Jesus Christ Superstar (film)
Jesus Christ Superstar | |
---|---|
Directed by | Norman Jewison |
Screenplay by |
|
Based on | |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Douglas Slocombe |
Edited by | Antony Gibbs |
Music by | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 106 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $3.5 million[2] |
Box office | $24.5 million[3] |
Jesus Christ Superstar is a 1973 American musical drama film directed by Norman Jewison, and co-written by Jewison and Melvyn Bragg, based on the 1970 concept album of the same name written by Tim Rice and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which in turn inspired a 1971 musical. The film, which stars Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, Yvonne Elliman and Barry Dennen, depicts the conflict between Judas and Jesus[4] and the emotions and motivations of the main characters during the week of the crucifixion of Jesus.
Jesus Christ Superstar premiered at the
Plot
The film's cast travel by bus to the Negev Desert, in order to re-enact the
Judas is worried about Jesus' popularity; he is being hailed as the son of God, but Judas feels he has too much faith in his own message and fears the consequences of their growing movement. He questions Jesus' association with Mary Magdalene (historically accused of being a prostitute) and why he does not instruct his followers to give money to the poor, to which Jesus says that mortals can not help everyone. Meanwhile, temple priests including Caiaphas, Annas and the Pharisees are worried that the Romans see Jesus' popularity as an uprising and all agree he must be executed.
When Jesus and his followers joyfully arrive in
The apostles gather in the garden for Passover Seder with Jesus, who expresses scepticism about their loyalties, stating that Peter will deny him and Judas will betray him. A bitter argument between Jesus and Judas ensues, as Judas angrily accuses Jesus of losing sight of their cause. Judas leaves and returns with guards, fulfilling his betrayal, while Peter denies being with Jesus to members of the populace. The guards take Jesus to Caiaphas, who finds him guilty of blasphemy. He is then sent to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, but since he does not deal with Jews, Pilate sends Jesus to King Herod, who urges Jesus to perform miracles for him, but dismisses him as a fraud when he does not. Blaming God for giving him the role of the betrayer, Judas is overcome by grief and regret and hangs himself.
Jesus is taken back to Pilate, who believes Jesus is delusional but has committed no actual crime, yet he is pressured by the crowd to condemn Jesus to death. Confused and enraged at Jesus' inexplicable resignation and refusal to defend himself, Pilate realizes he has no option but to order Jesus' execution to quell the angry masses. After Jesus is led up to
Production
Development
During filming of Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Barry Dennen, who had a minor role in the film, provided a concept album by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to Norman Jewison, Jesus Christ Superstar (1970), where Dennen voiced Pilate. At that time, the LP, despite its title song being a hit single, was "met with a massive dose of British indifference, even condescension", recalled Webber, and was thought of by Fiddler on the Roof producer Patrick Palmer as an "obscure album from England" when Jewison first obtained it.[7] Jewison described himself as "curiously moved" and "flooded with exciting visual images" when first hearing the record, amazed by its ability to execute so much without spoken lines.[7][8]: 216 He first publicly expressed interest in directing a film based on the album in an interview at the New York premiere of Fiddler on the Roof: "I could see it as an exciting innovative movie just as it was—just music and lyrics, no dialogue."[8]: 216
Jewison, after finding out MCA Records owned the film rights, contacted Lew Wasserman for the chance of directing a film adaptation of the musical. Although other directors were considered, Jewison's past filmography plus his blueprint for the film influenced Universal to hire him.[8]: 216 A meeting between Jewison, Webber, and Universal Pictures executive Ned Tanen soon followed.[7] Webber agreed to the film project, citing Jewison's experience with Fiddler on the Roof, an adaptation of a musical with religious themes.[7]
The latest stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar before the film was a Robert Stigwood-produced Broadway run in 1970. Budgeted at more than $1,000,000, not counting Stigwood's own financial contributions, the show profited $700,000 with an overcall $8,557.83. However, its run was shorter than planned. Professional reviews were overwhelmingly abysmal, and, commercially, the show declined by its eighth month as a result of decrease in advance ticket purchases and prices being too high for the show's young fanbase. Within 11 months, the run sustained with Sunday matinees and discount prices for certain shows. Broadway insiders felt it would last up until the film adaptation's release.[8]: 212
Work on the script began with drafting from Tim Rice. His vision was an epic film in the style of Ben-Hur (1959), summarizing his workflow as figuring out "which massive visual effect accompanied which song".[7] However, Jewison's concept differed, and thus Rice's draft was scrapped.[7] Alongside Melvyn Bragg, Jewison wrote a screenplay as a pastiche that combined biblical and modern elements of culture, particularly with its theater group framing device.[7] Bragg, who had already established himself as a television writer, was a co-writer of the screenplay. He described entering the project as "a sort of fluke", getting signed only after a colleague asked "Would you like a go?"[9] Summarized Bragg, "all the good bits were what [I] worked on", although Bragg did provide input to Jewison about what he perceived to be the director's overuse of crowds in shots.[9] Bragg and Jewison wrote the script while scouting locations, as moving around deserts in Israel while the concept album played on a tape recorder immersed them in the film's setting.[7]
Casting
Actor | Role | |
---|---|---|
Ted Neeley | Jesus Christ
| |
Carl Anderson | Judas Iscariot | |
Yvonne Elliman | Mary Magdalene | |
Barry Dennen | Pontius Pilate | |
Bob Bingham | Caiaphas | |
Larry Marshall | Simon Zealotes
| |
Josh Mostel | King Herod | |
Kurt Yaghjian | Annas | |
Philip Toubus
|
Peter |
Jesus Christ Superstar was the first film credit for all actors except Dennen and Josh Mostel.[10] The cast consisted mostly of actors from the Broadway show, with Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson starring as Jesus and Judas respectively. Neeley had played a reporter and a leper in the Broadway version, and understudied the role of Jesus. Anderson also understudied Judas, but took over the role on Broadway and Los Angeles when Ben Vereen fell ill. Along with Dennen, Yvonne Elliman (Mary Magdalene), and Bob Bingham (Caiaphas) reprised their Broadway roles in the film. (Elliman, like Dennen, had also appeared on the original concept album.)
According to casting notes Jewison wrote on stationery paper at the Beverly Hills Hotel, he considered Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Barry Gibb, Robert Plant, and Ian Gillan for the titular character.[7] Gillan, who played Jesus on the concept album, turned down Jewison's offer because he thought he would please fans more by touring with Deep Purple.[11] The producers also considered Micky Dolenz (from The Monkees) and David Cassidy to play Jesus.[11] Then, in 1971, Jewison drove from Palm Springs, California to Los Angeles to view Neeley on stage in a musical adaptation of The Who's Tommy (1969), after an invitation from Neeley's agent.[7] Neeley did not appear the night Jewison arrived, as he was taking a break. However, Neeley, wearing Levi's clothing and a fake mustache and beard, encountered Jewison at a motel the next morning to apologize about his absence from the performance, his rationale being illness.[7] Following a 20-minute meeting, and without seeing Neeley perform the part, Jewison said to his production partner Pat Palmer that "I had a hunch that I had found our Jesus".[7]
In responding to a question from the
Filming
We already had one Jesus here, and he gave us more than enough trouble.
