Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense

Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

me-81350 I watched this in the early 70s. At the time you stay in your seat and watch it again until the Cinema closed.I sat and watched it twice. Enforced RE in schools told of the Christian Bible story removing the characters from real people.This Lloyd Webber / Rice production with Jewisons direction and Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson's bought it to life showing not gods but Men and Women.The pressures on this one man from all sides come out in the Gardens of Gethsemane. Neeley's voice and the emotion must surely be the definitive version. I can watch / listen to this and it always makes my hair on the back of my neck stand up, especially his capitulation.Carl Anderson has been mentioned many times for his portrayal as Judas - inspired casting.I have heard many subsequent versions and I'm afraid they pale against this magnificent movie.And yes I'm still an atheist

rodrig58 The music is great, especially those three songs sung by Yvonne Elliman, who has a divine voice. Ted Neeley is not a good choice, neither as an actor or as a singer. Nor can it be compared to Robert "Jesus of Nazareth" Powell... Carl Anderson as Judas Iscariot is OK. Just as Barry Dennen as Pontius Pilate, Larry Marshall as Simon Zealotes and Josh Mostel as King Herod. The revelation of the film is Mary Magdalene played by Yvonne Elliman. A super-delicate presence on the screen with a unique great voice, which anoint your soul. The direction of Norman Jewison is brilliant. The image of Douglas Slocombe also impeccable. To be seen and reviewed anytime, with immense pleasure.

charliesonnyray When I first heard about this film, I was honestly scratching my head. A musical about Jesus? Rather an odd concept but I was willing to give it a try. As a Christian myself, I didn't know how to feel about the movie. It feels like they are showing Jesus just as a normal guy that for some reason has to die and also Judas was portrayed as being way too sympathetic and I saw that as unrealistic entirely. I did like the music and some of the numbers though and that it was willing to at least try new things. Over all, I didn't like it and I didn't hate it. I realize some Christians got really up in arms about this film but I didn't feel offended but I did feel like they got it wrong.

3xHCCH I held off watching Jesus Christ Superstar for the longest time. I could not understand how Jesus and the apostles could be portrayed as hippies, which I thought was disrespectful and irreverent. I tried many times to start watching the film but found it difficult to get through those radical opening sequences featuring more of Judas than Christ. However, when I finally did get through that first song number, I found myself quite engrossed in the way the story of Christ's Passion was told and enacted in rock songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Yes, the sets and props were strangely anachronistic (like t-shirts, postcard racks and machine guns), but I guess that symbolizes the timelessness of the story.The song "Gethsemane" was so vital, it is just breathtaking to hear. The lyrics capture the conflict within Jesus at that contemplative moment in the Garden perfectly. This song is Ted Neeley's high point in the whole film as Jesus Christ. Another song that moves me is "Could We Start Again Please." With a melody so simple and lyrics so bare, the emotional punch of this song is astounding. It moved me to tears, honestly, when I hear Yvonne Elliman (Mary Magdalene) and Philip Toubus (Simon Peter) sing those earnest words which echo our own sentiments with our own faults:"I've been living to see you Dying to see you, but it shouldn't be like this This was unexpected, what do I do now? Could we start again please?I think you've made your point now You've even gone a bit too far to get the message home Before it gets too frightening, we ought to call a halt So could we start again please?"The Judas character plays a co-equal role in this interpretation and Carl Anderson so passionately portrays him. We see and hear a lot from him that was why this play was controversial back in the day. The words he sings vivify the conflicts within this disturbed man. Magdalene's love song "I Don't Know How to Love Him" takes on a different meaning when Judas sang it before his climactic suicide song. Talking about hanging, that scene was so chillingly and realistically shot.Special mentions would be the odd but welcome comedy respite provided by Josh Mostel as King Herod, and the unusual contrast of the deep voice of Bob Bingham vis a vis the falsetto voice of Kurt Yagjihan, as the high priests Caiaphas and Annas. The 39 Lashes scene with Barry Dennen as Pontius Pilate was also very memorable.