Synopsis
The 1973 movie 'Jesus Christ Superstar' is a rock opera based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit Broadway show. It retells the final week of Jesus' life, focusing on the relationship between Jesus and Judas.
Why Watch It
Norman Jewison's rock opera transplants Christ's final days into a wildly anachronistic landscape—desert amphitheaters, modern costumes, and Ted Neeley's electrifying performance anchoring Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's defiant score. The film's audacious blend of reverence and irreverence, spiritual inquiry and theatrical spectacle, creates something that still feels provocative decades later. Essential for anyone curious about how cinema can wrestle with faith through pure, unapologetic artifice.
Did You Know?
- Film was nominated for an Oscar in 1974 for Best Scoring.
- Ted Neeley (Jesus) and Carl Anderson (Judas) were Broadway cast members.
- Shot on location in Israel, including Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.
- Norman Jewison directed both the film and the original Broadway show.
- The film features a completely sung-through score with no spoken dialogue.
Iconic Quotes
- For I have changed. I'm not as sure, as when we started.
- To conquer death, you only have to die. You only have to die.
- You have set them all on fire. They think they've found the new Messiah.
- I will drink your cup of poison. Nail me to your cross and break me.
- Every time I look at you I don't understand why you let the things you did get so out of hand.
