Review of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1999) by Harry E — 19 Jun 2013

This is a pretty bad movie, but it's rather compelling if you're interested in the transitions in adaptation from stage to screen and in 'film-within-a-film' narrative techniques. The main story, the Joseph story, is presented as a 'play' (although actually a film with theatrical set-pieces) performed for schoolchildren, who are the 'outer' audience yet also participate in the 'play' as Joseph enters their environment and they enter the performance at certain points.

The narrator occupies both worlds as well. The adults in the 'outer' environment are the same actors who play the characters in the 'inner' story (à la 'The Wizard of Oz'), and a running joke is that, although the children are the engaged audience, a good deal of the visual humor is sexual innuendo meant for adult appreciation.

The musical numbers are competently performed representations of different genres, and some of the sets are reminiscent of Ken Russell, though obviously not as good as the real thing. Richard Attenborough doesn't really have to do much; he just kind of sits there.

He's the most experienced artist in this thing, and he seems content to sit back, mildly amused, and watch the goings-on.