# Jesus Christ Superstar and the Film's place in History **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2015, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498 "2015-04-25T04:11:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498/61 "2015-04-28T21:10:01Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Wikipedia says it’s a [rock opera](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christ_Superstar), as well. Oh, come on - that’s more than a little…selective. Wikipedia _actually says "Jesus Christ Superstar is a 1970 rock opera_ or rock musical\*\*" I’m not quibbling with whether it’s an opera or not (the apparent difference being if there’s talking or not, I take it?), just on your use of Wiki ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498/62 "2015-04-28T21:13:05Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Oh, come on - that’s more than a little…selective. Wikipedia _actually says "Jesus Christ Superstar is a 1970 rock opera_ or rock musical\*\*" > > I’m not quibbling with whether it’s an opera or not (the apparent difference being if there’s talking or not, I take it?), just on your use of Wiki I put in Wiki as a backup, because I knew none of you would just accept it being labelled as such ON THE ALBUM. I didn’t originally call it a rock opera, I believe Mr. Stigwood did. Take it up with him. You want to talk about selective, thanks for leaving off the first part of that statement. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498/63 "2015-04-28T21:19:27Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > (re: Hair, not JCS) > > If I recall correctly, the momentary reference to Manchester, England in “Let the Sun Shine” is an earlier song in \*Hair[/] and they just encapsulated a bit of it at the end. Typical stunt for a musical, throw in a reprise of stuff the audience heard earlier. > > Aah, [here we go](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqzFIvieiB4). > > EDIT: or… were you asking what the heck that very song, itself, is about? Dunno on that one. Sort of a throwaway song, didn’t have much to do with the plot aside from sort of building the characters of Berger and Bukowski. Yes, “Manchester, England,” in the stage show, is an “I am” character introduction song. It’s meant to show us that Claude is wistful and yearning to be worldly, and a bit of a pretentious twat. He thinks he’s better than the rest of the Tribe because he’s the Hippie Hamlet, thinking deep thoughts. (Immediately after, another character informs the audience that Claude is in fact from Flushing, NY, taking him down a peg.) “Manchester, England” is the song that tells us Claude is an intellectual, and not so firmly convinced of his place in the Tribe and all that they stand for as his long locks may indicate. When he ends up being drafted, he doesn’t burn his draft notice (“Be-in”) and eventually goes to war. Claude is what actually eventually happened to most of the flower children: he caved into the mainstream and lost himself to The Man and war while the hippies kept dancing. In the movie…fuck if I know. I’ve never in my life been high enough to follow that mess. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498/64 "2015-04-28T22:28:12Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Hey, pal, I don’t need instruction from you on what constitutes an opera or a musical. Apparently you do because you don’t know what you’re talking about. Putting “rock opera” on the box doesn’t make it any more opera than R. Kelly calling his overwrought turd a “hip hopera” does. Nor does saying “hey, I’d like to see an orchestra concert tonight” likely mean you’re going to see ELO. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that none of the actors in JCS have “opera singer” on their resume, nor would any of them be likely to respond to an ad casting opera singers. Though there’s overlap (particularly in the direction of classically trained singers performing theater, rather than vice versa which would be quite rare I think) these are 2 different professions with different skill sets. It should come as no surprise we never did get to see what Pavarotti coulda done with Jesus. Pal. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498/65 "2015-05-03T14:24:37Z")
I liked the movie and the stage show. I think Neely did nothing- strutting around looking cranky all the time hardly makes a great actor. Godspell- well it had its moments. In reality there is nothing going for it. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498/66 "2015-05-04T01:10:30Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I think the point at which the movie became a real clunker for me was when … Simon the Zealot tells Jesus that there’s his army that can overthrow the Romans. > > There’s a limit to suspension of disbelief, and this easily cleared that bar. To be fair, the Zealots did think they could overthrow the Romans. They couldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498/67 "2015-05-04T01:11:42Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I think the point at which the movie became a real clunker for me was when … Simon the Zealot tells Jesus that there’s his army that can overthrow the Romans. > > There’s a limit to suspension of disbelief, and this easily cleared that bar. To be fair, the Zealots did think they could overthrow the Romans. They couldn’t, of course. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498/68 "2015-05-04T10:42:03Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > You want to talk about selective, thanks for leaving off the first part of that statement. There’s a difference between leaving something off part of a quote from a post in the same thread (as the assumption is people read the whole thread) and leaving off the part of a cite from an outside source that contradicts the point you’re trying to prove (as people might just think Wiki says what you said it did and no more). ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498/69 "2015-05-04T11:13:01Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > I still find it hard to imagine ALW writing it. The music? Why? Lyrics by Tim Rice, of course. Incidentally, just read this on Wiki: > [@](#): > > Dmitri Shostakovich attended this production in London just before his death. He regretted that he could not have composed something like it; he lauded especially a rock band underpinning full symphonic strings, brass and woodwind I think that’s what you call ‘rare praise’. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498/70 "2015-05-04T12:00:14Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > To be fair, the Zealots did think they could overthrow the Romans. > > They couldn’t, of course. There is some question as to whether Simon the Zealot was one of THOSE Zealots (it’s unclear if they even existed at the time), but he is frequently identified with them, and, yes, if he was a Zealot, it certainly wouldn’t be at all strange for him to claim Jesus could front such an army had He wanted. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498/71 "2015-05-04T13:18:05Z")
The movie has its good points - Judas being chased by tanks from the Israeli army is an image that has stuck with me. I was introduced to Superstar by the movie, and thought it was wonderful - until I heard the original soundtrack album. I enjoy the movie still, but the play is far superior (and I’ve seen the play, and worked on the play as a technician. Still kick myself for not auditioning when I had the chance). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-christ-superstar-and-the-films-place-in-history/718498.md?page=3)