Pippin: His Life and Times (1981) (TV)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

David Sheehan

Writer:

Roger O. Hirson (musical)

Genre:

History | Musical | Romance | War

Plot:

At the goading of the ominous and omnipresent Leading Player, Pippin, the eldest son of King Charlemagne, samples life's pleasures to discover his place in the world and the meaning of his life. |

Plot Keywords:

Patricide | Male Female Relationship | Stepmother | King | Love

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Ben Vereen	...	The Leading Player
William Katt	...	Pippin
Leslie Denniston	...	Catherine
Benjamin Rayson	...	Charlemagne
Martha Raye	...	Berthe
Chita Rivera	...	Fastrada
Joanie P. Oneill	...	Player
Debra Phelan	...	Player
Linda Haberman	...	Player
Kate Wright	...	Player
Allison Williams	...	Player
John Mineo	...	Sword Bearer
Charles Lee Ward	...	Peasant
Lee Mathis	...	Beggar
Frank Mastrocola	...	Noble

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Trivia:

In the original stage version, Catherine has a solo entitled "I Guess I'll Miss the Man" after Pippin leaves her. The song does not appear in this version, but is still in the play today.

Quotes:

Charlemagne: Your brother Luis is an ideal soldier: he is strong and stupid.

Soundtrack:

Morning Glow

We've Got Magic To Do

What a wonderfully filmed Broadway show! The show is wonderfully done and the direction by Bob Fosse is like always wonderful. Ben Vereen was great as the Leading Player; full of life and song. William Katt sings beautifully, my only regret is that he is a stick when he does.

The plot is simple. Pippin is a prince who wants to do something important with his life. First he becomes a warrior, and then he becomes obsessed with women. And so on. Yet he never finds what he wants to do until the end, in the delightful scene, entitled `Pippins Grand Finale'. What a show. What a circus.

A musical not to be missed. Its only flaw is that like all taped live on stage videos is that something is lost. But thankfully, not as much is missing here. We have great entertainment, and the show was incredibly funny. So now it is time for me to stop rambling on and for you to click that little `buy the DVD from Amazon.com' button and purchase this movie from Amazon. You won't regret it!

It got magic to do… Just for you!

MPAA: NR

My Rating: 13 and up for mature themes, language and a brief scene of violence.

My * Rating 8.6