camps and niches. This is the most mean-spirited time I've lived through if you care about how people treat other people” (Blaney, September, 2000, p.1).

It is interesting to note that in Tebelak’s version of the Passion play, a large number of parables and biblical lessons chosen for his script are concerned with monetary wealth and physical possessions. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14), the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-25), the lesson that You Cannot Serve God and Riches (Matthew 6:24), the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), the Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:19-31), the lesson of Do Not Worry (Matthew 6:25-34), the Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32), and the lesson of The Pharisees: Is it Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar? (Matthew 22:15-22) all deal with issues regarding acquisition of wealth and personal property (Holy Bible, NKJV, 1982). America is considered the wealthiest nation on Earth inhabited by greedy, self-serving people (Stair, August, 1988), so it is no surprise that while preaching to the audience the virtues of love and civil composure, Tebelak and Schwartz’s Jesus preaches the evils of greed and obsession with individual prosperity.

After reviewing ten motion pictures made in the United States and one in the United Kingdom, based solely on the life of Jesus Christ (refer to Appendix I for film index), it is evident that no single film captured the unique essence of America, as did Jean-Michael Tebelak’s Godspell. The film’s backdrop of New York City; characters dressed in “hippie” costumes speaking with Brooklyn and urban accents; use of American commercial icons such as Superman©, Chuck Taylor’s®, the Duncan® Yo-Yo, and Dixie Cups®; a soundtrack saturated with American funk and rock music, as well as ragtime; and, many biblical passages and parables translated into colloquial American speech, all convincingly contribute to the perception that Godspell is the most uniquely American film portrayal of Jesus Christ."

 

REFERENCES

Blaney, R. ( September 15, 2000). Reinventing ‘Godspell.’ National Catholic Reporter, Vol. 36, Issue 40. Retrieved on June 13, 2005, from the Proquest Web site: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=60837710&sid =3&Fmt=4&clientId=16627&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Gilmour, P. (September, 1999). Jesus of Hollywood. U.S. Catholic, Vol. 64, Issue 9. Retrieved on June 12, 2005, from the Academic Search Premier Web site: http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=aph&an=2181771

Holy Bible, New King James Version. (1982). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Kim, A., & Mravic, M. ( February 5, 2001). In praise of chucks. Sports Illustrated, Vol. 94, Issue 5. Retrieved on June 12, 2005, from the Proquest Web site: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=67736003&sid=2&Fmt= 3&clientId=16627&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Lansbury, E. (Producer), & Greene, D. (Director). (1973). Godspell [Motion picture]. United States: Columbia Pictures.

Stair, E. (August 31, 1998). Corporate America: The land of the greed. Retrieved on June 12, 2005, from the Go Inside Web site: http://goinside.com/98/8/greed.html

World Almanac & Book of Facts. (2004). Generations ages’ timeline: 1946-1985. Retrieved on June 14, 2004 from the Academic Search Premier Web site: http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=12117256

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Defina, B. (Producer), & Scorses, M. (Director). (1988). The last temptation of Christ [Motion picture]. United States: Universal Studios.

DeLaurentiis, R. (Producer), & Lynch, D. (Director). (1984). Dune [Motion picture]. United States: Universal Studios.

DeMille, C. B. (Producer). (1927). The king of kings [Motion picture]. United States: Criterion Films.

Frappier, R., Gendron, P. (Producers), & Arcand, D. (Director). (1989). Jesus of Montreal [Motion picture]. United States: Koch Lorber Films.

Gibson, M., Davey, B., McEveety, S. (Producers), & Gibson, M. (Director). (2004). The passion of the Christ [Motion picture]. United States: Twentieth Century Fox.

Goldstone, J. (Producer), & Jones, T. (Director). (1979). Monty Python’s life of brian [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: Handmade Films.

Jewison, N., Stigwood, R. (Producers), & Jewison, N. (Director). (1973). Jesus Christ superstar [Motion picture]. United States: Universal Studios.

Prothero, S. (2003). American Jesus. New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

Stevens, G. (Producer). (1965). The greatest story ever told [Motion picture]. United States: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Zeffirelli, F., Labella, V. (Producers), & Zeffirelli, F. (Director). (1977). Jesus of Nazareth [Motion picture]. United States: Artisan Entertainment.

