Rating: G
Genre:
Musical
Release Date: 08/31/2004
SubTitles: English/Espanol/French
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD2
Run Time: 107 Minutes
Distributor/Studio: Universal Studios
The second Biblical epic to be turned into a musical by composer
Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist
Tim Rice, this box-office disappointment recounts the last week in the life of
Jesus Christ in rock-opera format and from the surprising point of view of
Christ's betrayer,
Judas Iscariot.
Carl Anderson stars as
Judas, who has begun to believe that
Jesus (
Ted Neeley) has sold out and started buying into the mythology that's quickly springing up around him. Particularly disturbing to
Judas is the relationship between
Jesus and his friend
Mary Magdalene (
Yvonne Elliman), a prostitute. When
Jesus throws a temper tantrum at the moneylenders in a temple,
Judas determines to work with the Pharisees who want to put
Jesus on trial as a false prophet. Following his success with the adaptation of
Fiddler on the Roof (1971), director
Norman Jewison experimented with a hippie-influenced sensibility on
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973). Among such touches are depictions of the cast arriving via bus to mount the show, modern high-tech weaponry in the hands of the ancient Romans, and on-location filming in Israel.
~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
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