What is it about?
Norman Jewison's 1973 musical film, Jesus Christ Superstar, has been considered by critics as progressive and transgressive in its telling of the biblical passion story from the perspective of Judas, in its use of a rock instrumentation, and in its perceived portrayal of intimacy between Jesus and Mary. But what many critics and fans missed in their assessment of the film was its redrawing of the biblical story's intimate landscape with a plot revolving around the love and betrayal of Judas and Jesus. This article traces, through song and cinematography, the not so subtle queer love between the leading tenors of this musical film.
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Why is it important?
When Jesus Christ Superstar was releases in 1973, the film was criticized for its narrative incoherence. This article challenges such criticisms with an analysis of the film's music and cinematography. The importance of this article is in its recovery of the queer logic by which Jesus Christ Superstar operates: a tragic love story between Judas and Jesus.
Perspectives
In writing this article, I expose the assumption of white heteronormativity in the criticism's of Jesus Christ Superstar. In doing so, my broader goal is to encourage (and equip) fans to follow their gut when they love a film (or any other work) that is met with mixed reviews.
Larissa Irizarry
University of Pittsburgh
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Queer Intimacy: Vocality in Jesus Christ Superstar, Women and Music A Journal of Gender and Culture, January 2020, Project Muse,
DOI: 10.1353/wam.2020.0004.
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