Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
from Reel Deep Dive Hosted by Ryan Valentine
Derived from the popular (and controversial) stage musical composed by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Norman Jewison's 1973 version of Jesus Christ Superstar is a deeply timely reflection of the spiritual and socio-political issues gripping the environment that produced it. While a box office success that garnered attention from prestigious award committees, Jesus Christ Superstar got ambivalent notices from both film critics and the men who wrote the songs used in the film itself. It also got some harsh attention from religious groups that accused it of blasphemy, historical revisionism, and antisemitism. Ryan is joined by Sylvan, Cheryl, and Melanie for a thorough discussion of this intriguing and influential time capsule of a movie. Talking points include how movie musicals were perceived in the New Hollywood movement, how Jesus Christ Superstar played into how the film industry approached religious material in its era, the movie's attempts to humanize its divine subject matter, how the then-burgeoning evangelical movement affected perceptions of Jesus Christ Superstar, and the ways that the film approaches longstanding Jewish stereotypes in its subtext.
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