Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

Ted Neeley	Jesus Christ
Carl Anderson	Judas Iscariot
Yvonne Elliman	Mary Magdalene
Barry Dennen	Pontius Pilate
Bob Bingham	Caiaphas
Larry Marshall	Simon Zealotes (as Larry T. Marshall)
Josh Mostel	King Herod (as Joshua Mostel)
Kurt Yaghjian	Annas
Paul Thomas	Peter (as Philip Toubus)
Pi Douglass	Apostle
Richard Orbach	John
Robert LuPone	James
Jonathan Wynne	Apostle
Thommie Walsh	Thaddeus
Richard Molinare	Andrew

Director	Norman Jewison
Producer	Norman Jewison Robert Stigwood
Writer	Tim Rice Norman Jewison Melvyn Bragg

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

Edition Details
Edition	Special Edition
Release Date	8/31/2004
Packaging	Keep Case
Screen Ratio	2.35:1
Subtitles	French; Spanish
Audio Tracks	ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo SPANISH: Dolby Digital Stereo
Layers	Single Side, Dual Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes	1

Personal Details
Purchase Date	8/31/2004
Owner	Thomas Eisenmann
Store	Best Buy
Purchase Price	$14.99
Condition	Excellent
Reviewed	Widescreen Review
Bit Rate	448 KB
Anamophic	Yes
Links	All Movie Guide DVD Empire IMDB

Anamophic

Special features include a 15-minute interview with lyricist Tim Rice, audio commentary with director Norman Jewison and actor Ted Neeley, and a five-minute still montage.

Story Synopsis:
The rock opera (no spoken words, just singing) Jesus Christ Superstar, based on the book by Tim Rice, tells the story of Christ’s (Neeley) last six days on Earth through the eyes of Judas Iscariot (Anderson). Filmed in Israel, the movie is a combination of ancient history and modern conveniences (note the postcard rack in the town square of Jerusalem). Choreographed by Rob Iscove.

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 2.40:1 DVD picture exhibits satisfying quality, with colors that are somewhat dated, but well balanced. Compared to the previously released, non-anamorphic version (reviewed in Issue 33), this new DVD (for picture quality) is much preferred. Fleshtones appear accurate and blacks are deep, but often undefined. The picture is sharp with nicely rendered details and textures, like on Jesus’s robe and facial features, but sometimes images can appear undefined or plugged-up. There is dirt, minor scratches, and some film grain evident in the source element. Edge enhancement is noticed at times, but pixelization is not a big problem with this title. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
This is one of those soundtracks that literally cries out for a remastered 5.1-channel mix instead of the Dolby® Digital 2.0-channel soundtrack that’s found on this DVD, particularly since the previous edition was discrete 5.0. This 2.0-channel mix, when Pro Logic® decoded offers the listener a pleasing soundstage albeit a limited, subdued, and very quiet one. The singers sound fine, but there was no dynamic range or any sort of pizazz to their vocals. (Jeffrey Kern)