Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Bolt - (i) on June 14, 2001 at 14:54:32

In Reply to: Re: Jesus Christ Superstar posted by Dmitry on June 14, 2001 at 14:09:58:

Something I found...
http://www.jcsuperstar.ca/show2.html

The movie was set up to represent a story combining Jesus' time with today. Jewison felt it was essential that the filming take place in Isreal, so it did. Filming in the Holy Land was no easy task. Temperatures soared as high as 115 degrees fahrenheit. Make up and costumes demanded constant attention. The cast was often barefoot and ended up with some nasty gashes on their feet (many camera shots were designed to show only to the ankle). There was also the fear of scorpians and other desert creatures. One prevelent fear was that of an attack by Arab militants who had threatened the crew several times.

The film was a success despite its hardships. Filming took place in Jerusalem and surroundings, the Negev desert, Avdat, Beersheba, Ein 'Boket, The Dead Sea (wasp swarms were frequent there, much to the cast's dismay), Nazareth, and Bet 'Shaan. The filming was completed in 1972. The editors then dubded in the prerecorded sound (the principal singers remained the same, but the back up singers were not the same ones who appeared in the movie), and the editors put the whole thing together. The movie was then released in 1973.

The Superstar saga has never really ended. Gone now are the large protests and pickets, but the music and words are stil with us. LP sales have been replaced by CD sales and the times are changing. It is hard for many to believe that already a 25 year anniversary production tour has made its way across the continent. Jesus Christ Superstar is more than an interpretation of history; it is history. And while its effects have already been inarguably great, I am sure that its final scene is still a long way off.