— Tel Aviv policeman[8]: 215
Shooting of Jesus Christ Superstar took place at more than 20 locations in four Palestinian and Israeli camp bases, those being Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Beersheba, and Nazareth; the most utilized location was Herodium in the Palestinian West Bank.[7] The budget was set at just under $3.5 million, partially supported by the Israeli government; in addition to a 23.5% rebate on import of foreign currency, some senior officials, who were trying to start an Israeli Film Centre, funded the project.[7] Jewison, in return, wrote a piece for Variety promoting Israeli areas for shooting locations. As he wrote, "there is a spirit in the country and among its people that grabs you, and if you spend any time there you will never be the same."[7] Elliman, Neeley, and Anderson each received $16,500 for their roles ($108,624 in 2022), while Jewison was paid a reduced fee of $15,000 ($98,749 in 2022), in exchange for 10% of the film's worldwide profits.[7]
Shooting began on August 18, 1972, in the caves of
For most of the actors, who were secular
Alterations
Like the stage show, the film gave rise to controversy even with changes made to the script. Some of the lyrics were changed for the film. The reprise of "Everything's Alright", sung before the song "I Don't Know How to Love Him" by Mary to Jesus, was abridged, leaving only the closing lyric "Close your eyes, close your eyes and relax, think of nothing tonight" intact, while the previous lyrics were omitted, including Jesus' "And I think I shall sleep well tonight.". In a scene where a group of beggars and lepers overwhelms Jesus, "Heal yourselves!" was changed to "Leave me alone!", and in "Judas' Death", Caiaphas' line "What you have done will be the saving of Israel" was changed to "What you have done will be the saving of everyone."
The lyrics of "Trial Before Pilate" contain some notable alterations and additions. Jesus' line "There may be a kingdom for me somewhere, if I only knew" is changed to "if you only knew." The film version also gives Pilate more lines (first used in the original Broadway production) in which he addresses the mob with contempt when they invoke the name of Caesar: "What is this new/Respect for Caesar?/Till now this has been noticeably lacking!/Who is this Jesus? Why is he different?/You Jews produce messiahs by the sackful!" and "Behold a man/Behold your shattered king/You hypocrites!/You hate us more than him!" These lines for Pilate have since been in every production of the show.
The soundtrack contains two songs that are not on the original concept album. "Then We Are Decided", in which the troubles and fears of Annas and Caiaphas regarding Jesus are better developed, is original to the film. The soundtrack also retains the song "Could We Start Again Please?" which had been added to the Broadway show and to stage productions. Most of the other changes have not been espoused by later productions and recordings, although most productions tend to retain the expanded version of "Trial Before Pilate".
Reception
Context
1972–1973 was a period of declining interest in religion worldwide, but also filled with movies with religious themes, such as Jesus Christ Superstar,
Box office
Jesus Christ Superstar grossed $24.5 million ($161.3 million in 2022) at the box office[3] and earned North American rentals of $10.8 million ($71.1 million in 2022) in 1973,[14] against an estimated production budget of $3.5 million.[2] It was the highest-grossing musical in the United States and Canada for the year.[15]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 50% based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Jesus Christ Superstar has too much spunk to fall into sacrilege, but miscasting and tonal monotony halts this musical's groove."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17]
Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, calling it "a bright and sometimes breathtaking retelling" of the source material. He praised it as an improved version of the "commercial shlock" of the source material, "being light instead of turgid" and "outward-looking instead of narcissistic".[18] He applauded the portrayal of Jesus as "human, strong and reachable", only achieved elsewhere by The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964) and The Last Temptation of Christ (1988).[18]
