Universal Pictures
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Jesus Christ Superstar
And now the film…
As played out by a theatre troupe, the last days of Jesus Christ are depicted from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, his betrayer. As Jesus' following increases, Judas begins to worry that Jesus is falling for his own hype, forgetting the principles of his teachings and growing too close to the prostitute Mary Magdalene.
- Original title
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $3,500,000
- Revenue
- $24,593,103
CinemaSerf
Apr 2, 2023 · via TMDB
Norman Jewison shipped everyone to Israel to help give this adaptation of the Lloyd Webber/Rice hit rock opera as much authenticity as possible for the big screen. Ted Neeley dons the robes for the title role and ably aided by a very much on form Carl Anderson (Judas) and Yvonne Elliman (Mary Magdalene) reimagines the stage performances that take us from modern day through the ages to the lifetime of Christ. Neeley certainly has that established look to him, but I actually found him rather underwhelming (it doesn't help that his are certainly not the best numbers). As the story gathers momentum the other two very much come into their own leading an ensemble cast that mixes historical and contemporary styles of music and dance, language and imagery to try to modernise (1970s style) this provocative story. Josh Mostel turns in quite a fun routine as the slightly camp King Herod, and Barry Dennen likewise as the conflicted governor Pilate but for me the whole thing really belongs to Anderson's traitor. The settings serve it well, Douglas Slocombe knows well how to use the ancient monuments and some modern lighting to deliver that extra layer to differentiate it from the stage performance - which, at times, this all too closely resembles. Groundbreaking it certainly was, but time hasn't been especially kind to it and fifty years on it almost comes across as much of a parody as "Life of Brian" (1979). Still, "I Don't Know How to Love Him", "Everything's Alright", "Heaven on their Minds" and the powerful "Gethsemane" offer robust lyrics for the unfolding story of the last few days of Jesus. I did enjoy this on stage, but this film not so much...
Andres Gomez
Mar 29, 2016 · via TMDB
Risky adaptation of a great musical with catchy songs. Carl Anderson performs a great Judas. Some of the other actors are quite good too, like Barry Dennen as Pontius Pilate but Ted Neeley as Jesus is quite a whimp. In any case, a very interesting adaptation of a musical which deserves to be watched at least once.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Ted Neeley
Jesus Christ
Carl Anderson
Judas Iscariot
Yvonne Elliman
Mary Magdalene
Barry Dennen
Pontius Pilate
Bob Bingham
Caiaphas
Larry Marshall
Simon Zealotes
Josh Mostel
King Herod
Kurt Yaghjian
Annas
Paul Thomas
Peter
Robert LuPone
Apostle James
Thommie Walsh
Apostle Thaddeus
Jeff Hyslop
Apostle
Marcia McBroom
Woman
Baayork Lee
Woman
Norman Jewison
Man (voice) (uncredited)
Douglas Slocombe
Director of Photography
Yvonne Blake
Costume Design
Norman Jewison
Director
Norman Jewison
Producer
Robert Stigwood
Producer
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Original Music Composer
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Songs
Tim Rice
Lyricist
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Musical
Tim Rice
Musical
Melvyn Bragg
Screenplay
Norman Jewison
Screenplay
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Paganini
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Max
Aug 15, 1973
