The brilliant transalation from stage to screen of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera telling the story of Christ's last days, mainly through the eyes of Judas. Using several imaginative images Jewison enlarges the original play without distracting from it. Incredible cast. Incredible film. Unmissable stuff.
find out more...A controversial version of the gospels in which the central conflict is seen in terms of political struggle and betrayal. Detailing the Jews' rebellion against the oppressive power of Rome, it elevates Barabbas to the status of a proto-Zionist nationalist leader, and the dynamics of the narrative are presented as the consequence of wide-ranging historical movements rather than in terms of individuals. When Jesus is born in Bethlehem there are some who recognize him as the future king of the J find out more...
Among the lavish sets one can detect a plot in which one of Nero's Roman commanders falls in love with a Christian girl and they both get thrown to the lions. Ustinov barks, foams at the mouth, sets fire to the eternal city, and steals the show. Rivetting acting in one of the last great cinema epics.
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