Jesus Christ Superstar

An essay by Balint Csongor Gal

In 1969 Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber wrote the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. The

story depicts the last seven days of Jesus’ life as seen through the eyes of Judas. In 1973 it was made

into a feature film. The film tells a liberal version of the last days of Christ combining gospel fashions

with that of 1970’s clothing, machine guns, tanks, airplanes and modern dance all done in a desert

setting.

The film's use of modern-day images as a way of symbolizing the relevance of the Biblical

story, while updating it for modern audiences seems to take away from the realism of the story. For

example, the Roman soldiers wear modern-day Army uniforms and carry machine guns, while jet

planes represent "angels" during the moment when Judas betrays Jesus. Although it is clear what the

director is trying to emulate, the seriousness of the scene may confuse for some viewers when depicted

in this context.

The serious context of the story may be further confused by the combination of time lines. The

beginning of the film shows the cast members arriving at the site of the film on a bus, and the film

ends on a solemn note as the cast boards the bus and looks back sadly at the cross they've left

mounted. These scenes are meant to tell the audience that the film is not the "literal" telling of the

Gospel story, but it is almost certain that it has caused many viewers to scratch their heads in

confusion. Most people probably asked themselves what a bus load of hippies had to do with the last

days of Christ, yet others may see this as a brilliant way of relating the story of Jesus to modern day

people. Costumes, scenes and props aside, what is really powerful about this film is the portrayal of

the characters, the music and lyrics.

In this story we watch as the characters of Jesus and his disciples and friends come to life

through music not as the stale characters from the Bible but as living human beings with real lives,

hopes, dreams, fears, and aspirations. The portrayal of Judas, who later betrays Jesus, lets the audience

get a peak inside his mind. In the opening number, we see Judas pleading with Jesus "All I ask is that

you listen to me". Judas believes that Jesus is becoming more important than his teachings. Judas is

further infuriated with Jesus, as he is spending time with a prostitute. We see Jesus Christ not only

being capable of great wisdom and understanding but also showing fits of anger, frustration, and fear.

This anger finds its way to Judas in a scene, when he criticizes Jesus for sitting with a prostitute. Jesus

lashes out at Judas through the song "Who are you to criticizes her? If your slate is clean, then you

can throw stones, if your slate is not then leave her alone!".

Looking after his earthly needs is the prostitute Mary Magdalene. We are able to see past her sinful

occupation when she sings these words to Jesus "…we want you to sleep well tonight, let the world

turn without you tonight." During this scene we see Magdalene’s love and respect for Jesus.

These characters, along with Peter, Simon, King Herod, Pontius Pilate and all the others, are brought

to a new light through the skilled actors, the powerful lyrics and the mystifying music.

Although the elaborate modern day props, clothing and sets may distract some viewers from

the potent lyrics, stimulating music, brilliant acting and world famous story, this film is indeed a piece

of art. One of the great things about this film is that it takes the audience out of the traditional story

and sheds a new perspective on the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. These being

said not everyone will find this adaptation to their liking, what is artistically pleasing to some, may not

be to others.