Review: "THE BOOK OF CLARENCE" - Black is Beautiful and So is Enlightenment

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 of 2024 (No. 1947) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Book of Clarence (2024)

Running time:  129 minutes (2 hours, 9 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for strong violence, drug use, strong language, some suggestive material, and smoking

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Jeymes Samuel

PRODUCERS:  Shawn Carter (Jay-Z), James Lassiter, Tendo Nagenda, and Jeymes Samuel

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Rob Hardy (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Tom Eagles

COMPOSER:  Jeymes Samuel

COMEDY/DRAMA/RELIGION

Starring:  LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, Anna Diop, RJ Cyler, David Oyelowo, Michael Ward, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Eric Kofi Abrefa, Chase Dillon,  Babs Olusanmokun, Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, and Nicholas Pinnock

The Book of Clarence is a 2024 comedy-drama and religious film written and directed by Jeymes Samuel.  The film focuses on a wayward man who decides to capitalize on the rise of Jesus by also declaring himself to be “the Messiah.”

The Book of Clarence opens in Lower Jerusalem, the home of the “Gypsies,” in the year 33 A.D, and it introduces a young man named Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield).  He is down-on-his-luck and is drifting in life.  He spends time selling weed with his close friend and sidekick, Elijah (RJ Cyler).  Their latest scheme is a chariot race against Mary Magdalene (Teyana Taylor), which goes disastrously bad.  In turn, that puts Clarence and Elijah deep in debt to a local crime boss, Jedediah the Terrible (Eric Kofi Abrefa), who threatens their lives if he isn't paid in 30 days.

Meanwhile, Clarence's twin brother, Thomas (LaKeith Stanfield), is one of the 12 Apostles that follow Jesus of Nazareth (Nicholas Pinnock).  After failing to make inroads with his brother's associates, Clarence decides to capitalize on Jesus and the rise of messianic figures by declaring himself “the Messiah.”  Clarence does not believe in the existence of God, but he finds success by preaching “knowledge over belief.”  Soon, Clarence has a large number of followers, and they are making him wealthy.  But then, something happens...

The Book of Clarence is not as partisan as Mel Gibson's 2004 masterpiece, The Passion of the Christ, nor is it Black-centric and anti-racist in the way director Jean-Claude La Marre's The Color of the Cross (2006) is.  In The Book of Clarence, Jesus is a Black man, but the narrative isn't really about Jesus being black.  The people of Jerusalem are black, but that just seems to be the way it is supposed to be – nothing special or deliberate.  Also, I don't think the film ever refers to them as Jews or Hebrews (as far as I can remember).

The Book of Clarence's plot and themes, which are soft and muddled in the film's middle act, seem to converge on the notion of enlightenment, not the movement “Enlightenment, but as a state of knowledge and understanding.  Clarence, who pushes knowledge over belief, gets the lesson that knowledge without understand is empty, the equivalent of “faith without good works is dead.”  The Book of Clarence unveils these messages and ideas, not with seriousness, but with sly wit and also with subtle digs at oppression, racism, and imperialism – for good measure.

That aside, the thing that most impresses me about The Book of Clarence is that writer-director Jeymes Samuel presents a film in which Black people are so very beautiful and alluring in all their varying dark and brown shades, all the textures and styles of their hair, and all the shapes, contours, and statures of their bodies.  Yet in spite of its allusions to white oppression, as all the Roman characters are white, The Book of Clarence treats having an all-Black cast play the characters in a story set in the time of Jesus as an utterly normal thing.  It's about time; British, Irish, and American actors have been frontin' in Biblical films as if that is an entirely normal thing.  [Even if Jesus was Caucasian, he wasn't white...]

Jeymes Samuel fills his film with outstanding performances, especially LaKeith Stanfield's powerful, eccentric, turn as Clarence.  It is too late in his career to discover Stanfield as a revelation; we been knew he was good.  He makes Clarence's awkward, bumbling, stumbling journey to enlightenment seem like a real, tangible thing.  I feel Clarence's evolution in my head and in my imagination.

Also, David Oyelowo knocks the film on its ass as the back-handing John the Baptist, much the way Alfre Woodard upends notions of Jesus Christ's mother, Mary, as “Mother Mary” later in the film.  Teyana Taylor throws her beauty at us as Mary Magdalene, and Anna Diop digs out the awkward layers of Varinia, Clarence's love-interest.  And RJ Cyler gives a best supporting actor type performance as Clarence's best friend and partner, Elijah.

The Book of Clarence isn't perfect.  Its plot staggers and lurches at times as it moves towards its explosive final act, which is filled with breath-taking miracles and shocking plot twists.  The film apparently was originally scheduled for a  theatrical release in September 2023, but ultimately made its only 2023 appearance via its world premiere at the 67th London Film Festival.  So as fate... or God would have it, The Book of Clarence is the best film of 2024 – thus far.