Conversely, Howard Thompson of The New York Times wrote, "Broadway and Israel meet head on and disastrously in the movie version of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, produced in the Biblical locale. The mod-pop glitter, the musical frenzy and the neon tubing of this super-hot stage bonanza encasing the Greatest Story are now painfully magnified, laid bare and ultimately patched beneath the blue, majestic Israeli sky, as if by a natural judgment."[19] Arthur D. Murphy of Variety wrote that the film "in a paradoxical way is both very good and very disappointing at the same time. The abstract film concept ... veers from elegantly simple through forced metaphor to outright synthetic in dramatic impact."[20][21] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and called the music "more than fine," but found the character of Jesus "so confused, so shapeless, the film cannot succeed in any meaningful way." Siskel also agreed with the accusations of the film being anti-Semitic.[22] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "The faults are relative, the costs of an admirable seeking after excellence, and the many strong scenes, visually and dramatically, in 'Superstar' have remarkable impact: the chaos of the temple, the clawing lepers, the rubrics of the crucifixion itself."[23] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post panned the film as "a work of kitsch" that "does nothing for Christianity except to commercialize it."[24]
Response from religious groups
Jewison was able to show the film to Pope Paul VI. Ted Neeley later remembered that the pope "openly loved what he saw. He said, 'Mr. Jewison, not only do I appreciate your beautiful rock opera film, I believe it will bring more people around the world to Christianity, than anything ever has before.'"[25][2] For the Pope, Mary Magdalene's song "I Don't Know How to Love Him" "had an inspired beauty".[26] Nevertheless, the film as well as the musical were criticized by some religious groups.[6] As a New York Times article reported, "When the stage production opened in October 1971, it was criticized not only by some Jews as anti-Semitic, but also by some Catholics and Protestants as blasphemous in its portrayal of Jesus as a young man who might even be interested in sex".[27] A few days before the film version's release, the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council described it as an "insidious work" that was "worse than the stage play" in dramatizing "the old falsehood of the Jews' collective responsibility for the death of Jesus", and said it would revive "religious sources of anti-Semitism".[28] Jewison argued in response that the film "never was meant to be, or claimed to be an authentic or deep theological work".[29]
Accolades
In the 1980 book The Golden Turkey Awards by Michael Medved and Harry Medved, Neeley was given "an award" for "The Worst Performance by an Actor as Jesus Christ".[36] Neeley went on to recreate the role of Jesus in numerous national stage tours of the rock musical.
Years later the film was still popular, winning a 2012
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was released on
|
|
Charts
Chart (1973–74) | Peak |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[43] | 25 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[44] | 1 |
Legacy
Hyupsung University's Dr. Jayhoon Yang said that "Jewison and Bragg's Jesus Christ Superstar has its own creativity, bringing the Jesus film business a fresh inspiration and a new break-through."[45]: 2 According to Jaime Clark-Soles, Jesus Christ Superstars "continues to captivate and provoke viewers", with perspectives ranging from it being a "mere cultural artifact", to being "a political statement that still enjoys some relevance", to being "an existential journey of sorts".[46]: 145
Academic analysis
Jesus Christ Superstar is a
The film mostly focuses on the conflict of its characters, especially Jesus and Judas.[46]: 141 The characterisation is either not based on the Gospels or formed from composite characters from various gospels; Judas, for example, is derived from both the Gospel of Matthew and Gospel of John's portrayals of him.[46]: 142, 144 Mary's character, on the other hand, is different from any scripture, "a mulatto whore who is a site of contest between two alpha males", wrote Clark-Soles.[46]: 144
Judas plays the role which Satan symbolically had in the Gospels, as an opposition to Jesus' mission. This is symbolized by Judas wearing red and Jesus wearing a light robe.[46]: 142 [46]: 142 Within the 1970s context of the film's release, Judas is a revolutionary who is part of a grassroots movement against "the man" of society, his pragmatism rendered in his worries about the movement getting carried away.[46]: 142 However, he is confused, which opens the door for the priesthood to take advantage of his sympathy for the downtrodden.[46]: 142
Jesus also quarrels with the Apostles, who are portrayed as self-absorbed, only enjoying their association with a sacrificial figure like Jesus, [46]: 143 as they sing at the last supper, "always hoped that I'd be an apostle / Knew that I would make it if I tried / Then when we retire we can write the gospels / So they'll still talk about us when we've died".[48]
