Review of Jesus Christ Superstar

Introduction

Jesus Christ Superstar, one of the best-loved musicals of all time, finally comes to video and DVD as a made-for-film stage version. Launching the musical dream-team of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber to fame, this musical is very entertaining and the film captures the essence of a stage production well. I have never seen this musical on stage before, but in many ways this can be a superior experience…for one, you don’t even need to move! OK, maybe just to your DVD player then…

Video

The visuals are good, Universal have provided a nicely transferred anamorphic picture. The picture is fine, although not reference quality: for instance, the handling of lights is not perfect, as they are often too diffuse. However, I found that the added to the atmosphere of a stage production, whether this was deliberate or not.

Audio

The soundtrack is classic Rice and Webber, and most likely you have heard some of the songs somewhere before. The 5.1 mix is very good at getting the music across, so you won’t be disappointed. Very professionally done again.

Features

Instead of chapter stops, you get song stops…a good idea, I thought. The main feature is an excellent making-of featurette, containing behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and quite a lot on the history of ‘Superstar’. The featurette is actually a substantial piece of footage, that has been edited well, instead of into the usual PR fluff. A commentary might have been nice, but the featurette almost makes up for that. There are also “Cats” and “Joseph” trailers, for the other two ‘filmed on stage’ musicals available.

I should also say that I liked the DVD box, it`s a sturdy cardboard case (unlike Warners`!), with nice artwork.

Conclusion

This disc is very pleasing, and is a must for any fan of this production or musicals in general. The good transfer, soundtrack and superb documentary make this a very worthwhile purchase. Although it may never be as good as going to the theatre itself, it is certainly handy (and cheaper) to have a copy on DVD.