8 of 10

A

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, January 26, 2024

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site or blog for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "Son of God" Has Power

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 24 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux on Patreon

Son of God (2014)
Running time:  138 minutes (2 hours, 18 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense and bloody depiction of The Crucifixion, and for some sequences of violence
DIRECTOR:  Christopher Spencer
WRITERS:  Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Colin Swash, and Nic Young
PRODUCERS:  Richard Bedser, Mark Burnett, and Roma Downey
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Rob Goldie
EDITOR:  Robert Hall
COMPOSERS:  Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer

RELIGIOUS/DRAMA

Starring:  Diogo Morgado, Darwin Shaw, Amber Rose Revah, Mathew Gravelle, Sebastian Knapp, Joe Wredden, Greg Hicks, Adrian Schiller, Paul Brightwell, Simon Kunz, Fraser Ayres, Joe Coen, Leila Mimmack, Idrissa Sisco, and Roma Downey

Son of God is a 2014 religious film and Biblical drama from director Christopher Spencer.  The film is a follow-up to the hit 2013 cable television miniseries, “The Bible” (History Channel), from husband and wife producing team, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who also produced this movie.  Son of God follows the life of Jesus Christ, from His birth to His resurrection, especially focusing on the time from when Jesus began his public ministry to his Crucifixion.

Son of God opens with John (Sebastian Knapp), the last surviving disciple of Christ, as an old man living in exile as he tells his story.  John narrates the story of Jesus' birth, before moving 30 years forward in the story.  The adult Jesus (Diogo Morgado) begins gathering followers, including Peter (Darwin Shaw), John, and Judas (Joe Wredden), who would eventually betray him.

Jesus' popular ministry upsets the status quo in Judea, earning him the ire of the Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders.  Caiaphas (Adrian Schiller), head of the Pharisees, believes that Jesus is a grave threat, so he begins to plot against him.  When Jesus and his disciples enter Jerusalem for the upcoming Passover holiday, Caiaphas seeks the help of Pontius Pilate (Greg Hicks), the prelate who has command over Judea for the Roman Empire.  But are the Pharisee and the Roman part of a plot or are they part of a larger plan that that neither they nor Jesus's disciples can truly understand?

I found Son of God to be both an uplifting and a truly entertaining film.  That surprised me because I found much of the film's first hour to be awkward and overly mannered.  The film initially seems like a stiff and clunky stage production mounted by sincere and well-meaning Christians who have little or no idea about how powerful the cinematic narrative can be.

However, after the halfway point, the film rapidly grows more powerful and the narrative more insistent.  It become emotional and heartrending, but also invigorating and celebratory.  I felt the Holy Spirit move me as Jesus suffered the Passion and the Crucifixion.  [I was once Roman Catholic.]

Son of God features some scenes that were part of “The Bible” miniseries.  I only recognized a few scenes, as I did not watch much of the TV miniseries.  The acting in Son of God is a little better than the acting featured in movies shown on religious cable networks like TBN.  However, this film is not about the acting; it is about the story.

Yes, this film did receive many bad reviews from movie reviewers and film critics, but the film isn't as dull, as heavy-handed, or as preachy as some said.  Also, Son of God isn't quite a “Sunday School lesson,” as some would have you believe.  When Son of God hits its narrative stride, it is powerful and moving, and even inspiring.  Hey, the best part of this movie moved me into giving it a high rating.  This film does quite well by the story and message of the Son of God.

8 of 10
A

Saturday, May 30, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: Intriguing "Color of the Cross" Lacks Passion

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 18 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Color of the Cross (2006)
Running time: 89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Jean-Claude La Marre
PRODUCERS: Ken Halsband, Jessie Levostre, and Rev. Cecil L. Murray
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Paul Mayne
EDITOR: Darlene Huassmann

RELIGION

Starring: Jean-Claude La Marre, Johann John Jean, David Gianopoulos, Debi Morgan, Caspar Poyck, Micci Toliver, Marjan Faritous, and Mark Winn

In his film, Color of the Cross, writer/director Jean-Claude La Marre re-imagines Jesus Christ by positing that the founder of Christianity was a black man. Set in Arimathea circa 33 A.D., the film covers the final 48 hours of his life, beginning with Jesus, called Joshua (Jean-Claude La Marre), and his disciples preparing for Passover – what would become known as the Last Supper – and ending with Joshua’s crucifixion. The narrative also examines how Jesus’ Disciples and his family suffered during his last days. The film suggests that Joshua’s crucifixion was perhaps racially motivated because many Jews, including powerful members of the Sanhedrin (Jewish religious authority), would not accept that the Messiah or savior of the Jewish people could be a black Jew.

Jean-Claude La Marre’s Color of the Cross alternates between being profound and unintentionally hilarious. First, La Marre, who plays the lead, doesn’t make for an impressive nor imposing messiah, except for when he plays Joshua/Jesus as getting upset at his followers; then, La Marre quietly smolders with an intensity that might have the recipients of his stares heading for the hills. Other times, La Marre just looks like a doe-eyed kid.

