Jesus Christ Superstar! 1973


Hala401
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It had some beautiful songs ....."Day by Day" and "I Don't Know How to Love Him".

I've spent the time since 1973 trying to figure out who Jesus Christ is; who God is?

Somehow true belief seems to get lost in passion, hand wringing, and hijacked by those too afraid to see Heavenly Father for who he is. They come up with a very narrow view of faith and belief. Don't they realise that Heavenly Father is everything to everyone?

The history of the day, as I read it, seems at times irrational and driven by mad men. It is quite difficult to see why the control freaks and power hungry of the day would slay someone simply for calling us to higher ideals.

For now we see through a glass darkly, but in time we shall see...

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It had some beautiful songs ....."Day by Day" and "I Don't Know How to Love Him".

If you are talking about the "Day by Day" that has the following words in it: "Day by Day, Day by Day, Oh dear Lord three things I pray." To see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly."

That song is from Godspell not from Jesus Christ Superstar. Godspell I know because I performed in it during high school.

Edited by pam
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I saw Jesus Christ Superstar several years back when it toured with Ted Nealy as Jesus from the 1973 film)

I saw it at the theater when it came out in 1973 and it felt a bit blasphemous to me, but it also made me think about spiritual things. The next year, I would seriously begin to address religion in spite of the fact that I felt most churches were false.

Something I've not told before is that my x's brother was RLDS and we had a brief exposure to them before my neighbors convinced me otherwise. I still wonder why we did not become LDS at that time. It would have changed so much to have raised my family to be LDS.

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I haven't seen Jesus Christ Superstar. Mainly because of the language that was in parts of it. I have performed in and seen Godspell.

Not sure there was any bad language that I recall. Is the film blasphemous....I don't think it intends to be. It is a musical portrayal of the biblical story and surely misses on fine points of doctrine, but, I don't think it is intended to offend or mock.

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Not sure there was any bad language that I recall. Is the film blasphemous....I don't think it intends to be. It is a musical portrayal of the biblical story and surely misses on fine points of doctrine, but, I don't think it is intended to offend or mock.

Many thought Godspell was blasphemous. I didn't find it so either.

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I haven't seen Jesus Christ Superstar. Mainly because of the language that was in parts of it. I have performed in and seen Godspell.

JC Superstar was gritty and frank, tearing open the fine veneer that society has placed over religion. I'd already seen the pious, smiling, phony, back stabbing religion. While my life was blunt and stern, I always sought to do good. Mostly people looked at me and assumed the worst.

Heavenly Father rescued me just at the time I was giving up. I won't say the words but I am sure you know what I mean.

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Not sure there was any bad language that I recall. Is the film blasphemous....I don't think it intends to be. It is a musical portrayal of the biblical story and surely misses on fine points of doctrine, but, I don't think it is intended to offend or mock.

It is SO VERY blasphemous! Jesus is basically reduced to a mere man who just wants celebrity status. What does it matter what kind of language is used to portray that?

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Not sure what film you saw....but that sure isn't Jesus Christ Super Star.

If it's Jesus Christ Superstar with music by Andew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice as the librettist, then we're talking about the same story - film or play. I haven't seen the film, I saw the play. The entire play was sung and so you can pretty much get the entire story by reading the lyrics of all the songs online.

If that is not enough to show you what I mean, then I'll have Tim Rice tell you himself:

"The idea of the whole opera is to have Christ seen through the eyes of Judas, and Christ as a man, not as a God. And the fact that Christ himself is just as mixed up and unaware of exactly what he is, as Judas is."

- Tim Rice in the interview printed with the original album of Jesus Christ Superstar

Edited by anatess
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If it's Jesus Christ Superstar with music by Andew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice as the librettist, then we're talking about the same story - film or play. I haven't seen the film, I saw the play.

Same story...we just disagree. I have only seen the 1973 Norman Jewison film and also live performance as well. I thought the movie was well made, stuck to the biblical account...at least there understanding of it and was quite moving in places. You can check out Gesthemane from the film

Edited by bytor2112
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Same story...we just disagree. I have only seen the 1973 Norman Jewison film and also live performance as well. I thought the movie was well made, stuck to the biblical account...at least there understanding of it and was quite moving in places. You can check out Gesthemane from the film

Where I was at the time, I would not have listened to the pious, vanilla, soul saving, tiresome things like "Left Behind". The film hit me where I lived, and I see it as one of the pivotal places in my life.

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Same story...we just disagree. I have only seen the 1973 Norman Jewison film and also live performance as well. I thought the movie was well made, stuck to the biblical account...at least there understanding of it and was quite moving in places. You can check out Gesthemane from the film

Stuck to the biblical account? In what Bible pray tell???

Did Jesus in the film say this?

There's too many of you, don't push me

There's too little of me, don't crowd me

Heal yourselves.

Because it's in the song The Temple towards the end. That's the Superstar's version of who Jesus is!

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I like at the end as they actors are leaving they all look "changed" by the event. A good message....

Changed by the event? What event? Of Jesus' death? Moved by the death... without a resurrection. When the entire time, the play has declared that Jesus is just a man... how moving to see a MAN die on the cross. It's about as moving as seeing Abraham Lincoln shot at the theater.

Good message indeed.

By the way, I edited my post above to quote what Tim Rice wanted to tell us through this play. It pretty much aligns with what I saw in the play. It would be great if you can read it if you haven't caught the edit.

Edited by anatess
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I like at the end as they actors are leaving they all look "changed" by the event. A good message....

I believe it changed me. The next April, I was reading the Bible, Late Great Planet Earth, and praying that God, if there was one would help me raise my children; prevent me from damaging them, and make me a decent woman.

Before that, people would come to the door. "You need to give up your sinful ways", they'd say. There was never the slightest acknowledgement that I might be trying as hard as I could and knew I was failing. I know I sent JW folk packing. I may have been rude to some LDS missionaries?

The ways that missionaries approached people seemed to be so stupid and heartless in those days. It is unimaginable that Heavenly Father tamed me; made me needy and open, and that those who first gave me the word were gentle and heartful.

Hala

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