Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh Team Up for the Adult-Oriented Road to El Dorado

Shortly after it came out on video, I saw Dreamworks‘ Prince of Egypt. I knew the basic story intimately, though of course the film took some liberties with the Biblical account of Moses. It featured an A-list cast, though I’m not sure I was aware of that at the time. I remember gorgeous animation, reverent music and, most of all, a very oppressive mood. It’s been a decade since I saw it, but my main impression of the movie was that it was extremely dark, a generally dispiriting movie with little humor to lighten the mood. One of these days I should watch it again and see whether I still feel the same way; after all, it’s not every day you get to see Sunday school hit the big screen. But after I watched Prince of Egypt, I felt depressed, and that made me a little leery of The Road to El Dorado, which was released in 2000. I finally decided it was time for me to give that movie a chance, if only because Elton John and Tim Rice, the musical team behind The Lion King, had collaborated on the songs.

The Road to El Dorado is a sweeping cinematic tale that, like Prince of Egypt, takes us to a very different time and place. On this occasion, it’s 1500s Spain, soon to be followed by the fabled city of El Dorado. Our heroes are a pair of spunky young scam artists. Black-haired Tulio (Kevin Kline) is motivated primarily by material gain, while blonde Miguel (Kenneth Branagh) longs for rousing adventure. They make a pretty great team, but their personalities and goals are different enough that quarrels are inevitable. It doesn’t take long to see that Miguel has an idealistic streak that the more self-serving Tulio lacks; much of the film is about bringing a balance back to their relationship as Tulio matures and finds a way to help the people who have come to accept him with such adulation.

While the animation style constantly reminded me that this was a Dreamworks film, the characters and basic story arc reminded me more of Disney’s Aladdin and Don Bluth’s Anastasia. All three films are buddy comedies with two guys, an alluring girl, a couple of amusing animal sidekicks and a corrupt, sorcerous advisor. They also involve a major scam: street rat posing as prince, orphan posing as princess, pair of Spaniards (with an American and British accent, naturally) posing as gods. The almost-opening scene in this film is strikingly similar to Aladdin’s One Jump Ahead, while the nightmarish visions induced by the creepy Tzekel-Kan (Armand Assante) recall Rasputin’s In the Dark of the Night.

But this is very much its own movie. And, much to my relief, it’s funny. Kline and Branagh, who recorded their lines together, a rarity for animated films, have wonderful chemistry that the animators capture. Their characters are well written, and they perform them perfectly, verbally jousting with one another at every opportunity. There’s quite a bit of physical comedy too, especially involving Miguel’s horse Altivo (Frank Welker), who doesn’t speak but is remarkably attuned to the needs of his human companions. I do think that the movie occasionally moves in a bit more of an adult direction than is called for. I don’t see that anything is added by having Tulio swear or canoodle with the very shapely Chel (Rosie Perez). I was surprised but unoffended by the brief shot of the men’s bare backsides in a comedic scene in which they go for a dip in a watering hole; Mulan had a similar scene, and there really wasn’t anything titillating about it. But the profanity and overt sensuality seemed a little out of place, and I‘m not crazy about having a villain (corpulent conquistador Cortes) referencing the Bible as he justifies cruelty. Additionally, some of the scenes involving Tzekel-Kan might well unsettle a sensitive young child.

Villainous Tzekel-Kan is deplorable, not to mention downright unpleasant to look at, with his enormous gums and sneering expression. He seems friendly enough initially, but it eventually becomes clear that these strangers who he initially took to be gods are not behaving in the expected manner, and he decides to take matters into his own hands. Meanwhile, the chief is an enormous man with large, almost feminine, lips. Portrayed by Edward James Olmos, he is soft-spoken and wise, and everyone else in town seems to be cut out of the same mold, except perhaps the wily Chel. One thing that bothered me (aside from the rather expected inconsistency in the main characters’ accents) was the fact that there is no language barrier between the explorers and these indigenous people. Are we supposed to think that because this is a magical, golden city that they have some sort of universal translator? There is never any indication that another language is spoken in this city, and that seems very suspect to me.

For the most part, though, the story works. First and foremost, this is a bromance, to the extent that Chel feels almost intrusive much of the time. Then again, I’m not that crazy about the character, in part because I find Perez so annoying, and also because Chel seems more suited to a PG-13 world. That said, I’m a little unsure of what to make of the movie’s one big end-credits hit, Someday Out of the Blue; I had initially taken it to be a Perfect Moment-style love song, but the lyrics, for the most part, seem much more suited to Miguel and Tulio’s complex friendship. Certain lines, however, make more sense in the context of Tulio and Chel’s blossoming romance. I can’t help wondering if Tim Rice and Sir Elton wanted us to see these relationships in a different light, and even if the largely superfluous character of Chel was added just to quell such speculations.

While I heard that song on the radio many times, the others in the film were new to me. Elton performed all but one, the entertaining, plot-advancing It’s Good to Be a God, sung by Branagh and Kline. I’ve read complaints about the music, but I really enjoyed both Hans Zimmer’s score and the new songs, poppish as they were. Phil Collins did a beautiful job with the music in Tarzan, and I think Elton fares similarly here. I found the songs catchy and effective for capturing the mood of the moment without actually having the characters break into song. Not that I would have complained about that. Nonetheless, I thought it was a stylistic choice that worked, especially with the introspective Friends Never Say Goodbye.