The film finds itself on rare occasions being quiet moving and spiritual, and when Joshua speaks lines that are recognizable as Holy Bible scripture, the entire movie feels like a profound religious enterprise. In those moments when La Marre takes liberty or re-imagines players and Biblical moments, the film more likely than not falls flat on its face. In fact, while Color of the Cross brings up the idea of Christ being a black man (a dark-skinned black man) and also the notion that bigotry played a part in his crucifixion, it handles both matters in such a tepid fashion that any notion of racism playing a part in Joshua/Jesus’ troubles never sticks. It’s like taking the thesis and turning it into an afterthought. Because the whole Jesus-as-black-man is half-hearted, Color of the Cross withers on the vine.

Meanwhile, the solemnity of dealing with matters of Christ saves the film. Color of the Cross lacks the passion of Mel Gibson’s Jesus flick, and it mostly seems like a well-intentioned made for cable religious TV movie. None of the acting, directing, and production values ever stand out, but the score by La Marre and Flexx (Jean Simeus – a rapper, producer, and songwriter) is mostly very good, except for a wonky moment here and there.

Those who aren’t put off by the idea of a black Jesus Christ will find this odd little film ultimately to be an affirmation of Christ as “a uniter, not a divider.”

6 of 10
B

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

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Review: Crucifixion Ain't No Fiction in "The Passion of the Christ"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Languages: Aramaic, Latin, and Hebrew with English subtitles
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPAA – R for sequences of graphic violence
DIRECTOR: Mel Gibson
WRITERS: Benedict Fitzgerald and Mel Gibson
PRODUCERS: Bruce Davey, Mel Gibson, and Stephen McEveety
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Caleb Deschanel (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: John Wright
COMPOSER: John Debney
Academy Award nominee
DRAMA/RELIGION

Starring: James Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern, Jarreth Merz, Rosalinda Celentano, Francesco De Vito, Luca Lionello, Hristo Naumov Shopov, Mattia Sbragia, Claudia Gerini, Giovanni Capalbo, Fabio Sartor, Giacinto Ferro, and Pietro Sarubbi

The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson’s film about the last 12 hours in the earthly life of Jesus Christ as he is captured, tried, scourged, and crucified, reaffirms that Gibson is indeed an excellent filmmaker. His greatest gift as a director is his ability to arouse strong emotions and passions in his audience, as he has also shown in two prior films Man Without a Face and Braveheart, the latter for which he won an Oscar® as Best Director.

The film begins in the Garden of Olives as Jesus (James Caviezel) prays for God to relieve him of the burden that is to come his way – his suffering and death for the sins of humanity, a death that would redeem humanity. A disciple, Judas Iscariot (Lucia Lionello), betrays Jesus, who is then arrested taken to the city walls of Jerusalem where he is accused of blasphemy. Although he wishes that Jesus be only punished, Pontius Pilate (Hristo Shopov), the head of the local Roman authority, releases Jesus to the Pharisees, and they condemn him to the most horrible form of execution at the time – crucifixion.

Mel Gibson wanted the audience to see and to feel something like how much Jesus suffered at the hands of his tormentors, suffering he accepted for humanity, and in that Gibson succeeds. The film’s representation of torture and murder is palatable; it is almost a living and breathing thing. Gibson, however, doesn’t handle the violence and suffering in a heavy-handed or even glossy fashion, nor does he portray violence as consequence free. In fact, Gibson handles nothing in the film in a cavalier fashion, including the portrayal of the Pharisees and Jews who hated Jesus. Gibson deals with that in a straightforward manner: Jesus’ adversaries saw him as a blasphemer who consorted with devils to perform magic, so they wanted him dead. There is no ethnic blame game going on in The Passion of the Christ.

The film is beautifully shot on sets and locations that spring to miraculous life; it’s as if Gibson has transported us to another time. The costumes are both lavish and practical; in a sense, they do recall the spectacular Biblical epics of Hollywood of yesteryear.

The actors are great, and they style their performances as if they were in a silent film – exaggerating emotion, facial expression, and body movement in a way that conveys the story visually. Caviezel could have lost his Jesus in the splattering of gore and makeup that covered him, but he radiates his character through all the representational horror, making us believe in his performance as Jesus. There are a number of excellent supporting performances, especially Maia Morgenstern as Jesus’ mother Mary. However, Monica Bellucci, Jarreth Merz, Hristo Shopov are also quite good.

I heartily recommend The Passion of the Christ to Christians, lapsed Christians, and anyone who wants to see exceptional filmmaking.

10 of 10

NOTES:
2005 Academy Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Achievement in Cinematography” (Caleb Deschanel), “Best Achievement in Makeup” (Keith VanderLaan and Christien Tinsley), and “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (John Debney)

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