Jesus Christ Superstar

I watched it over and over on Encore back in the early 90s. For a hippyesque musical film, it was really good IMO.

Musically it was great. Doctrinally, not so much. But a guy I know came to salvation thru it back in the day, and now pastors a church in Ohio.

I don't think I ever saw it, but remember someone saying that it seemed like the producer was trying to make Judas out to be the star of the show, and that Jesus was confused about his own purpose on earth. Of course if that is how it was portraying them, than I would be highly against it.

Hi @Searching_for_God, if you want a musical that's mostly fun/happy (silly at times ) but more Biblically-based than JCS, try the 70's musical/movie called "Godspell".

Here are some examples of what the music and the drama parts are like. It's based on St. Matthew's Gospel, but includes stuff from St. Luke and possibly St. John as well.


I think Amazon has it in HD through their Prime Video service.

Enjoy

--David

St_Worm2 said:

Hi @Searching_for_God, if you want a musical that's mostly fun/happy (silly at times ) but more Biblically-based than JCS, try the 70's musical/movie called "Godspell".

Here are some examples of what the music and the drama parts are like. It's based on St. Matthew's Gospel, but includes stuff from St. Luke and possibly St. John as well.

I think Amazon has it in HD through their Prime Video service.

Enjoy

--David

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Day by Day is a beautiful song . Of the hippy Gospel music it is second only to Put your hand in the hand .

St_Worm2 said:

try the 70's musical/movie called "Godspell".

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A good look at the culture of the 60s and early 70s Jesus Freak movement.

I love Jesus Christ Superstar, although a couple I know walked out of the theatre in disgust. They were o,der at the time, not into rock and, I think, mistook the point of the musical. I've seen the movie several times and a couple of times live on stage.

My favourite rock opera is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I've seen it several times in different cities and venues.

redleghunter said:

Day by Day is a beautiful song . Of the hippy Gospel music it is second only to Put your hand in the hand .

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Both great!

But don't forget "Jesus is just Alright" or "Spirit in the Sky." I loved the music, but understood even then their theology was flawed.

Dave-W said:

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My wife has instructions to have that song played really loud at the end of my funeral.

MoneyGuy said:

My wife has instructions to have that song played really loud at the end of my funeral.

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Great! I like that!

I don't know if it was Greenbaum who played the guitar part on that song, but I would LOVE to know how he kept his sound right on the edge of total mayhem distortion without going full into it.

BTW - I DO know how he got the fading (and lowering) organ part in there - he used a Farfisa combo organ with a slalom pedal. I was able to duplicate that in a local organ store back in that day.

I watched JCS back when it first came out. In fact, I was already a fan of the rock-opera album long before that. While I had niggles with some of the theology, I liked the presentation (especially of the album) of a realistic story of Jesus from the viewpoint of ordinary people.

The album and subsequent movie are both taken from the gospel of John, and that gospel points out numerous times how the disciples just didn't get Jesus during His ministry. They didn't understand what He was telling them, they didn't understand what He was really here to do, they didn't really understand Who He was. John tells us this, but no other story had actually depicted it.

That's the thing to remember about listening to the album or watching the movie: These people don't get it. They don't understand.