Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat [DVD]

There really isn’t more to say. This is the best version of this musical.

Great music that sticks in your head for a while. Fun movie adaptation of the play.

There are some actors/actresses who were born to play certain parts, e.g., Yul Brunner and the King of Siam. Well, Donny Osmond IS Joseph! After seeing this, I cannot imagine anyone else playing Joseph so well, and so poignantly. Donny has the truly perfect voice and charisma for this role. I've have seen brief clips of other stage performances, and have heard the other stage soundtracks, and they just don't have it! One important thing that seems to be lacking in the previous encarnations is an enthusiasm for the role, something that comes through loud and clear with Donny Osmond. There simply is no other "Joseph" than him. He is truly an underrated performer.It was great choice to film this as a "movie" on sets, rather than just filming a stage show. While that would have been interesting, especially to those who had seen the play, it would not have done justice to it the way this did and would not have allowed for the varied staging that is evident here. The casting is excellent in my opinion, although I understand from several friends who saw the Stage Production here in Boston back in 1996(ish), the Stage Elvis (Johnny Seaton) and Narrator (Janet Metz) had a higher level voice control and stage "presence" than is so evident here ("simply awesome" us how one friend put it), the two certainly turn in stellar performances and their performances are entertaining and riviting. They both have quite good voices, and Pharoah really morphs with Elvis!Given that this play was, at least originally, staged with children in mind, the costuming is a bit on the risque side, and could certainly have been done without.Andrew Lloyd Webber also missed an excellent opportunity that might be missed on most people as far as history and factual storytelling goes. When approached by "Mrs. Potiphar", Joseph actually ran away from her, leaving "his outer garment behind", and she then falsly accused him of attempting to rape her,which is really why Potipar was so enraged. This would've added a whole other dimension to the song "Potiphar" and made his false imprisonment all the more "unjust", which in turn, would have added to the poignancy of Donny's best song in the show, "Close Every Door", but, hey, that's Hollywood! ONE WARNING! This will leave you singing and humming the songs for weeks and weeks on end!Donny Osmond will never again wear that "Amazing Coloured Coat" but as long as you own this DVD, he'll never really take it off for the last time!By the way, don't pass-up the CD featuring Donny Osmond from this Stage Tour. It is simply awesome! In many areas, the tempo and pacing of the songs is better than in this DVD. They make a truly wonderful set!

We’ve been watching this movie for about 15 years, the graphics are good and the music is excellent and It’s definitely worth the rental any day. And as long as it’s available, we will be renting it over and over again.

Love the music and acting.

I admit, I'm a complete sucker for musicals. I know it's totally unrealistic for people to burst into song, and that it can easily jar someone out of the story if they're not used to it, but a well-written musical is just fun in my opinion even if (or especially if) it's cheesy and goofy. "Mama Mia," "Bye Bye Birdie," "Hairspray," "Oliver!," Rogers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella," "Wicked," "Into the Woods," most of Disney's animated-musical output... they're a blast. Yes, you do get a few stinkers in the mix (such as the infamous "Carrie" and "Love Never Dies"), but that's true with any genre.Although "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is a rather... creative adaptation of the original biblical story of Joseph's coat of many colors, I find I can't nitpick the differences because it's just too much fun to watch. The fact that a good cast of actors and singers brings it to life certainly helps.The story is familiar to anyone who's read the Bible or attended Sunday School -- Joseph is the favorite son of his father, who dotes on him to the dismay and anger of his eleven other sons. Finally upset enough to act, the brothers gang up on Joseph and sell him into slavery in Egypt. But Joseph, a dreamer gifted with visions of the future, manages to work his way upward in a classic rags-to-riches story, and ends up going from slave to prisoner to a noble second only to the Pharaoh himself. The story is told in a unique format, however -- as a stage play being put on for a parochial school, with a quirky teacher serving as narrator and the children in the audience joining in as the chorus at appropriate times. And though the original story was fairly serious, here it's not played seriously at all, and is acted out with great bombast, drama, and color.I've left a review before regarding the music of this musical (under the  Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1992 Canadian Cast) ), but it's worth mentioning here as well. Virtually the entire story is told in song format, and though the lyric choices are occasionally odd or sound forced, there are some clever turns of phrase and it stays surprisingly true to the Biblical story despite the wackiness and camp factor. Most of the songs are quite catchy and lively, and they cover a wide range of styles from country to disco to calypso to rock. And there are some truly beautiful and thoughtful numbers as well, such as "Any Dream Will Do" and "Close Every Door To Me."The acting in this film... well, let's just say that nobody involved in this film takes it seriously. Everyone, from Donny Osmond as Joseph to the backup dancers serving as wives and servants, gleefully chews the Technicolor scenery in this film, hamming it up for the camera and belting out their lines with gusto. Richard Attenborough as Joseph's father and Joan Collins as Potiphar's wife were a bit of a surprise to see, but they seem to be having quite a bit of fun in this as well, and Collins in particular is delightfully slinky and sinister as the ice-cold seductress. The brothers range from okay to hilariously great -- some, like Asher and Judah, are quite memorable, while others are quickly forgotten after the film is over. The narrator has to be my favorite character -- she steals every scene she's in, somehow managing to insert herself into the action of the story on a regular basis and serving as a sort of bridge between the audience and what's happening on stage.And since I mentioned the scenery in the last paragraph... lets just say this movie looks nothing like ancient Egypt or Canaan. At times the sets look like theme-park versions of Biblical times, while at other times they're psychedelic in design and color. But given the overall tone of this musical, this wasn't particularly jarring. If anything, it just added to the over-the-top camp of the whole experience.Perhaps the greatest strength of this musical, especially this production of it, is that it doesn't take itself seriously. It's not perfect -- some of the lyrics are cringe-inducingly forced, the costumes are weird and in some cases shockingly skimpy, and it's rather obvious a few of the actors can't sing (the butler and baker are the biggest offenders here). But it's still incredibly fun and catchy, and it looks like everyone involved had a blast making it.Definitely worth your time if you're a fan of musicals in general (and Andrew Lloyd Webber in particular), though if you're looking for a serious biblical epic you're better off looking elsewhere. Probably best for ages 10 and up, due to the aforementioned costumes and some implied sensuality.

What I don't like about this movie as well as another one I purchased on Amazon ...I can't watch it on all my TVs. Either we sit in the living room or office but can't watch it in family room. It is so annoying to pay for something that cannot be seen when and where you want to watch it. We bought it for our grandchildren. They love the music and the colors are great for toddlers learning their colors.I tried contacting Amazon to figure out how to get it to work on our other TVs and got nowhere fast. Lesson learned!

Well done, tightly delivered.

High quality picture and sound. Very happy with the dvd. Would purchase again!

Love this film!

Wer Musicals mag, dem kann ich die dvd empfehlen

MUY BIEN Y RAPIDO

Es una historia sencilla, sorprendente, y muy bien rodada, ideal para los que les gusten los musicales y no les importe ni tener efectos especiales ni decorados ni vestuario espectaculares.