Jesus Christ Superstar

looper · Post by **looper** » Sun Jul 13, 2003 5:51 pm

I know I am doomed to never, ever write a funny or witty thing on this board. But that's okay! You guys are funny! So here ya go, another serious post...

Review of Jesus Christ Superstar

If you've ever been forced or willfully tried to sit through a movie based on Biblical events, you know that the events and characters involved have become so crystallized, so iconicized in our culture that the movies based on them come across as dry and barren, devoid of any real human emotion or motivation.

Jesus Christ Superstar (the original movie from the 70s, not the new remake) wonderfully breaks that pattern. By treating Jesus and the people involved in his life as human beings first, the movie breaks through fossilized Christian conceptions of deity, sin, life's purpose, and fate to freshly address these questions, as did Christ originally.

The score (this is a musical, in which all dialogue is sung) serves to heighten the emotional impact of what the characters say. But it's the treatment of the characters themselves that is so groundbreaking.

For probably the first time, Judas is treated as a sympathetic character, not an icon synonymous with "betrayer", and his motivations and decision-making process explored. Touchingly, we watch the strong bond between Jesus and Judas disintegrate as Judas carries his presuppositions to their logical end.

Chief among Judas' motivations is his love for Jesus and concern for their people, the Jews, who are living in a state of occupation under the Romans. Judas sees Jesus' control over his followers as slipping, and the danger of Roman intervention imminent, and turns in Jesus for Jesus' and the Jews' sakes.

Also treated are the feelings of Mary Magdelene, perhaps the only person in the movie who loves Jesus as much as Judas.

The disciples, on the other hand, are portrayed as selfish and ignorant, concerned primarily with their legacies.

Jesus himself is allowed more doubt and fatigue in Jesus Christ Superstar than in most portrayals, and more love for Judas and Mary Magdalene.

Other characters humanized by the movie include the Pharisees, the equivalent of petty and malicious government officials today, and Pontius Pilate, whose agony over being forced by his position to condemn a man who is clearly innocent of the charges brought against him is made palpable in his scenes.

The movie presents an ambiguous picture of the events of Jesus' life and death. Ultimately, the movie questions the traditional claims of Christianity regarding God and Jesus. Implicitly, the movie asks: if God controls everything, why would he cause one person, Jesus, to suffer for the sake of all others, and simultaneously cause another, Judas, to help in this divine plan by taking actions that will eternally damn him? Did God care about everyone except Judas? The contradictions of this theology are exemplified when Judas finalizes his plans to betray Jesus: at that moment we hear a heavenly choir sing "Well done, Judas. Good old Judas." Otherwise, we see no miracles, no resurrections. The movie concentrates on human choices, human interactions, not the mythical aspects of Jesus' life. So the movie finishes its treatment at Jesus' death and goes no further, leaving the question of the historical accuracy of Jesus' resurrection to others. Judas embodies the movie's spirit of confusion and skepticism when he addresses Jesus: "Don't you get me wrong/I only want to know:/Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ/Who are you?/What have you sacrificed?/Jesus Christ, superstar/Do you think you're what they say you are?"

It is this honest confession of doubt that allows the movie to treat Jesus, Judas and the rest as human beings rather than as static, inhuman exemplars of cultural mores. And this in turn allows the viewer to empathize with the characters on-screen, a feat rarely accomplished in a movie about Biblical events.

Debaser · Post by **Debaser** » Sun Jul 13, 2003 6:36 pm

Hmph. Interesting. I nearly saw that live as a play a couple times in High School, but it had an association with Christians and hippies, so I'd never really bothered to look into it.

Interestingly, the trailer for Mel Gibson's new Passion movie is up at aint-it-cool-news, for all you fans of Ancient Aramaic out there. Actually, visually it looks tremendous, and I'd probably go see it when it came out, if they decided to provide subtitles (which, word has it, they are planning on not doing).

looper · Post by **looper** » Sun Jul 13, 2003 6:51 pm

Yeah, I figured it was some tripped-out, optimistic hippy take on Jesus' life. I was really surprised when I finally actually saw it. It wasn't like that, and it wasn't like the usual Bible movie either.

Violet · Post by **Violet** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 6:41 am

That was one of the only records my mom owned. My dad used to play it when I was little and my sisters and I would dance to it. I can sing all the songs by heart which is really scary. I saw the movie a couple of years ago and I think they added a couple of songs to the musical. (Or took some out)

Judas and Caiaphas have really awesome voices. I love that song that Caiaphas sings. "Ah gentlemen, I'm glad that you are here there's not much time and quite a problem here."

They wanted to do that musical at my high school. We couldn't though because it was an all girl’s high school. There's only one woman part in that whole thing. All the parts could be played by women but then Caiaphas's song wouldn't sound nearly as good. And all the girls would have fought over Mary Magdalene. That would have been funny though.

looper · Post by **looper** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 10:53 am

Violet wrote:I can sing all the songs by heart which is really scary.

It's gotta have the best songs ever written for a musical, period. I mean, shit, nothing compares. Although there was some pretty cool stuff here and there in Mulan Rouge.

