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Reviews
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
Aren't melodramatic hippies fun?
OK, before you feel the need to defend this movie, I would like to make it absolutely clear that I really love it. It has very nice musical arrangement, and I think Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius for making the story so relevant and touching. But what really gets me is the priests. I swear you could hide a small child inside their hats, and the little chest adornments are pretty hilarious too. Its very off-putting. I'm sitting there, trying to enjoy the emotional weight of the Caiaphas/Annas song (sorry, I don't know the title) and I just crack up while looking at their damn hats! Also in the overture, the followers of Jesus get in circles and do a dance that looks like it's been transplanted from "Hair". And Jesus seems to hang out in random, but convenient, caves. Quite a bit. But, anyway, I really love Yvonne Elliman as Mary, although it took me a few viewings to get used to the slides in her voice. Judas is awesome, he has such a unique voice, but I don't think he conveys the emotions as well as Jerome Pradon in the 2000 remake.
I wasn't overly impressed with Jesus, even though he did a very nice Gethsemane. I though Glen Carter (2000 Jesus) was limited in facial expressions, with about 6 throughout the movie, but Ted Neely has a maximum of 2.
Herod tops the charts, he's hilarious and shows great character development, as does Pilate. The 39 lashes are great. Best I've seen. The supporting cast is average, and they use lots of enthusiastic hands movements, but all that is forgivable, and the overall impression is pretty active and cool.
Great Performances: Jesus Christ Superstar (2000)
Objective opinion
Having not seen the 1973 version, I would like to offer some objective opinions. Please forgive me if I did not get the song names right, but I have named them after reoccurring lyrics.
Starting with Jesus. His vocal range is far to small for some of the higher notes, such as the ones in "understand what power is" in which he is very, very flat, but his falsetto is quite good. Also, it is interesting to note that although he has only 4 facial expressions (angry, distraught/frightened, joyful and blank) he manages to convey the emotions of the character very effectively through the timing of said expressions.
Simon: is one of the most aggravating characters I have ever seen. He looks fresh out of an American soap opera, and although he has a good voice and expresses the emotions of the character, I can't help but find his facial expressions rather amusing ("Jesus I am on your side") Judas: my personal highlight of the film. Expertly acted and providing a cynical touch to balance out the terminal perkiness of Simon. He manages to portray both sides of the story, the devoted follower of Jesus, and the almost prophetic and panicked alter-ego.
Pilot: truly wonderful performance. Sensitively acted, he was amazing.
Caiaphas: Fantastic voice. I nearly jumped out of my skin on his first low note. Supported by a fantastic group of actors as the high priests.
Herod: Not as subtle as it could have been.
In general, this is an excellent movie, although it is often melodramatic. If you are to enjoy it to the full, accept that it is a musical and isn't going to be realistic. It makes Jesus real, and does so in a very entertaining way. Combining a well thought out plot with strained lyrics (did you see I waved?), this is one of the best modernized period pieces I've seen.