A highlight for critics and scholars is the human presentation of the biblical figures, particularly Jesus.[46]: 143–144 Clark-Soles summarized: "[the film] helps us to imagine these people as real people, with mixed motives, bodies that sweat, yearn for sex, get sleepy after too much wine, and die".[46]: 144 Jesus is seen as impatient, tortured, and irritated, lashing at the Apostles for being "so shallow, thick and slow" in one scene.[46]: 143 In public meetings, he gives appreciative looks at the crowd; however, in one instance where the Romans enter in the middle of a dance sequence, Jesus' mood switches and sings, "Neither you Simon, nor the 50,000; nor the Romans nor the scribes, nor doomed Jerusalem itself, understand what power is, understand what glory is, understand at all, understand at all".[46]: 143 Following "The Temple" sequence, he encounters an overwhelming number of those needing to be healed, and is only able to heal a few of them.[46]: 143 The turning point for Jesus is "Gethsemane", where he laments that he has become "sad and tired" after being "inspired" to form a movement, and lashes out at God: "Show me there's a reason for your wanting me to die […] Watch me die. See how I die."[46]: 143
Kim Paffenroth felt Judas and Mary had the most depth of all characters, even more than Jesus: "their songs are haunting or jarring, and their depictions are passionate, much more so even than the depiction of Jesus, who seems rather too passive, confused, and weak."[48]
Jesus Christ Superstar is one of Jewison's many productions to have betrayal as a primary theme.[7] Another major theme is religious authorities colluding with the government for greed.[46]: 140 The Romans, focusing on keeping their state together, crucify Jesus after noticing his challenges to the political, economic and religious establishment, such as Jesus destroying modern paraphernalia sold at "The Temple".[46]: 140–141
Jesus Christ Superstar is different from other Jesus films in terms of its lack of fidelity to, as well as modernization of, the original Bible text in terms of costumes, staging and behavior.[45]: 1–2 Jesus Christ Superstar has most of its characters reflect the hippie movement and youth culture of the 1960s and 1970s in terms of their dances and contemporaneous dresses, apart from the garb-wearing titular character.[45]: 1–2 [49] There is tension created in the film's implication that social issues prevalent in the era of Jesus are still important in the present.[7][46]: 144 The opening depicts the cast riding a bus, with Arabic and Hebrew language on it alluding to the Six-Day War, and excitedly carrying the cross out of the bus.[46]: 141 The market in "The Temple" has ancient goods such as birds and sheep sold alongside mirrors, weapons, grenades, guns and drugs.[46]: 140
Although interpreting biblical scripture to comment on contemporaneous political social issues is a common aspect of religious films, Jesus Christ Superstar is one of few to encompass several subjects at once.
In a 2008 interview with
In 2013, a
In 2015, Neeley announced the upcoming release of a documentary entitled Superstars: The Making of and Reunion of the film 'Jesus Christ Superstar' about the production of the film.[52]
See also
- Great Performances, of which one of its many episodes was an adaptation of the musical, release direct-to-video in 2000[53][54]
- List of American films of 1973
- Godspell, another stage musical depicting Jesus.
- Godspell, a film adaptation released a couple months earlier.
References
- ^ "Jesus Christ Superstar (A)". BBFC. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c Jesus Christ Superstar at the TCM Movie Database
- ^ a b "Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Archived from the original on August 24, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
- ISBN 1-55263211-3. Archivedfrom the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ "Stereotype 'Superstar'". The Washington Post. June 25, 1973. B5. "The film premieres Tuesday evening at Washington's Uptown theater and opens to the public Wednesday."
- ^ a b Forster, Arnold; Epstein, Benjamin (1974). The New Anti-Semitism. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. pp. 91–101.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Wells, Ira (June 3, 2021). "When Norman Jewison Turned His Camera on the Ultimate Superstar". Quillette. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Nassour, Ellis; Broderick, Richard (1973). Rock opera; the creation of Jesus Christ superstar, from record album to Broadway show and motion picture. New York, Hawthorn Books. pp. 215–248. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ a b Larson, Sarah (August 1, 2021). "The Education of Melvyn Bragg". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Martinfield, Sean (August 20, 2013). "A Conversation With Ted Neeley, Hollywood's 'Jesus Christ Superstar'". HuffPost. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 0-81081473-0. Archivedfrom the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ S2CID 170365840. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ProQuest 1860270444. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "Big Rental Films of 1973", Variety, January 9, 1974, p. 19.