I saw the movie a couple of years ago and I think they added a couple of songs to the musical. (Or took some out)

My sources inform me that a conversation between Caiaphas and the little weasely Pharisee was added to the movie.

Judas and Caiaphas have really awesome voices. I love that song that Caiaphas sings. "Ah gentlemen, I'm glad that you are here there's not much time and quite a problem here."

For some reason I like the way Caiaphas walks around when he's talking to that little weasely guy in the beginning. And yeah, Judas does an amazing performance, all around.

There's only one woman part in that whole thing.

That's an interesting point.

And all the girls would have fought over Mary Magdalene.

I know this isn't what you meant, but she was very hot in the movie.

looper · Post by **looper** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 10:53 am

Violet wrote:I can sing all the songs by heart which is really scary.

It's gotta have the best songs ever written for a musical, period. I mean, shit, nothing compares. Although there was some pretty cool stuff here and there in Mulan Rouge.

I saw the movie a couple of years ago and I think they added a couple of songs to the musical. (Or took some out)

My sources inform me that a conversation between Caiaphas and the little weasely Pharisee was added to the movie.

Judas and Caiaphas have really awesome voices. I love that song that Caiaphas sings. "Ah gentlemen, I'm glad that you are here there's not much time and quite a problem here."

For some reason I like the way Caiaphas walks around when he's talking to that little weasely guy in the beginning. And yeah, Judas does an amazing performance, all around.

There's only one woman part in that whole thing.

That's an interesting point.

And all the girls would have fought over Mary Magdalene.

I know this isn't what you meant, but she was very hot in the movie.

loafergirl · Post by **loafergirl** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 2:33 pm

Yeah my 6th grade Catholic school teacher used it to teach us, even with the somewhat scandalous role of Mary Magdeline. It's actually pretty cool.

Violet · Post by **Violet** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 6:55 pm

So did my 6th grade teacher. I think that is so funny. I was sitting here and thinking that and realized well thats because we went to the same school.

Worm · Post by **Worm** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:27 pm

I remember listening to songs from this and I think seeing a reacting of it when I was in catholic school. Though I vaguely recall it ... I wasn't really alive then.

looper · Post by **looper** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 8:00 pm

My girlfriend volunteered at a community outreach center that was church-sponsored, and she had to come up with something for the kids she was in charge of (10 year olds, around there) to sing for a Christmas party thing (where all the church people who were giving money to the center would get to see what good kids they were helping out), and so naturally she thought something from JCS would be good, cuz she loves that movie.

So she suggested as much to the directors of the center, not expecting them to say yes, and they said yes! They had no idea what the lyrics were saying, or anything. And so the kids sang a JCS song at the Christmas party. Nobody took offense.

Ah shit, I could tell this story much better if she were here to give me the details...

looper · Post by **looper** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 10:04 pm

Ok, here's the real story:

My girlfriend, Mari, worked (not volunteered) at the community center, which was in Houston, TX. Most of the kids at the center were black or Hispanic, as were most of the people who worked there. The kids Mari worked with were ages 5-7. The center had a sort of pageant every spring, and every group of kids performed something at the pageant. The director of the center, who was studying to be a minister, asked Mari and another staff member if they had any ideas for what Mari's kids could do for the spring fling. Mari said, somewhat facetiously, "They could do something from Jesus Christ Superstar." The director said "That's a great idea!" Mari, shocked, said "Have you seen it before?" and he said he had. He then suggested that she be in charge of teaching the kids a dance number from the movie. So she had to say yes.

She picked the least inflammatory song she could think of, which happened to be the song sung by Simon Zealot to Jesus. In said song, he is urging Jesus to use his power to convince the Jews to rebel against Rome. He's trying to sway Jesus by way of flattery: praise. So the chorus is like, "Christ, you know I love you/did you see I waved?/I believe in you and God/so tell me that I'm saved".

Mari was a little worried, though, because of the lines "Keep them yelling their devotion/but add a touch of hate at Rome" and "Christ, what more do you need to convince you/that you've made it and you're easily as strong/as the filth from Rome who rape our country/and who've terrorized our country for so long?"

But the plans went ahead...

To figure out who would play which role in the dance number, she decided to have the kids draw straws. She prayed that the one white kid in the class wouldn't draw the Jesus straw...

Thankfully her prayer was answered...

Mari decided it might be a good idea for the kids to see the movie, to get a better idea of their roles in the dance number. So she was showing the movie to her kids and all the kids at the center who were waiting for their parents to come pick them up from their day at the community center. The director of the center, who is black, walked in, and glanced at the TV. He said, "So, Judas is black, huh?" Mari, discomfited and wondering why the director had said he'd seen the movie before, quickly assured him that there were several other roles in the movie filled by black people, and that the film was multi-racial.

An interesting note: Mari tells me the kids were enraptured (where is all this religious terminology coming from?!) by the movie, and they were especially captivated by the crucifixion. They had her rewind the tape so they could watch it again.

The dance number went off without a hitch.

As per Violet...
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The End