Zimbalist, S. (Producer), & Wyler, W. (Director). (1959). Ben-Hur [Motion picture]. United States: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

APPENDIX I – REVIEWED FILM INDEX

  1. Ben-Hur (1959)
  2. Dune (1984)
  3. Godspell (1973)
  4. Greatest Story Ever Told, The (1965)
  5. Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
  6. Jesus of Montreal (1989)
  7. Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
  8. King of Kings, The (1927)
  9. Last Temptation of Christ, The (1988)
  10. Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
  11. Passion of the Christ, The (2004)

APPENDIX II – GODSPELL FILM NOTES

Godspell: Based on the gospel of St. Matthew
General Comments

New York City scenery with emphasis on prominent, identifiable icons (e.g., World Trade Center, Statue of Liberty, Central Park, etc.); use of a Brooklyn accent in speech.

Jesus figure dressed in Superman t-shirt, Chuck Taylor high-tops; 60s Flower Child face painting and afro hair style; effeminate and overtly, physically loving to both sexes; simplifies the biblical text using less complicated sentence structures and interpreted words (e.g., money for mammon); Jesus preaches in the junkyard on and in front of a 1932 Ford Roadster.

Although the introductory titling states that the story is based on the gospel of St. Matthew, there are several parables from the gospel of St. Luke.

The resurrection is never depicted in this rendition of the last days of Christ.

Scriptural Sequences:

  • Approaching John the Baptist requesting he baptize Jesus in the Central Park fountain; based on Matt 3:13-15; Jesus uses American slang when he tells John “I wanna get washed up!”
  • Christ fulfills the law; “I’ve come not to abolish the law, but to complete it” based on Matt 5:17-20.
  • Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector; he who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted; based on Luke 18:9-14; however, the reference to humble/exalted also appears in Matt 23:12.
  • Parable of the forgiving master and the unforgiving servant; based on Matt 18:21-25.
  • If your enemy slaps your right cheek, give him your left; based on Matt 5:38-42.
  • Parable of separating men into two groups as sheep and goats; based on Matt 25:31-46; Jesus interjects slang, such as, “Come on Goats!” in several instances of the parable.
  • The lamp of the body; based on Matt 6:22-23.
  • Cannot be the slave of two masters; based on Matt 6:24.
  • Parable of the Good Samaritan; based on Luke 10:25-37.
  • Do good deeds in secret; based on Matt 6:1-4.
  • Poor man Lazarus rewarded in heaven upon death; based on Luke 16:19-31.
  • Series of “Blessed are…;” based on the Beatitudes, Matt 5:3-12.
  • Do not worry that “Creditors weigh your purse;” based on Matt 6:25-34.
  • Hypocrite! Remove the plank from your own eye first; based on Matt 7:4-5; Jesus ends the lesson by asking, “Did I promise ya an answer to the question?” using a Groucho Marx imitation.
  • After the song ‘All for the Best,’ Jesus says “All your wrongs will be redressed,” using a W.C. Fields imitation.
  • Love your enemies and pray for your prosecutors; based on Matt 5:43-48; Jesus concludes the scene by walking through the square playing with a Yo-Yo.
  • Parable of the sower; based on Matt 13:1-9; Jesus uses slang “Hey good soil;” and the Parable of the sower explained; based on Matt 13:18-23.
  • Consider the lilies of the field; based on Matt 6:28-30.
  • Parable of the lost son; based on Luke 15:11-32; Jesus is portrayed playing ragtime piano music, uses a James Cagney imitation, and assumes the guise of a cowboy with a ten-gallon hat and appropriate accent and slang such as “Yahoo, yippity.”
  • If a son asks for bread, you give him a stone; based on Matt 7:7-12.
  • You are the light of the world; based on Matt 5:13-16; Jesus and the disciples drink wine from Dixie Cups.
  • Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s; based on Matt 22:15-22.
  • Interrogation of the scribes; based on Matt 22:37-40.
  • You should not be called teacher; based on Matt 23:8-39.
  • Judas’ first betrayal opportunity; based on Matt 26:14-16.
  • Judas’ betrayal introduced at the Last Supper; based on Matt 26:25.
  • Last Supper with the apostles; based on Matt 26:26-30; again, Jesus and the disciples drink wine from Dixie Cups.
  • Praying in the garden while the disciples sleep; based on Matt 26:36-41 – statement that Jesus will be denied three times before the cock crows; based on Matt 26:34 – Let this cup pass from me; based on Matt 26:42 – the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak; based on Matt 26:41 – finally, Satan tempts Jesus in the garden; based on Matt 4:1-11.
  • Judas betrays Jesus to the New York City police; Jesus uses slang “Friend, do quickly watcha gotta do;” based on Matt 26:50.
  • He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword; based on Matt 26:52-56.
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