Review of Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) by Robert M — 24 Nov 2007

If you do the math (using Peter's death in the mid AD 60s, his being one of the main disciples [therefore one of the oldest], and the short lifespan of most in the 1st century), you end up with the disciples being in their late teens or early 20s. That fact alone gives you picture of the disciples looking very much like they look in this movie.

Then a number of small, but very important, changes in the lyrics from the original album to the movie give a different theological twist to the story. Things like in the trial Jesus says (in the original album) "there may be a kingdom for me if *I* only knew" to Pilate (implying Jesus being unsure), while in the movie version Jesus says "if *you* only knew" to Pilate (implying Jesus knowing but Pilate still in the dark).

My biggest problem was King Herod's song. It's quite funny to be sure, but I felt it was really 'over the top' (hinting at Herod's being bisexual) and hurt the work as a whole. Then, a few years later, I read in Josephus, the 1st century historian, and sure enough, Herod Antipas 'swung both ways' and so the song really is an accurate depiction of him. I am truly impressed by the work, especially in its movie version.