- ^ Frederick, Robert B. (January 8, 1975). "'Sting', 'Exorcist' In Special Class At B.O. in 1974". Variety. p. 24.
- ^ "Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. August 15, 1973. Archived from the original on November 27, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (August 15, 1973). "Jesus Christ Superstar". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ Thompson, Howard (August 9, 1973). "Mod-Pop 'Superstar' Comes to Screen". Archived May 6, 2019, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times. 28.
- ^ Murphy, Arthur D. (June 27, 1973). "Film Reviews: Jesus Christ Superstar". Variety. 20.
- ^ Variety Staff (January 1, 1973). "Jesus Christ Superstar". Variety. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (July 24, 1973). "...Superstar". Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 4.
- ^ Champlin, Charles (July 15, 1973). "Film 'Superstar' Joins Present, Past". Los Angeles Times. Calendar, p. 21.
- ^ Arnold, Gary (June 29, 1973). "Good Book, Bad Movie". The Washington Post. B11.
- Cleveland Plain Dealer. Archived from the originalon April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ Pepper, Curtis Bill (April 10, 1977). "A Day in the Life of the Pope". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ Greenhouse, Linda (August 8, 1973). "Superstar Film Renews Disputes: Jewish Groups Say Opening Could Stir Anti-Semitism Reasons Given Company Issues Statement". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ Spiegel, Irving (June 24, 1973). "Jewish Unit Calls Movie 'Insidious'". The New York Times. 44.
- ^ Smith, Terence (July 14, 1973). "Israeli Government Moves to Dissociate Itself From 'Jesus Christ Superstar'". The New York Times. 19.
- ^ Spoilers section Archived April 6, 2018, at the Wayback Machine on IMDb.
- ^ "The 46th Academy Awards (1974) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- BAFTA. 1969. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Best Cinematography in Feature Film" (PDF). Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "David di Donatello Awards 1974". Mubi. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- HFPA. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Harry Medved and Michael Medved, The golden turkey awards: nominees and winners, the worst achievements in Hollywood history, Putnam, 1980, p. 95.
- ^ "In The Category Of Best Jesus Movie The Winner Is." HuffPost. March 10, 2012. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- AllMusic.
- ^ Jesus Christ Superstar (The Original Motion Picture Sound Track Album) at Discogs (list of releases).
- ^ Jesus Christ Superstar (The Original Motion Picture Sound Track Album). 1993 CD at Discogs.
- AllMusic.
- ^ Jesus Christ Superstar (The Original Motion Picture Sound Track Album). Reissue, Remastered in 1998 at Discogs.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack / Andrew Lloyd Webber – Jesus Christ Superstar" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- ^ . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-67719-6. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-35195153-1. Archivedfrom the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
It is thus surprisingly and unexpectedly powerful when his Gethsemane plea for the cup to pass from him issues in a rapid, proleptic montage of traditional Christian images of the Crucifixion, many of them drawn from one of the most fearsome of such paintings, the Isenheim Altar of Matthias Grünewald.
- ^ a b Paffenroth, Kim (October 2001). "Film Depictions of Judas". Journal of Religion and Film. 5 (2). Archived from the original on August 25, 2004. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Flesher, Paul V.M.; Torry, Robert (December 1998). "Teaching Religion and Film". Journal of Religion and Film. 2 (3). Archived from the original on October 15, 2004. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (July 15, 2011). "Wicked Film and 'Jesus Christ Superstar' Remake on Platt's Plate". Playbill. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
- ^ "Jesus Christ Superstar Blu-ray". Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ^ "Ted Neeley – official site of musician and actor from Jesus Christ Superstar – Home". Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ^ "Jesus Christ Superstar". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ Leonard, John (April 16, 2001). "The Joy of Sets". New York Magazine. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2019.