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Jesus Christ Superstar

starring: Glenn Carter, Jérôme Pradon, Renee Castle, Fred Johanson, Michael Shaeffer
directed by: Gale Edwards, Nick Morris

: Jesus Christ Superstar
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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: Universal
EAN: 9780783252940
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 0783252943
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Region Code: 1
Release Date: March 20, 2001
Running Time: 107 minutes
Sales Rank: 11745
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: March 20, 2001



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Editorial Review:

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.

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
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Awesome
At least this is the complete version. The CD had me worried with its omission of a few key songs. ... Read More


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Jesus Christ SuperStar
This is the best version of this musical I've seen. I watch this for the musical and vocal content ... Read More


Rating: 1 out of 5 stars - Absolutely terrible
I can think of one good thing about this production; it's the the feeling you get when it's over and ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Jesus Christ Superstar
I am so glad i purchased this for my husband. We have the vhs version, but as we have discovered, The ... Read More


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Jesus meets GQ
Visually and musically stunning, this stage-acted production of JCS seems less a re-imagination than a ... Read More

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Copyright ©2003, Mark Carey.