Review of Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) by James S — 07 Apr 2009

This is a difficult move to review. It mixes so much..modern (as of 1970) to ancient, hippie clothing with cothing of the times, modern language mixed with biblical verse. In its day, it was considered controverial. The telling of the story of Christ as a man and the effects of his decisions will always bring controversy. The sympathetic portrayal of Pontius Pilate, the obvious physical attraction between Mary Magdelene and Christ, the idea that Judas acted on what he felt was best for the group rather than being influenced by evil forces or the greed of 30 pieces of silver, and...perhaps most of all...lumping Buddah, Mohhamet (sp?), and others in the same category and the gall to ask the perfect man if mistakes were made caused quite a stir.

Yet, one should think beyond the box. If one were to see this movie without prior knowledge of the story, these were questions that would be asked. This may be the first film on the subject to do so. If these question could be honestly answered without any prejudice of any kind, perhaps the movie and the story would garner a bit more interest outside of its world.

So much for the sermon. Although it is not the best movie or musical I have ever seen, I enjoy it thoroughly. It is the first soundtrack that I could ever repeat word for word. Reccomend it...maybe not. At least one should have an open mind. Above all...just enjoy the early Andrew Lloyd Weber effort.