Rating: Summary: A sadly downsize of 2000 Broadway production Review: The video will work OK for you, if you haven't seen an absolutely amazing, bright and soul turning Broadway production of April 2000, with Tony Vincent as Judas. This video is a pale copy of Broadway original. Jerome Pradon is inexpressive, slow and formally acting, comparing to Vincent. That is a very sad change. I wish they would ever make a recording of 2000 production as it was!
Rating: Summary: "Stuperstar" Lives Up to Its Name Review: I saw this version for the first time on PBS about 2 Easters ago and was in tears long before it was over. I ordered a copy for Christmas that year and have almost worn it out. Also have the CD which I play in my car to and from work (Heaven help me if I ever have an accident and the rescuers get to me while "Herod's Song" is playing...they'll never believe it!)! For both the CD and this video, unbelievably wonderful is too mild a description. The music, the settings, the total design are all perfection. Glenn Carter (Jesus) is awesome! Jerome Pradon (Judas) is superb! Tony Vincent (Simon Zealotes) is fantastic! Pilate and Herod are totally wonderful and almost steal the show! And Caiphas and his cohorts will absoluely leave you limp! The ultimate JCS! 5 stars just aren't enough to give this one!
Rating: Summary: A Wonderful Expirience Review: The new version on JCSS is absolutely fantastic. Glenn Carter is an absolute shoe-in for the role, along with the other actors. I always find myself crying or in awe at the end of this video. All of the performances and effects are extremely well done and the sound quality is at its best.If you love Andrew Lloyd Webber [as much as I do], then this MUST be in your collection. If you've never heard of him before: buy it anyway! Don't let the title throw you. You don't have to be a religious person to enjoy this. The music will move you no matter what genre you enjoy. ...
Rating: Summary: If I could have rated it lower I would have. Review: Hated it... just hated it!
Rating: Summary: The Gospel is no Longer according to Judas Review: ... I had great hopes for this production. I saw it on Broadway, and was disappointed in the loss of Gospel of Judas... Hoping the DVD would be more noteworthy, I purchased for my collection - it retained the dullness that was not part of the, in my opinion, original intent of Lloyd/Rice. rather than completing Judas' story (his self-murder) the story ends simply with the crucifixion. A shame and travesty. Hey, Sir Andrew: Why the re-write?
Rating: Summary: it sucks Review: This is the worst movie I've ever seen.I actually had to stop watching it about 30 minutes into it. Thismovie is no where near as good as the 1973 version. The older version has better voices, better actors, better sets, better costumes, better directing, better anything and everything.
Rating: Summary: Pure processed cheese Review: Acting: Mostly overwrought, except for Jesus, who just stands around looking worried, breathing hard when he wants to indicate emotions. The actor/singers portraying Pilate and Herod do much better jobs than their material deserves. Singing: Mediocre. Jesus has a wimpy voice that disappears in the mix on all his dramatically important high notes, Judas can't hit his high notes at all. Peter has a voice but rarely gets to use it. Again, Pilate and Herod are the standouts. Direction: Clueless. Actors are given no stage business and do not relate to their surroundings. The song order of the last part of the movie is rearranged so that it makes no sense at all. Everyone is encouraged to make histrionic faces instead of acting. Score: Lame. Has neither the energy of rock music nor the subtlety of opera. Maybe some day someone will make it work. Cinematography: It's fine; the camera is probably used as well as it can be on a limited set that looks like a limited set. Costumes: Laughable. The director talks, in the additional material, about how important it was for this production to look contemporary. Apparently, this means gay bars, circa 1983. In all, a mediocre waste of time. If you're a Lloyd Webber fan, you'll love it.
