Psycho's Movie Reviews #138: Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (1999)
- Dec 30, 2021
- 5 min read
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a 1999 British direct-to-vide of film version of the 1972 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same name. It is a sung-through musical film.
Plot
The film depicts Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat being performed to a primary school assembly hall, where the children become the chorus of the musical.
The audience are introduced to Jacob and his twelve sons. Jacob favourites his second-youngest Joseph, which he shows by giving him a coat of many colours. The jealousy of Joseph's brothers is only fulfilled by Joseph's interpretation of his own dreams that he is destined to rule over them. They try to kill Joseph, but decide to sell him into slavery instead. They smear his coat in goat's blood and tell Jacob that Joseph is dead. Meanwhile, Joseph is purchased in Egypt. As he rises through the ranks, his master's Mrs takes a liking to Joseph. After he refuses her advances, she has Joseph charged with rape and imprisoned. In prison, Joseph interprets the dreams of two fellow prisoners, both former servants to the Pharaoh.
Pharaoh himself has been having some confusing dreams. Upon hearing about Joseph, Pharaoh calls him to interpret his dreams, which Joseph interprets as seven plentiful years followed by seven years of famine. Impressed, Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of planning for the famine, and he rises to Vizier of Egypt. Back in Canaan, Joseph's family are suffering in the famine, and his brothers begin to regret their actions. They travel to Egypt and beg Joseph for supplies, not recognising him. He tests them by setting up the youngest, Benjamin, to accuse him of theft, and the brothers beg Joseph to let him go. Seeing their change of heart, Joseph reveals his identity, and is joyously reunited with his family.
Musical Numbers
Act One
1. "Prologue" - Narrator
2. "Any Dream Will Do" - Joseph, Children
4. "Joseph's Dreams" - Joseph, Narrator, Brothers, Female Ensemble
5. "Poor, Poor Joseph" - Narrator, Brothers, Female Ensemble, Children
6. "One More Angel in Heaven" - Reuben, Jacob, Reuben's Wife, Brothers, Wives
7. "Potiphar" - Joseph, Narrator, Potiphar, Mrs. Potiphar, Male Ensemble, Children
8. "Close Every Door" - Joseph, Ensemble Children
9. "Go, Go, Go Joseph" - Joseph, Narrator, Butler, Baker, Ensemble, Children
Act Two
10. "Pharaoh Story" - Narrator, Ensemble, Children
11. "Poor, Poor Pharaoh" - Joseph, Narrator, Pharaoh, Butler, Ensemble
12. "Song of the King" - Pharaoh, Ensemble, Children
13. "Pharaoh's Dreams Explained" - Joseph, Ensemble, Children
14. "Stone the Crows" - Joseph, Narrator, Pharaoh, Female Ensemble
15. "Those Canaan Days" - Simeon, Jacob, Brothers
16. "The Brothers Come To Egypt/Grovel, Grovel" - Joseph, Narrator, Brothers, Female Ensemble, Children
17. "Who's the Thief?" - Joseph, Narrator, Brothers, Female Ensemble, Children
18. "Benjamin Calypso" - Judah, Brothers (but Benjamin), Female Ensemble
19. "Joseph All the Time" - Joseph, Narrator, Female Ensemble, Children
20. "Jacob in Egypt" - Ensemble
21. "Any Dream Will Do (Reprise)/Give Me My Coloured Coat" - Joseph, Narrator, Ensemble, Children
22. "Joseph Megamix" - Full Company
Release/Reception/Box Office
The film was originally shot as a feature film, but ended up being released directly to video. It was shot over 3 Weeks in July/August 1999 on 3 Sound Stages at Pinewood Studios in London. The release of the film was advertised by a brief series of sing-along performances that Osmond starred in as a Fathom Event. The film was released by PolyGram. In the United States, the film was shown as an episode of PBS' Great Performances.
Reviews of the film were generally positive." The film has been described by PBS as being a "lively interpretation." Michael Dequina, online film critic for "TheMovieReport.com", described the film as a "sweet, candy-coloured confection for the entire family."
My Review
{I grew up watching this film mainly because of Donny Osmond starring in it... and my mother LOVES Donny Osmond. I mean she likes the show anyway, it's her favourite... BUT DONNY}
Phantom of the Opera is my favourite of his musicals, but Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a very close second and the most accessible to younger audiences. The story is very faithful to the Biblical story and maintains its impact. And the songs are among Lloyd Webber's best with memorable melodies and witty lyrics, Close Every Door and Any Dream Will Do brings me to tears every time, Pharaoh's Dream is hilarious and Benjamin's Calypso is catchy, all to name a few. This is a great performance of it, a little different with a few modern but tasteful generally touches, but it is colourful and entertaining, seeing as Joseph should be those attributes the production does its job wonderfully. Joan Collins is alluring and seductive as Potiphar's wife, clearly having a whale of a time, but her seductive and somewhat risqué scene has a tendency to go overboard, so I can see why people found it a little on the inappropriate side. The children were a lovely touch and very touching often, though I agree that there were times(ie. stairs to Pharaoh's head or something or other) where they weren't needed. These aside, the whole production looks amazing, the way the costumes and sets are designed are very inventively done and there is so much vibrant colour, especially in Close Every Door and Benjamin's Calypso, that looks even more so on the Blu-Ray. The stage direction is done with humour and heart and the choreography is sparkling and witty. The orchestra/band play with the right upbeatness, pathos, style and emotional power the score needs. The chorus harmonise really beautifully, the repeated Poor, Pooh Josephs are particularly good and Go, Go, Go Joseph leaves you in a smiling mood. Of the performances, I really have to give top honours to Maria Friedman, she has an amazingly powerful voice and a very natural charisma that made for a spot-on performance as the Narrator, a very good thing as she apart from Joseph is the driving force in the telling of the story. Donny Osmond is wonderful as Joseph, people were sceptical of his casting I know, his voice is strong and a little more mature than Jason Donovan's, and he is a communicative actor who looks as though he's having fun and he also feels the music he's singing. Robert Torti's Pharaoh steals the scenes he's in, he is incredibly magnetic and his channelling of Elvis Presley is hilarious, Pharaoh's Dream was one of the highlights of that production for those reasons. Ian McNeice(an excellent Potiphar who is quite scary when he's angry) and Richard Attenborough(a stoic and moving Jacob) also give fine performances, and the brothers show jealousy, fun and remorse very convincingly, there's some very talented singers and actors there especially Simeon, Rueben and Benjamin. Overall, very colourful and entertaining. 9.9/10!!!!!
{My Top 3 Favourite Songs}
1} Song Of The King
2} Benjamin Calypso
3} Close Every Door To Me
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