1973 Directed by Norman Jewison
Oscar-nominated film adaptation of the rock opera of the same name, based on the last weeks before the crucifixion of Jesus. The film was directed by Norman Jewison. Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson were nominated for two 1974 Golden Globe Award for their portrayals of Jesus and Judas, respectively.
Ted Neeley Carl Anderson Yvonne Elliman Barry Dennen Bob Bingham Larry Marshall Josh Mostel Kurt Yaghjian Paul Thomas Pi Douglass Robert LuPone Jonathan Wynne Thommie Walsh Richard Molinare David Devir Jeff Hyslop Richard Orbach Shooki Wagner Darcel Wynne Marcia McBroom Sally Neal Leeyan Granger Vera Biloshisky Kate Wright Wendy Maltby Denise Pence Baayork Lee Wyetta Turner Susie Allanson Show All…
Film 3/16 of Scavenger Hunt Mini #1
Task #6: A film that focuses on a subject matter that you were persecuted for supporting/being part of
letterboxd.com/martinjacob49/list/scavenger-hunt-mini-1-november-2016/
The task here is kind of misleading because in reality, I've never been harshly persecuted for loving Jesus. I've been made fun of by non-believers, but have never gotten any death threats from it. And in a country like America that celebrates free speech and religion, it's a great cause to support. Let's hope and pray that whoever wins the upcoming election that these freedoms will survive until the end of days.
Anyway, Jesus Christ Superstar, or as I like to call it, Hippy Jesus the Rock Opera, is exactly what you'd expect from…
A 2,000-year-old story told in the musical and visual rhythms of the early 1970s, Norman Jewison's "Jesus Christ Superstar" is a stirring, inspiring cinematic passion play. Adapting Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera for the screen, Jewison creates a stylistic document of the '70s that presents a reflective and near-meta observation of the final pages of the New Testament.
Telling the story of the last days of Jesus Christ, "Jesus Christ Superstar" focuses on the players impacting those final days. Here, the passion play is a literal performance staged by a busload of actors and singers disembarking in a dusty Holy Land.
Between the near-silent meta-bookends of the play is the classical story of Jesus and his disciples as the man…
I just watched Jesus Christ Superstar again, this time on the big screen.
I have never understood why this film is not regarded as one of the greatest musicals of all time. Not only are the music by Andrew Lloyd Weber and the lyrics by Tim Rice brilliant, but the cinematography is awesome. Yes, I will say it. This is a very cinematic film, one which uses all the tricks from the box in the most beautiful way. It uses the wide screen format to the fullest, so it should preferably be seen on the big screen.
I think what puts people off is the contemporary hippie setting and the fact that they are putting up the musical in fallen…
If I wanted to watch a funky as hell awesome 70s musical, I would chose Hair over this one every day of the week. Except for this week, because this screen adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar is part of My Buddy the Elf Challenge list, for quite obvious reasons. And it's one of two films about Jesus in there, the other one being Life of Brian. And even though they are miles apart from each other when it comes to tone and execution, they sure handle almost the exact same issues. And just as with the case of Life of Brian, this film also is one of my mother's favorite films. Or rather the musical as a whole. She being…
My family's tradition is to watch this movie every Easter. It is definitely my favorite musical, although some of the changes made from the original concept album (in terms of singing) are not my favorite. Regardless, it's a fascinating look at the passion through the eyes of Jesus and Judas.
How can you get better than the on-location setting for this masterpiece? Dated, but only in the best of ways. Carl Anderson and Ted Neely are perfect. Perfect, I say.
Also, only Simon Zealotes could possibly sing the line 'the filth from Rome who rape our country' with such pizzazz and joy, mid boxstep.
3.1
[DVD, library]
It's hard to believe that I've gone 44 years without seeing this, especially since the original stage concept recording was a much beloved LP in our house while I was growing up - my sister had the sheet music and played it more often than Chopin, and I could (and still can) quote the lyrics word-for-word. So it pains me to see a film interpretation dominated by terrible acting, mediocre singing, and orchestrations buried in the sound mix. God-awful [pun intended].
This is a combination of Jesus and Rock Opera musicals with a bit of hippy counterculture and irreverence thrown in the mix. Also some strong ideas, E.g. jesus being a superstar of his time, consumed by fame. In other words, awesome.
Sometimes a rating needs explaining. In the case of this film, I have rated it the way I rate all other films. Using the criteria of judging a film based on what it is trying to do or accomplish, and who it is aimed at. In the case of JCS, this is the best possible film that the attempt to make this kind of film could yield, and so it is a masterpiece in its own right.
This was certainly an... interesting film. Honestly, I can't even tell if I liked it or not, I was so baffled by it. I'm pretty sure I liked it. The music was really good, and I admire the artistic vision, it was just very bizarre. I'll definitely have to give it another watch to further decide my feelings on it.
Artyficial 5,032 films
This list is the Letterboxd version of The Oxford History of World Cinema.
The book celebrates and chronicles over one…
NeverTooEarlyMP 4,761 films
Every film that has ever been nominated for an Academy Award in any category. Enjoy!