Now that I’ve watched Road to El Dorado, I’m happy to report that I don’t feel depressed. I didn’t expect the movie to be so funny, nor did I realize that Elton John would be performing most of the songs in the movie himself. While I don’t know how highly I would rank this on a list of animated favorites, I do think it’s a shame that plans for a sequel were scrapped after the movie failed to dazzle at the box office. This is definitely a duo that seems destined for more adventures.

Glenn Carter Shines as Jesus, But Not Brightly Enough to Save Superstar

I have always been a big fan of Jesus Christ Superstar, particularly of the songs themselves. I was privileged to see the show once in a local production, which was most impressive as I recall. Shortly thereafter, we purchased the 1973 Norman Jewison film. I was less impressed with this version. Although it had the advantage of being filmed on location, that vast expanse was often ill-suited to the style of the movie. I also was a bit turned-off by some of the extremely anachronistic touches, such as the tanks and B2 bombers stalking Judas and the disciples in hippie regalia. And because most of the performers were rock stars and not actors, the lack of skill in the latter area was sometimes apparent. Nonetheless, it has been a video that we pull out every year at Easter and watch.

Last year, I watched Joseph and the Amazing Techni-color Dreamcoat on PBS, and after the show I got a glimpse of several clips of the new production of JCS which would be coming out shortly on video. I'm not sure why I held such high hopes for this remake. Perhaps it was my immense satisfaction with the same company's production of Joseph. Perhaps it was my immediate attraction to Glenn Carter. Or perhaps it was just wishful thinking. At any rate, I became convinced that WHYY's offering would turn out to be the perfect performance of Jesus Christ Superstar. I'm afraid that the reality fell short of expectations.

You see, I held out hope that this movie would "get right what the first one got wrong", at least in my opinion. First of all, there was the cinematography. I would say that this aspect of the new version was handled quite well, and it would have made for a more watchable film than the first if it had not been for the choice of setting and costumes.

Most of the film took place in a large room which served a variety of purposes, from Heaven on their Minds to Gethsemane. There was no Judas running frantically down the cliffs of the desert or Jesus scaling the heights of the garden hills to make his plea more audible. It was just a big room. Then there was the long wall covered with graffiti, which we see as the film first begins. There's the temple, which looks like a casino/strip joint, and there's the hang-out of the Sanhedrin, which is centered around a long black table.

The costumes were certainly not biblical. Jesus' disciples all looked like a bunch of punk rockers, and Judas, the oldest of the bunch by far, was similarly decked out in jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket. Mary Magdalene wore a red dress, and Jesus wore jeans and a white shirt, later a white robe. The high priests all looked like something out of The Matrix, and the members of the media, also dressed all in black, resembled witches. The people who cry out to Jesus for help are dressed similarly but covered with web-like bandages, looking like death itself. Finally, the Roman officials, Pilate in particular, look to me like members of the gestapo. I really didn't get much out of the attempt to put this in a modern setting; I saw Godspell, and that was one of my major complaints as well. They're trying to make this story happen 2000 years ago and today, both at the same time. I don't think it works very well.

But now to the meat of the movie. The characters are all well done, though I prefer the characterizations in the first film to some of these. Jerome Pradon does a fine job as presenting Judas as a conflicted individual, though his vocal talents and energy don't come close to matching those of Carl Anderson in the first film. He's also not as easy to like as that first Judas. From the beginning, he seems beady-eyed, sinister, and sarcastic. Throughout the film, his face contorts to show his affection for Jesus despite his growing frustration, and when he turns Jesus in he is overwhelmed with guilt.

Judas is undeniably Superstar's hero in the Greek sense of the word, meaning the individual who undergoes the most radical change from beginning to end. But this production messes it up. Judas has just become so crippled by his own guilt, so remorseful, that he hangs himself. But shortly thereafter, as Jesus is preparing to carry his cross to Calvary, Judas, along with a herum of leather-clad floozies, takes the opportunity to stand over Jesus and gloat. He seems to be saying, "Ha-ha, Jesus, you're so stupid," and Jesus just remains hunched over under his cross, a grotesque ezpression of agony on his face. It's my least favorite scene in the film. Nobody seems to be rooting for Jesus here; the "angels" in leather bikinis are as sarcastic and cruel as Judas' demon girls. And if Judas is talking to Jesus right before the crucifixion, in some sort of vision or something, how is he talking about the current day? It just doesn't jive. And then, as soon as Jesus makes his journey to the hill, Judas sobers up and goes back to being remorseful. That whole scene just blew Judas' credibility out of the water, and it removed the one indication of resurrection that existed in the first film. I was, quite frankly, disgusted, but it set up an expectation that they were going ot give us one doozy of a finale, a real resurrection that would leave no doubt as to Jesus' triumph and perhaps bring poor old Judas some peace. But that didn't happen either. I waited in vain. The closest the movie came to anything like that was the blinding cross in bright lights that blazed behind Jesus at the moment of his death. That certainly spoke of the supernatural, but it wasn't enough to satisfy me.

