Jesus Christ Superstar (Special Edition) by Ted Neeley - Broadway Musical DVD for Christian Worship & Easter Celebrations

I saw this film the week it came out and though I've never been a Christian, it had a powerful affect on me given its depth of humanity, the stark beauty of the physical landscape (shot in the desert outside Israel; so harsh were shooting conditoins that heat exhaustion and unclean water kept Yvonne E., and others quite ill with dysentery). The unforgiving intensity of the landscaps made the intensity of the emotional landscape so much greater, as do the solid performances and simple direction. Jewison seems to stay out of the way, allowing his actors and dancers to work without having to compete with the sort of flashy camera-work we were just then beginning to see. They are all nearly swallowed up by the enormity of the space and light of the desert, and this somehow makes us feel that what anyone doing what Jesus was trying to do--speak simple truths in the face of the religious and political climate of the time--all the more against-the-odds impossible. Between the Roman occupation and the near impossibility of survival in the harsh climate, ordinary humans seem smaller even than we really are, and the idea of a "personal God" (rather than the rule-laden Hebrew traditional God) and the idea of living in a state of genuine, unselfish love, rather than surviving at all costs and fearing a distant and paternal God, to be impossible notions given this context. Jewison successfully makes this "strange land" an actual character in the story, adding a dimension that Rice and Webber never captured on their album. In fact, I believe it was this choice that made the film a success--we are mesmerized by the concept of attempting to bring about any sort of change in such a place, at such a time.While many have complaints about this entire project, from initial recording to the making of this film, to even now, picketers at performances of it, I have to say that of all the Tim Rice-Andrew Lloyd Webber projects, only this one seems to have come from any real passion (excuse the pun), rather than from calculation. Compared to the later emptiness of "Cats" it is quite rich. The greatest bit of genius comes from having made the primary emotional relationship between the spiritual purist Jesus and his politically savvy right-hand man, Judas, rather than the traditional focus on trying to define the exact nature of the love that existed between Jesus and Mary (as though such a thing is possible in any context). This unusual angle on the story brings out an entirely different set of human truths than the more common approach. How does a man, Judas, who is more literal minded, seeing the mission as one of political change by an occupied people, deal with the pragmatic problems caused when he is partnered with a spiritually focused man--one who is being driven by love and not practicalities, not mindful of the price he and his followers may pay for spreading his message (or rather, willing to pay that price and therefore ignoring the coming crisis)? The best writing is therefore given to Judas, both lyrically and musically, and Carl Anderson is extremely compelling in the role, even during the final number ("Jesus Christ, Superstar") which now seems so dated (white lace leather fringed jumpsuits and white Afro wigs); his grounded performance makes them unimportant. From the first moment as the rest of the cast get off the bus which has brought them to the location and dance, get into costume, interact, etc., Judas is already walking off alone--a man whose path has already separated him from the rest of the group's. Anderson is also the final one back on the bus; both he and Yvonne pause and look around them in exhausted awe at the bleak desert, and the viewer feels Anderson has himself changed as a result of playing this difficult and complicated role. We don't see Neely again, reinforcing the physical absence of Jesus. The bus acts as bookends for the film, and while probably the actual mode of transportation for the cast to and from the desert, it reminds one, too, of the refurbished school buses of the 60's/early 70's as alternative homes and communal travel vehicles.The use of modern things combined with ancient perpetuates the truth that these problems are on-going and inextricably connected to human existence regardless of time and place. Particularly the guns, tanks, planes which serve to represent Judas` conscience (in two brief scenes in the desert that bookend Judas' betraying visit to Caiaphas and the rest of the Sanhedrin on their fabulous scaffolding set) and then to represent what will soon become a state of continual warfare, springing from the use by others of Jesus' ideals, are effective, and right now, all the more relevant, especially in the context of the Middle East and its endless "holy" wars (an oxymoron if ever there was one).Two new songs were written for the film, making the story-telling more coherent. The first, the conversation between Annas and Caiaphas about "What then to do about Jesus of Nazareth?" which shows the political and self-serving decision the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling body) felt themselves forced to come to in order to manage the political uprising that Jesus' teachings seemed, from their point of view, to be in danger of causing, was an excellent decision that filled a hole in the original score, and explained the fears these powerful men were experiencing. The second, a rather annoying plea from Mary and Peter,"Could we start again, please," is less interesting, both musically and from the story-telling point of view, but it does pose the question that most never stop to think about--"what happens to us now that you're gone and we have given up our old lives?" The confusion of Jesus' followers must have been terrible, and pondering it helps to explain how the fanatical Paul (formerly Saul) who had never even met Jesus, was able to step in and assume the leadership position that resulted, 30 years later, in the writings of the first four books of the Aramaic books by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as they tried to remember what they had experienced, as well as the rest of Aramaic books. Many people are unaware that the writings the various branches of Christianity would be founded on originated with the ideas of Paul, rather than Jesus, as he was the only one of the two who wrote anything down, and that he made all the rules that came later, after Jesus' death. (It is not my intention to get into a theological discussion here or criticise anyone--merely to point out how the song, "Could we start again, please?" articulates the dilemma that led to Paul's place in history.)There are also additional verses in Pilate's trial scene which point out that Pilate has no crime on which to pin any charges, let alone an execution, on the innocent Jesus, as well as a heart-stopping extra verse in "Hosanna," wherein the crowd asks the suddenly alarmed Jesus, "Would you die for me?" (a freeze-frame is used to good effect as time stops for a moment as the question seems to hit the smiling Jesus like a slap in the face), and these additions help to tell the story. And unlike the more than a hundred changes director Alan Parker requested of Rice and Webber in order to make "Evita" less dangerous and more Madonna- and audience-friendly (and which resulted in a disaster the great Patti LuPone, Broadway's original Evita, never even went to see), these couple of changes helped to tell the complex story more fully, rather than diluting it, or making it less controversial (which it was at the time).The exuberant dancing, while specific to the period, is still great fun to watch, and the lovely molasses-and-velvet voice of Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene is matched by her earthy and understated portrayal of a woman trying to understand the nature of her feelings for a man so far outside of her own experience. It's nice to have the character, rather than the writers, wrestle with the problem--it's another example of how the Tim Rice and Norman Jewison let the actors do the work, rather than doing it for them. Most other story-telling about the "passion of Jesus" fixate on Mary and try to answer questions for us, rather than just letting her be in the story, dealing as all of us have to when our worlds are turned upside down and we find ourselves on a ride we don't fully understand but need to be on. I found that to be a refreshing change, and as pivotal to why this story works as the Jesus-Judas relationship. While Ted Neely may not be the greatest actor around, he does a good job of humanizing Jesus--which as I understood from the interviews at the time, was the goal of the entire project in the first place. He is especially good in the intense "Garden of Gethsemane" scene, where he grapples, questions, then accepts the by-now inevitable fate he is facing, and any time he and Anderson have serious work to do together.There are other nice, subtle details, too, such as the silent but very present wife of Pilate, who advises him via shakes of the head and exchanged looks--keep an eye on her as she tries to keep her husband from falling off the tightrope he's found himself on. Dennen keeps his performance simple yet quietly tormented, and we are filled with sympathy for a man who has been swept up in events he neither understands nor can control, which is a nice change from the usual simplistic demonizing of Pilate. Herod, the most powerful Jewish king, and who was notorious for the very Romanic decadence of his court, is parodied with great humor by a loony Josh Mostel (a nice break from the growing atmosphere of doom). Again, none of the characters are presented in the way we expect, and this may be the biggest reason "Jesus Christ, Superstar" works.