Not-so-Super Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a modernized version of the Bible in movie form. It is an interesting take on the story of Jesus because its characters drive cars, carry guns, and wear clothing that did not exist back in the days when Jesus is rumored to have walked this earth. However, the basic story of Jesus is gotten across to the audience, and you can tell that it is just like how it is written about in the four Gospels. One thing that is missing about this is Jesus’ message. It is difficult to understand why Jesus is so important until the end of the movie, and even then, the director does not include Jesus’ resurrection.
Made in the early 1970’s, directed by Norman Jewison, and written by Tim Rice and Melvyn Bragg, Jesus Christ Superstar is a G-rated rock opera that follows the last few weeks of the life of Jesus Christ in musical form. In the beginning, Jesus (Ted Neeley) and his followers travel around the desert, happily accepting Jesus’ teachings, until his friend and apostle, Judas Iscariot (Carl Anderson) begins to doubt him. The movie is then filled with very dramatic scenes, all of which are based on the Bible.
In the film, as Jesus grows in power and popularity, the Jewish religious leaders start to view him as a threat. They believe that they must kill him in order to prevent him from threatening their religion. They think that with Jesus dead, they will once again be in control, and will be able to restore the city back to the peaceful order it once was. Judas’s torturous decision to betray Jesus follows this scene. You can almost feel the traitor’s anguish over this choice yourself, because he is so emotional and dramatic. Then, Jesus’ trials and crucifixion are shown. The movie is almost entirely based on the Bible, except for the fact that it is a rock opera.
Jesus and Judas are both very intriguing characters. It is interesting and thought provoking to see the movie’s take on the personalities of these two men. When you read or are taught about the Bible, if you don’t get enough details, the rest of the story is up to your imagination. Judas describes his feelings and his motives for betraying Jesus very well, and even if you don’t believe what he is doing is right, you can at least sympathize with him a little.
I, personally, was not too impressed with the film, because I thought it was unrealistic and it also did not portray Jesus as I thought of him. When you hear about the Bible, you get the feeling that Jesus is all-forgiving and all-understanding. However, in the film, I feel that Jesus is pictured in a more edgy and angry way. Also, the whole movie is written in song. There is not one single word of dialogue in it. The soundtrack is catchy if you like music from the 70’s, but I prefer musicals that have both speech and song in them. Also, although Jesus Christ Superstar is rated G, its content seems very far from being appropriate for general audiences. One very violent section of the movie is characterized by Judas hanging himself out of guilt and grief of betraying Jesus. I do not believe that this is something younger children should be watching. I would recommend this movie to people who are interested in learning about the Christian religion in a different format than the Bible and textbooks, but I cannot say that I would just watch it for pleasure.
Bibliography
“Jesus Christ Superstar (1973).” Internet Movie Database. IMDb, 1990-2012. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070239/>.
