The copious amounts of drugs that were used to create this thing were probably what they paid the extras with.
It’s an interesting (if slightly heretical?) take on the Passion story. It was definitely written by secular men, who still found the life of Christ fascinating, and wondered if He was truly divine or not. But this movie version has not aged well, and it should have been kept on the stage. Some things are not meant to be movies. To think this was nominated for best picture...
And yet, I was undeniably entertained by Jesus bursting into the temple, flipping over a drum set and a rack of holy land postcards. Jesus also belts like a rock star and it’s kind of amazing.
It also gets points for the army tanks that chase Judas to symbolize his inner struggle.
Truly one of the most bizarre spectacles to emerge from the hippie movement.
5/10