We watched the new version of

Jesus Christ Superstar on PBS last night. For the first time.

I was raised among those who believed it shouldn't have been done, but I've become rather a fan of Lloyd-Webber (Sir Andrew these days, he even has a castle), through Phantom of the Opera, about which Lileks has some interesting things to say, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Of course, having me for a fan is no recommendation for anyone who takes art seriously. [I hope the Retrosexuals open the door before applying the boot to my ass.]

But it was interesting to get pretty much the same story in church this morning. One of the gripes of the fundamentalists, and probably the one that stuck the longest, was that it ends with the Crucifixion, yet that's the traditional timeframe discussed in Lutheran Churches on Palm Sunday, and I suspect it's the same for Catholics, Anglicans and Orthodox[es?] as well. As the web companion says, it "[tells] the story of the last seven days in the life of Jesus, "Superstar" dramatizes Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, the unrest caused by his preaching and popularity, his betrayal by Judas, the trial before Pontius Pilate, and his ultimate crucifixion." There is compression of the story to fit the time frame, with a bit of garbling due to the necessity to turn it all into musical numbers. But it really is very impressive and moving and makes you take a fresh look at what you've learned about those times. My seven year old daughter was pointing out all the obvious anachronisms, quite an eye she has. I wish I knew how to really capitalize on it as a learning experience for her. I tried to explain artistic license, and what it's good for, and what they were trying to imply by putting Judas in a red leather jacket for a number after he was dead.

Something you should know ahead of time, maybe, although I didn't and the discovery was a worthwhile experience in itself, but it's more about Judas than Jesus. It tries to understand why he thought betraying Jesus was a good idea, without actually portraying him either as a craven coward or as a money-grubbing thief.

What would signify a good movie for an old whig? Well, I considered it worth my while to copy it on VHS, but I didn't consider buying any new hardware or software that would allow me to copy it on CD, and learn all that new lingo everyone's using these days.

But, hey! If you want to see it, come on over. But call a day ahead so we can shovel out all the rooms you might see.