Does anyone know the purpose of the tanks and modern weaponry in the movie?
I always thought it was supposed to represent the timelessness of the story of Jesus' last week, like it will never be old or outdated.
Any other opinions?
Well, I don't know about the machine guns, but I do know that the tanks were supposed to represent the desperation which caused Judas to betray Jesus.
"We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. . .”
If you believe that it is showing timelessness then you can see how the choice to include modern weaponry can be an example of how this could happen at any time. I don't know if I agree with you however.
shareI always attributed the tanks and guns to be a symbol of the violent political strife that was going on in that land at that time.
shareThe movie is drawing a parallel between then (the days of Christ) and now (current day). The message is that if Christ came today, we would wind up crucifying him today just as we did 2,000 years ago. That's why we never see Jesus get back on the bus with the rest of the actors at the end of the movie. They crucified him.
shareI feel you got it spot on. I´m considered old since I was thirteen when this movie opened. I remember seeing it at the biggest cinema in Oslo with my mother. She was overexited by it, she loved the music, the energy and the alternative way to show a history- and religious- story play out like this: the hippies, the bus, the way the cast showed us how they got into their parts in the beginning. We discussed why it was staged this way. For instance, the priests looked like birds of prey, crawling around for dead flesh. Machine guns, tanks and fighter planes seemed to be a natural part of this mix of old and modern symbolism. The decadence of Herode also fit in. The mix of theatrical and movie effects, it was quite new at that time.
What both of us reacted to was the slight weakness of Neeley as Jesus Christ. He was forceful in the Getsemane scene, but the movie belonged to Carl Anderson as Judas. He had a much stronger presence, and made an impression we still talk about. "Heaven on their minds" still is my favourite song.
I am a Christian, and I remember one time I was walking down a street and a passed a crazy man who was preaching some crazy religion to anyone and everyone. I thought to myself 'Wow that guy is insane' but later I thought that that wa what Jesus would have sounded like back in his days. In a way it makes it easier to appreciate why he was crucified.
Bender, honey, we love you
Shut up baby, I know it!
Wasn't there a fly-by of modern fighter jets too ?
shareI may be wrong but I believe it was the copious amounts of LSD consumed by the filmakers...
shareIt wasn't just the LSD. It was the representation of religion and the correlation between then and now. It's very true in stating that if Jesus Christ came today we'd do the same as was done. What I found interesting was the endless conflict in the film; was Jesus Christ really the son of God? Even he has doubt in the film. It was fantastic. And Carl Anderson definitely was breathtaking. The best Judas evr.
"They're dead! They're all *beep* dead! And you wanna teach 'em tricks?"-Capt. Rhodes
The LSD rumours I think is just a legend. But if some of them did take a trip, well it´s a very risky drug to take. I hope they didn´t. But you said it all: Carl Anderson was really breathtaking. His Judas is a classic.
shareActually no, it's not. It's one of the safest chemicals there is. There is no addition, no long term effects on the body, and the whole "hallucinations that make you want to kill yourself" myth was paranoia.
It's very safe physically consume, but you may or may not like the mental effects, that's up to you and your brain.
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Yeah, I'm still wondering what type of plane that was.
shareI felt it was part of the theme of "If Jesus came now he'd have so much at his disposal that he'd be able to communicate his message on a global scale." But that's just how I like to see it.
You're going to die. Oh no!
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"If Jesus came now he'd have so much at his disposal that he'd be able to communicate his message on a global scale."
I reckon if Jesus came today he would locked up for being a crazy motherfvcker! Even if people listened to him, the world today is so hyped and "disposable" his name would be forgotten in 2 minutes, let alone lasting 2 millenia!
<I reckon if Jesus came today he would locked up for being a crazy motherfvcker! Even if people listened to him, the world today is so hyped and "disposable" his name would be forgotten in 2 minutes, let alone lasting 2 millenia!>
That would suggest Jesus to be a clumsy, incompetent deity. I can think of several ways God could communicate to today's people, but that's just my atheistic argument-from-divine-hiddenness talking. I'd be happy to believe in God if he tells me so in person.
..could. Some one thought it would be a great idea and everyone else thought so also. That's it, that's all. There's no hidden meaning or symbolism in using these weapons. It's plain and simple.
shareUsing modern images in Jesus pictures is nothing new. All classic pictures of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Herod, Caiaphas and Pilatus show them wearing clothing of the artist's own time (usually the Middle Ages) because the artist never knew what 1st-century Judaeans would look like.
Ever since the Globe Theatre days, Shakespeare's plays have often been performed in semi-accurate or wholly inaccurate settings (including Wild West and WWII) because the theatre companies were unaware of the correct setting, or unable or unwilling to do it the "right" way.
I thought that the 'in movie' explanation was that they were putting on a production of the show and they used what they had available (which failes to explain the tanks, but whatever). Thats why the clothing was so funky too.
I think the message was, as was already said, that the Story of Jesus (whether you believe him a deity or not) could have happened just as easily in modern days as it did back in 30 A.D. The mixed context drew the parallel and allowed it to be both historically accurate and relevant to the time period, if that makes any sense.