Rating: Summary: Incredibly big shoes to fill. Review: As a recent convert (no pun intended) to "Jesus Christ Superstar" fandom, I looked forward to the 2000 version with only slight reservation. Truth be told, the only real reservation I had was the knowledge that, unlike the 1973 motion picture, the 2000 version (based on a recent London stage revival) was shot entirely on video. That in mind, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that directors Gale Edwards and Nick Morris utilized clever cinematography to give the stage production a very cinematic feel. Unfortunately, that's about where the pleasant surprises ended for me. Apart from occasional standout performances delivered by supporting cast members, "Jesus Christ Superstar 2000" suffers seriously in comparison with its superlative 1973 predecessor. Glenn Carter (Jesus) and Jerome Pradon (Judas) have the difficult task of filling the incredibly big shoes of Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson in the original motion picture. Carter, who looks like he could be the possible offspring of Peter Fonda and the lead singer from that awful 80s hairspray band White Lion, has a fine voice which may have served him better if he'd attempted to find his own range rather than attempting to re-create Neeley's. Pradon has the most difficult job of the two, in my opinion, and although I give the man points for the guts it must have required to take on a role so brilliantly portrayed by Anderson in 1973, his chiseled good looks and powerful voice are simply not enough to make anyone forget the fact that somewhere in America, muddled in the obscurity of bit parts, there exists a 57-year-old man that rightfully should have become a superstar of stage and screen. Even the beautiful, vocally gifted Renee Castle (Mary Magdalene), despite her best efforts, pales in comparison with the genuinely moving and captivating performance of Yvonne Elliman as the original Magdalene. In addition the musical interpretations, although superior in sound quality to what you'll find on the dvd of the original motion picture, fall short. But it's not all bad news about "Jesus Christ Superstar 2000", for it succeeds wonderfully on one level: it makes you want to race out and buy yourself a copy of the original movie, which stands as one of the few motion picture musical masterpieces of the latter 20th century.
Rating: Summary: GREAT SCORE! TOO MANY FLAWS Review: If you haven't heard of Jesus Christ Superstar Buy the CD (see the lists they tell the truth) then the movie this one is only for true JCS fans whom can hear past Jerome Pradón screaming & screaching through all the songs. I sounded as if he was siging falsetto up to Alto He has a limited range. Glen Carter was awesome but came up short in the falsetto Ted Nealy was 100 times better at falsetto When Ted did it, it was strong and confident. But Glen's falsetto seemed to fade and was unsure in Gethseneme. Fred Johnsson was a great singer AWFUL actor! Herod sucks big time! Annas is perfect! Ciaphas shouldn't have raised his voice (Peter Gallagher is a better Bass) 1973 BETTER SINGING NOT AS GOOD ACTING 2000 AWFUL ACTING BETTER SINGING 1973's Singing + 2000's acting = London cast from 1972 (I'm 13 but I heard it from my mom)
Rating: Summary: I wanted to like it... much more than I did Review: I was very much looking forward to watching this. My parents had the brown covered, two albumn set of JCSS... and I long ago learned of (and viewed) the delightful 1973 film version. It was dated the first time I saw it-- so much so that it seems less out of place now that retroing to the 70s is a respectable business. And then came along this one. Had I not seen the first film and never seen or heard JCSS performed, I would have adored this movie. It has a good deal going for it. The must, as always, rocks. Renee Castle carrys off Mary Magdalene's tunes without a hitch. Simon Zealotes, a character that has never stood out, for me, previously grabbed me in as performed by Tony Vincent. I experience an eerie joy each time Jerome Pradon's Judas mocks JC. The DVD also has a fun "making of"-- with Tim Rice and A.L.W. prominent throughout-- discussing with candor what they were (and were not) trying to accomplish. So, why three stars? Most of the blame-- and blame is the correct word, since this film could have been great-- lies with Gelnn Carter as Jesus. The shortest sentence in the bible, allegedly, is, "Jesus wept." You would not know it from watching Carter's Christ. No, in this version: Jesus pouted. Again and again. The character of Jesus with his big pouty face (from the beginning when Judas questions Mary M. to the end when is whipped) hurt the film and detracted from its credibility. (Perhaps if you watch on a small enough screen this would not be a problem.) I suspect that Carter is used to performing on stage and so he overdose it so that the backrow knows he is crying. Unfortunately, the camera puts us in front of the front row, directly in front of his face, and he just looks silly. And then there is Herod. I guess it is not really fair to be critical. I doubt anyone will ever match Josh Mostel's Herod. This Herod was okay. But the scene has so much potential, it is disappointed to see it carried off only adequately. In short, if you are only going to see one, then stick with the 1973 version. It is superior. But there is a lot to enjoy on the DVD-- It is not a waste of time.
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