Jesus Christ Superstar (Special Edition)
by Norman Jewison
List Price:
Our Price: $9.99
You Save: $4.99 (33%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $6.70 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Barry Dennen, Bob Bingham, Carl Anderson (II), Ted Neeley, Yvonne EllimanDirector: Norman Jewison
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 107 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-08-31
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of Jesus Christ Superstar (Special Edition)
DVD Review: Excellant
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't agree with the Editorial Review's of Ted Neely's performance as "wimpy". I would say "humanistic" is the better choice.
The scene of Judas's betrayal is both poignant and wrenching as two men are torn between loss of friendship and their belief of what is right.
Yvonne Elliman's portrayal of Mary Magdalene is also very moving as she struggles with understanding and loving Jesus the man in a world of upheavel and contention that surround them.
DVD Review: Best story ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
This was the BEST depiction of the Jesus story I have ever seen. The music is phenominal, the cast of characters are perfect for their parts -anointed even. The lyrics cut to the bone.
My children, 4, 5, and 8 all LOVE it as much as my husband and I do. You will not be sorry! It's fascinating.
DVD Review: Jesus Christ Superstar
Summary: 5 Stars
Have admired Andrew Lloyd Webber's music for years and purchased the CD of Superstar when it first came out. Having seen the movie in the 1970's plus the stage performance twice over the years, I wanted to add it to my DVD library. The music never became dated and the movie's keen direction is indicitive of the genius of Norman Jewison. The story is beautifully told in a manner that does not offend those of faith and should be rated as one of the world's rock/musical classics.DVD Review: Holds up well even after all these years
Summary: 5 Stars
I came across this on cable HD on demand and chose it out of curiosity. At first, the elements that are dated (and there are some) had me smiling (and sometimes cringing), but the music kept me watching and listening. It had been years since I'd listened to any performance at all, and I had never seen the film and had never listened to the movie soundtrack. I was familiar with the original London studio recording, but that was it. Three or four songs into the movie, I was hooked and watched it straight through. In spite of what one reviewer here called the film's "hippy dippy" traits, I ended up enjoying it enough to watch it again...and then proceeded to watch it many more times.
Overall, I think it's extremely faithful to the original studio concept performance (as all fans of "Jesus Christ Superstar" know, it appeared as a studio recording before it ever appeared on stage or screen). Several of the performers from the studio version appear in the film, most notably Yvonne Elliman and Barry Dennen. Ted Neeley plays Jesus, and reviewers tend to either love his performance or hate it. I ended up really liking him in this role. He looks the role, at least based on the visual images of Jesus that many of us grew up with, and he uses his voice to show the change from a rather naive character to one who feels the supreme disappointment and anger of betrayal, not just by Judas but by his own God. I'm not discussing the accuracy of any of this from a theological or Biblical standpoint, but strictly from a dramatic perspective of what makes sense theatrically.
The soundtrack (on the DVD, not the CD recording) sounds great. The remastering is very clear and well balanced. This is based on my HD cable reception, but I found that for a 2-channel stereo soundtrack, it was surprisingly dimensional and realistic. I have downloaded the audio CD and there is a huge difference between the audio quality of that and the sound you'll hear on the DVD, with the DVD being much better. The video image is excellent for a movie that was filmed in 1973 (again, based on my HD cable signal). I expect that the DVD itself is probably even better.
There are some elements of the film that date it, and the first time you watch the movie, they can be distracting, annoying, or even laughable. But it's worth watching a second time, because they tend to fade into the background and are overpowered by the other elements that have aged very well. The first time I watched, I was put off by the opening and ending with the entire cast showing up on a bus, unpacking their gear, and going into rehearsal mode. But the music is so beautiful that this contrived set-up becomes not only acceptable but you can even see why the director chose to start and end this way. Some of the costumes do look "hippy dippy", but I came to overlook that, too. There are several brief scenes with fighter jets and tanks....again, just listen to the music and forget about the visual imagery.
