Product Description

A brand-new production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice classic musical, "Jesus Christ Superstar" tells the story of the last seven days in the life of Jesus. It describes his entry into Jerusalem, the enmity that his preaching and his popularity causes among the Jewish religious leaders, his betrayal by Judas, mocking contempt of Herod, and the trial in front of Pontius Pilate, who despite his sympathy towards Jesus as a person, bows to the demands of Caiaphas, the Chief Priest, and has him crucified.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11718 in DVD
• Brand: MCA
• Released on: 2001-03-20
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.20 pounds
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.com
Before Andrew Lloyd Webber took over Broadway with his operatic productions and Tim Rice tossed in his lot with Disney's animated musicals, they were the young turks of musical theater and their rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar was their calling card. Director Gale Edwards's 1999 stage revival, which became the basis for this video production (also available on CD), takes the show out of ancient Jerusalem to an indeterminate mix of modern New York (complete with graffiti-scrawled walls and T-shirt garbed disciples) and timeless Rome. The grandly abstract sets, rainbow lighting, and striking costumes are more theater than cinema, but like the previous made-for-video Lloyd Webber-Rice production Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the enormous soundstages give the director free reign to combine the mediums.

The setting folds fascism, intolerance, and revolution into a portrait out of time, robbing the play of its powerful historical grounding but injecting it with energy and insight. As Christ, Glenn Carter (who played the role in the 2000 Broadway revival) flashes his anger and rolls his eyes at Judas (Jerome Pradon) but cannot deny the truths of Judas's fears: "Every word you say today gets twisted 'round some other way." As Christ sees his cult of personality overtake his message and struggles with the fears of his sacrifice, he reaches within for faith and forgiveness, giving the show the spiritual dimension it so often lacks.

It's an entertaining, thoughtful, and well-sung production. Edwards avoids the tepidity of Norman Jewison's solemn 1973 film, driving forward with energetic editing and swooping cameras, and guided at all times by the dramatic, exhilarating score. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

stark and dark
Filmed at Pinewood Studios, this production has sparse sets with scaffolding that serves for nearly every scene, and has the feel of a stage performance; it has been updated to an indeterminate era, but definitely a time one wouldn't want to live in. There are Nazi-like authority figures, punky gun-toting youth, and the walls are covered in graffiti. The colors are provided by the lighting, and are usually in either a monocromatic dark blue or yellow-orange.
Inevitably, many people will compare this to the 1973 Norman Jewison film, which is a pity, as they are so vastly different. This is much more somber, and the final scenes are wrenching.

Glenn Carter is astounding as Jesus, vocally exceptional in what must be a difficult part to sing, and looking like an Albrecht Durer painting. His Gethsemane ("I Only Want to Say") is superb, and worth the price of this film alone.
Jerome Pradon is also excellent as Judas, and Fred Johanson's Pilate is marvelous, though the entire cast is good, both as actors and singers.
It is interesting in this film how skillfully the evil in a character is portrayed in the song and dance numbers, by Herod (who is so well played by Rik Mayall), and Judas.

One feels the exhaustion and horror of Jesus' last days palpably in this film. The drama of the scourging is a magnificent piece of staging, and powerful; it is a visual punch to the gut, and the crucifixion scene is brilliantly done and moves me to tears every time I see it.
Not an easy film to watch, but well worth the purchase, as it gets better with each viewing.

Top of the Pole
I agree with an earlier reviewer that this version is different than the 73 film. It takes a bit of time to get used to it. For me it was hard not to see some of the actors / singers from the earlier film, particularly Carl Anderson. Once I got over the adjustment, I found this production to be simply wonderful. Because it is shot on a set rather than outdoors, and because of the advances in cameras etc. the viewer is transported into the action. You see all the subtle facial expressions and interactions between the characters that is simply missing from the technically challenged Jewison film. There is for example, no "day for night" film that leaves one barely able to make out Jesus singing the climactic song in the Garden of Gethsemane. Glen Carter is refreshing as Jesus though I, unlike many others, always liked Ted Neeley's performance. Jerome Pradon presents an engaging Judas. Chiaphas and Annas are perhaps a bit over the top, yet they are entertaining, as is Pilot. I still am debating the appropriatness of giving the Romans/Pilot's uniforms a Nazi look, and I think Pilot's Characterization is over stated, but it is very intense, captivating and powerful. Mary is beautiful and has the greatest voice of any of the Marys to date. Her presentation of "I Don't Know Hot to Love Him," in my opinion the most important song in the musical, is breath taking. In my estimation, I think this version, with modern look and feel, will help make the entire piece more approachable to younger viewers. It will better communicate the emotions of fear and pain that Christ experienced. The strength of Superstar has always been the ability to make Jesus more than just an historical figure. He is someone who was real, as was his sacrifice. Another valuable perspective is that of Judas. He is more complex than is traditionally presented. This Judas is someone who has faults, but they are similar to the everyday faults we all share. Superstar portrays Judas as committed to the ministry, but not fully committed to Jesus. He is competitive with Christ to the point that he thinks he can force his hand if Christ is arrested. The motivations for Judas's betrayal are akin to subtle self centeredness that most of us battle on a regular basis, and they stem from his ego rather than his greed. This production best conveys to youth today some sense of what these real people actually felt and how they experienced life. A few years ago, I showed the 73 film to a youth group. They were so turned off by the very obvious 70's characterizations, costumes and choreography, that they laughed at some of the most powerful and intense moments. No one does that with this version. The 39 lashes is most powerful as is the "Could We Start Again" seqence. Again the voices from top to bottom are top notch without sounding too theatrical/formal which I have found to be distracting in other recent recordings. Alas, I simply find this production to be, in the words of one of the Pharisees, "top of the pole."

A well done revision of a classic
As Lent rolls around every year, I always pull out my well-worn copy of Jesus Christ Superstar on CD. (I wore out the album, twice). The music of ALW and Rice is superb and moving. I've seen the Jewison version of this movie a number of times, and my fiance and myself actually thought that's what we were buying on DVD when we purchased this copy...however. It didn't take us long to figure out this wasn't the same movie we'd seen before.

In terms of the sheer power of the story, this newest entry into the market is head and shoulders above the Jewison rendition. While I much preferred the way the first JCSS was filmed (on location, etc.) the performances in the Edwards' film were much more powerful. It pays to remember that when ALW/TR wrote the original score, their goal was to bring Christ to the people of the day. This staging certainly accomplishes that, even if it's not really my 'style.'

Glenn Carter as Christ is tormented by his 'role' as the Messiah, obviously conflicted about his relationship with Judas (more on Pradon later), often poignantly affected by his coming trials. His voice did seem a bit 'weak' for the material, but it is the scenes of him in the final moments (after his arrest through his cruxifiction) that reduced me to tears. He lives the pain...it is apparent in every move he makes, every expression on his face.

Judas...what can I say. From the first moment, he captured me. I've never seen Judas as the cold, calculating man he is frequently portrayed to be. To me, he was a puppet in the hands of a power he couldn't begin to understand. He is afraid for Christ and the apostles, that much is made clear. To him, it's a obviously a case of saving Jesus from himself...but it backfires when he realizes what the Romans really have planned. Pradon in this role is perfect. First of all, his voice is stunning. He sings this role as if it were written for him. He's just flashy enough without letting it intrude on the story he's telling. The scene where he realizes what he's set in motion with his kiss is one of the most moving depictions I've ever seen/heard/read of that moment in time. I'll be looking for more of his work (hopefully in English!)

Fred Johanson is amazing as Pilate -- a towering presence with a soul. The pathos in his voice and face (and body language) as he pleads with Jesus to 'help me help you' made me stop and think about Pilate in a very different way. Rik Mayall as Herod is perfect. Herod has frequently seemed 'silly' in other productions. Mayall's rendition makes him a bored aristocrat with a razor edge of nastiness under the surface. Not someone I'd want to meet in a dark alley. Renee Castle as Mary Magdalene is good -- arguably better than Yvonne Ellison as an actress, though I think perhaps Ellison's voice was a little more suited to the music. That could just be because I've never heard anyone else perform it.

This is NOT, repeat NOT, a movie to watch with your children. (Mature teens will do fine, but it's just too intense for the little ones.) There is some interesting costuming in the scene where Jesus is carrying his cross and the graphic intensity of the beatings/floggings/cruxifiction are very disturbing. That's part of what made this version more powerful for me. If you love the music and want to really feel the pathos of the last days, I strongly recommend this.