Jesus Christ Superstar - videos, teasers and stills from filming
All videos, teasers and footage from the filming of the film "Jesus Christ Superstar"
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
Timing:
1:48 (108 min)
7.1/10
607
607
7.917/10
9163
9163
7.4/10
32000
32000
What's left behind the scenes
- The main filming location was Avdat, an architectural reserve in the Negev Desert on the site of an ancient Nabataean city in southern Israel.
- Huge blocks of ice were specially delivered from Tel Aviv to the desert filming location so that the actors could cool off near them every twenty minutes during breaks in filming.
- 17-year-old John Travolta auditioned for the role of Jesus. He didn't get the part, but producer Robert Stigwood (1934-2016) remembered the aspiring actor and in 1977 cast him in the musical drama "Saturday Night Fever" directed by John Badham.
- The Roman who nails Jesus to the cross was played by an Israeli who barely knew any English. For some reason, he decided that Ted Neeley's hands needed to be nailed to the cross by piercing his palms. Director Norman Jewison managed to stop him at the very last moment.
- Screenwriter Tim Rice had been considering the idea of telling the story of Jesus from Judas's perspective for some time in the late 1960s. When he finally presented the idea to Andrew Lloyd Webber, the latter called it "the most idiotic thing he had ever heard." However, Rice stood his ground, and the rock opera was completed in 1970. Soon after, the album was released, becoming a massive hit. Following this, "Jesus Christ Superstar" was staged on Broadway, with Ben Vereen appearing as Herod. Webber attended the musical's premiere, calling what he saw "vulgar" and offering criticism. All of this eventually led to Norman Jewison's film, which also became a hit. Webber also disliked the film version of the rock opera, but he enjoyed the 2018 reboot "Jesus Christ Live," which won an Emmy Award. According to Webber, it finally managed to capture the spirit he had imbued in the original rock opera.
- Director Norman Jewison later recounted that during filming, all of the electricians disappeared at once. They were all Israeli, and Jewison was informed that there had been a clash with Arabs nearby, and the electricians, like all adult residents of Israel, had gone to their respective military units to which they were assigned. The electricians returned only two days later.
- According to Ted Neeley and Norman Jewison, the shepherd shown in the film's final shot ended up there by chance. He was simply passing by and wandered into the frame, but the symbolism did not go unnoticed by the film crew, and they decided to leave the shot in the film (especially considering the already stunning sunset shots).
- The main filming location was Avdat – an architectural reserve in the Negev Desert on the site of an ancient Nabataean city in southern Israel.
- Huge blocks of ice were specially delivered from Tel Aviv to the desert filming location so that the actors could cool down every 20 minutes during breaks in filming.
- 17-year-old John Travolta auditioned for the role of Jesus. He didn't get the part, but producer Robert Stigwood remembered the actor and later invited him to "Saturday Night Fever".
- Screenwriter Tim Rice had been considering the idea of telling the story of Jesus from Judas's perspective for some time in the late 1960s. When he finally presented the idea to Andrew Lloyd Webber, the latter called it “the silliest thing he had ever heard.” Rice, however, stood his ground, and the rock opera was completed in 1970. Shortly thereafter, the album was released and became a huge hit. Following this, “Jesus Christ Superstar” was staged on Broadway, with Ben Vereen appearing as Herod. Webber attended the musical's premiere, calling what he saw “vulgar” and criticizing it.
- Director Norman Jewison recounted that once during filming, all the electricians disappeared. They were all Israelis, and Jewison was told that there had been a clash with Arabs nearby, and the electricians, like all adult residents of Israel, had gone to their respective military units. The electricians returned only two days later.
- According to Ted Neeley and Norman Jewison, the shepherd shown in the film's final shot ended up there by accident.
- 17-year-old John Travolta auditioned for the role of Jesus. He didn’t get the part, but producer Robert Stigwood remembered the actor and later cast him in “Saturday Night Fever.”
- Screenwriter Tim Rice had been contemplating the idea of telling the story of Jesus from Judas’s perspective as early as the late 1960s. When he finally presented the idea to Andrew Lloyd Webber, the latter called it “the stupidest idea he had ever heard.” Rice, however, stood his ground, and the rock opera was completed in 1970. Shortly thereafter, an album was released, which became an absolute hit. Following this, “Jesus Christ Superstar” was staged on Broadway, with Ben Vereen as Herod. Webber attended the musical’s premiere, called what he saw “vulgar,” and criticized it.
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