You can see that the filmmaker tried to keep the setting as authentic as possible, in spite of the jets, tanks, and some other modernisms. There are some stunningly beautiful scenes, others that are good but not great, and still others that fall flat, but overall, it's successful.
As anyone who has read about the various versions of "Jesus Christ Superstar" will have already discovered, people have very strong opinions about the wide variety of performances that are available. I have grown to appreciate and enjoy this movie in a way that I would never have guessed the first time I saw it, which was just a couple of weeks ago. Not only that, the movie has re-ignited my interest in the music, which I find that I am listening to over and over again. For those reasons, I highly recommend this film.
DVD Review: Jesus Christ!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a classic! My mother had the album back in the 70's when I was a kid.. I started hearing Ted's beautiful voice at a very young age. I hadn't actually seen the movie until I was an adult, but it was like magic. You either love it or hate it, but those that love this will be obsessed with it.
Description of Jesus Christ Superstar (Special Edition)
Ted Neeley makes for a wimpy looking Jesus in Norman Jewison's screen adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice "rock opera," which was a smash on stage in the early '70s. Jewison (Other People's Money) adds some good exterior settings in the desert, but Lloyd Webber and Rice's dialogue-free story (everything is sung, as in a real opera), with its quasi-profundities about the inner demons of principal figures in the life of Christ, is the real hook. Yvonne Elliman sings the show's best-known song, "I Don't Know How to Love Him." --Tom KeoghGeneral DVDs
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Bestsellers in General DVDs
The Music Man (Special Edition)PRESTON,ROBERT; Release date: 1999-02-23; DVD
Best price: $11.98
Price in other shops:
Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetPARAMOUNT PICTURES; Release date: 2008-04-01; DVD
Best price: $13.00
Price in other shops:
My Fair LadyHARRISON,REX; Release date: 1998-12-08; DVD
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
The Sound of Music (Two-Disc 40th Anniversary Special Edition)TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2005-11-15; DVD
Best price: $14.63
Price in other shops:
Xanadu - Magical Musical Edition (With Complete Soundtrack CD)Release date: 2008-06-24; DVD
Best price: $13.19
Price in other shops:
The Wizard of Oz (Two-Disc Special Edition)Release date: 2005-10-25; DVD
Best price: $18.91
Price in other shops:
1776 (Restored Director's Cut)Release date: 2002-07-02; DVD
Best price: $13.68
Price in other shops:
Across the Universe (Two-Disc Special Edition)Sony; Release date: 2008-02-05; DVD
Best price: $16.93
Price in other shops:
OnceTWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2007-12-18; DVD
Best price: $7.99
Price in other shops:
Beauty and the Beast (Disney Special Platinum Edition)Disney; Release date: 2002-10-08; DVD
Best price: $33.99
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Godspell: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackRelease date: 1992-05-01; Music CD
Best price: $6.96
Price in other shops:
EvitaMADONNA; Release date: 1998-03-25; DVD
Best price: $5.42
Price in other shops:
Cats - The Musical (Commemorative Edition)Release date: 2000-09-12; DVD
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops:
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice - Jesus Christ Superstar (Original London Concept Recording)Release date: 1996-09-24; Music CD
Best price: $19.79
Price in other shops:
TommyRelease date: 1999-09-28; DVD
Best price: $8.45
Price in other shops:
Jesus Christ SuperstarRelease date: 2001-03-20; DVD
Best price: $10.94
Price in other shops:
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatRelease date: 2000-03-28; DVD
Best price: $11.38
Price in other shops:
Tim Rice - Jesus Christ Superstar: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack AlbumRelease date: 1998-03-24; Music CD
Best price: $23.65
Price in other shops:
HairRelease date: 1999-04-27; DVD
Best price: $7.07
Price in other shops:
GodspellGODSPELL; Release date: 2000-04-04; DVD
Best price: $8.91
Price in other shops: