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This version of Jesus Christ Superstar illustrates two truths about casting for the silver screen:

First, stage actors don't necessarily translate well to film.

Secondly, the same material in different hands can either make or break a production.

Carter's Jesus has no charms whatsoever. He is whiny and petulant, angry and defiant, and chews up the (scant) scenery at a mile a minute.

Carter looks like a robust Lt. Dan, sans beard, and has more than a hint of confusion about him. Ted Neeley's Jesus oozed compassion and understanding, for both Mary and Judas, but this version lacks compassion for anyone. Jesus, in fact, comes across as self pitying, and arrogant.

Judas seems to be a frustrated homosexual in lust with the man himself, and the gestapo Jews are just bizarre.

I could go on and on, but why waste any more precious moments on this very bad production of a beloved classic?

A so-so episode which features Bruce Springsteen songs. The vintage portion is from 1981 and other early 80's dates.

Incomprehensibly "May" (played by Shelly Cole) appears to have green-brown eyes, and the actress playing "her" in 2006 has very light blue eyes. It spoils the illusion and one wonders if the producers couldn't have sprung for some colored contact lenses for the elder actress.

This episode also features Zachery Ty Bryan (Brad Taylor from "Home Improvement".) He is all grown up and proves he can act. David Parker, who plays Zachery's character "Petey" in the current era, looks nothing like him.

Watch the episode for Zach's performance & Springsteen's songs, but otherwise, it's a miss.

If you find this rare film on video, do yourself a favor and don't read the blurb on the back of the box. For some reason they give away the entire plot - including the ending! (It is called a "Suspense/Thriller" in the fine print. Giving away the ending ruins what little "suspense" it has. Drama is a better description for it.)

While there isn't an Amazon listing for the film; (it is long out-of-print on video), original copies can often be found on ebay, at a reasonable price.

"The Sister In Law" is notable for a very youthful John Savage sporting long hair and full beard, but don't expect the title to have much of anything to do with the plot.

Savage also wrote the music for the film, and performed 3 of his own songs. Savage's voice and style of composition would be more classified as "easy-listening with vocals" than any other style of music.

The film has a very early 70's feel; (not surprising as it was made in 1974)- but one wonders if we were ever this naive? Granted, '74 was an entirely different era, but even then, one would think twice about messing with the bad guys in that situation.

The acting of the ladies in the film consists mostly of disrobing, with some false-voiced sentences thrown in.

All in all it is Savage's film - non-fans won't find much here to interest them.