Glenn Carter was much more satisfactory than Pradon. Although I am pretty sure Jesus was not that gorgeous -- it just didn't seem to be his style -- Carter did a very convincing job. He has a heavenly voice, and his heart-felt rendition of Gethsemane was for me the most moving portion of the movie. His Jesus is straight out of Luke, and then some. His most striking attribute is the concern and compassion he has for everyone he meets, from the dying multitude to Judas to Pilate. Carter displays a wide range of passionate emotions, and it was much easier for me to connect with him quickly than was the case with Ted Neeley in the first film. At times, he is perhaps a bit too human. He spends the last scenes of the movie with a permanent agonized expression on his face, submitting himself to the whims of those who try to hurt him. It does give him a quiet authority, however. He refuses to fight back because he knows this is what must happen. Somehow, though, he seems to lose his control with Superstar, and it seems that he now is starting to wish he could get out of this. He appears helpless and terrified. He is a victim, not a triumph. And I'm sure Weber and Rice would have had it no other way. But Christians will have to look especially hard to see the determined savior in the eyes of that frightened deer-in-the-headlights.

Rene Castle as Mary Magdalene is excellent as well. Her voice is incredible, and as with Jesus, she plays her part with much more emotion than her predecessor (Yvonne Elliman) did. Unfortunately, her beautiful characterization takes one of the major complaints with the show by Christians and runs with it. Many Christians have been offended by the implication that there may have been a romance between Jesus and Mary. I simply did not see that in the first film. I saw a woman who loved a man who was different from any other man she had ever known. Because of this, she did not know how she was supposed to love him. Jesus' love for her was simply the love he had for any disciple, and I never got the impression that he was romantically inclined toward her. This film came a lot closer to implying that. Every time Jesus is with Mary, he has this rapturous expression on his face, and it is ultimately a confrontation between Judas and Jesus after Judas sees Mary kiss the sleeping savior that makes Judas decide to betray his friend.

The high priests are definitely sinister, but Annas goes far beyond that. He is downright creepy with his bald head, high voice, and cold eyes. Pilate, meanwhile, who was quite honestly my favorite character in the first film when it came to performance, comes across as a vicious gestapo leader here. He does sympathize with Jesus, and there is one touching moment in the trial when Jesus reaches up to comfort him, but overall I found his bellowing more obnoxious than anything else. In the original producation, Barry Dennen made Pilate extremely likable, pitiable and compassionate. I found his scene with Jesus to be the most moving scene in the whole film. This guy doesn't even come close.

And then there's Herod. I think whoever plays him is going to wind up looking like a fruitcake. The first movie's Herod at least tried to sing, even though his voice was pretty bare of talent. This guy, a British fellow who sounded like he had a stuffy nose and seemed to come straight out of the twenties, spent most of his song chanting instead of singing. He was not nearly as amusing as the first, nor was he menacing. He was just...there.

All in all, I must say that I was disappointed with this film. However, magnificent performances of Jesus and Mary as well as a few others (Simon Zealotes and Peter in particular) make it worth watching. The music is as fantastic as it ever was, and as easy to twist around to imply something different. This play can be very reverent, but this was obviously not the intent of the creators. Watch it if you get a chance, but listen to the soundtrack first and work out the rest of the story as you see it on your own. Because Jesus was more of a Superstar than either Webber or Rice could ever imagine.

Just in Time for Easter

As Easter approaches, this movie is a great one to pick up to get you in the spirit of the season. This energetic retelling of the last week of Jesus' life is more powerful as a play, but as a video it holds its own. Sung in its entirety, J.C. Superstar features a cast of rock singers with bizarre costumes.

For the most part, this Andrew Lloyd Weber-Tim Rice production stays true to the story, though they put a very different spin on it. Instead of focusing on Jesus, they attempt to show us the Passion of Christ through the eyes of Judas. A tortured individual, he believes that it will be to the betterment of his people to turn Jesus in to the authorities. Filled with remorse after the deed, he wonders if Jesus could still love him after his betrayal. Then he hangs himself, later confronting Jesus in limbo, in our current time, asking if he thought it was all worth it.

The music makes this movie. Similar musical themes run throughout, giving different songs the same tune. All are memorable, from the tender I Don't Know How to Love Him to the hilarious Herod's Song to the hesitantly triumphant title number. As that's the only dialogue in this movie, you almost might do just as well to simply buy the soundtrack.

There are so many absurd costumes in this movie, and the dances which go along with some of the songs are downright disturbing. As for the props...the scene in the temple includes everything from postcards to firearms. Herod's palace includes a huge swimming pool, a honky-tonk piano, and a big basket of bagels which he throws at Jesus. And in Judas' delusions, he sees himself being chased by tanks and B2 bombers.

All anachronisms aside, this is an interesting modern treatment of a sacred story which millions across the globe consider to be true. The music makes it entertaining and accessible to all manners of people in our young generation. Everyone should see this production at least once. It is highly preferable to see it in the theater, but if your local theater can't accommodate then give the video a shot.