Color of the Cross stars director Jean-Claude LaMarre (left) as Jesus. He has received death threats for creating the first epic movie to depict Jesus as Black.Make plans now! Save a date, get a date, buy some Milk Duds, and some hot, buttered popcorn. A Black Messiah cometh to the big screen! Color of the Cross, the Nu-Lite Entertainment epic movie opens in theaters October 27th. It is bound to cause at stir as it is the first epic movie to portray Jesus as a Black Messiah. And it's about time! Da Vinci Code and Passion of the Christ, move over. I am sure we're all going to have plenty to say about this one.
From the Color of the Cross website comes this description...
“Color of the Cross,” an independent, biblically charged religious biopic, is based on the last 48 hours of Christ’s life and stands to be the most controversial depiction of Jesus to date. The film is unique in two distinct ways: The first dramatic film in Hollywood history ever to depict Christ as a black man. Secondly, it is the first Christian based film to inject race as a possible factor in the Crucifixion of Christ. This racial perspective to the conventional biblical story is sure to challenge Conservative Christian beliefs. The film places racial issues front and center in this growing religious discourse that is sure to become an additional topic for debate. According to Producer, Kenneth Halsband, “When you see the black man on the cross, you are immediately reminiscent of the 1960’s… Our film hopes to heal those wounds”.
“Color of the Cross,” an independent, biblically charged religious biopic, is based on the last 48 hours of Christ’s life and stands to be the most controversial depiction of Jesus to date. The film is unique in two distinct ways: The first dramatic film in Hollywood history ever to depict Christ as a black man. Secondly, it is the first Christian based film to inject race as a possible factor in the Crucifixion of Christ. This racial perspective to the conventional biblical story is sure to challenge Conservative Christian beliefs. The film places racial issues front and center in this growing religious discourse that is sure to become an additional topic for debate. According to Producer, Kenneth Halsband, “When you see the black man on the cross, you are immediately reminiscent of the 1960’s… Our film hopes to heal those wounds”.
In this gripping, two-hour epic, Jesus is portrayed as a black Jew. This retelling of the biblical story from a black perspective seeks to repair the anti-Semitism that has been associated with the story of Christ. Jean-Claude LaMarre is the screenwriter, director and lead actor of the world’s most controversial religious film, “Color of the Cross.” “The idea of re-imaging is very important to my vision of this story,” says LaMarre “For decades blacks have been the victims of negative imaging, especially in their depiction in Hollywood films. I applaud Fox for taking a step toward rehabilitating this image. Jesus is a great place to start”.
“Color of the Cross,” directed by lead actor Jean Claude LaMarre, stars Debbi Morgan (“Coach Carter,” “Woman Thou Art Loosed”) as Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Ananda Lewis (“The Ananda Lewis Show”, “The Insider” Host). “The idea of re-imaging is very important to my vision of this story, says LaMarre “For decades blacks have been the victims of negative imaging, especially in their depiction in Hollywood films. I applaud Fox for taking a step toward rehabilitating this image. Jesus is a great place to start”.
“Color of the Cross,” directed by lead actor Jean Claude LaMarre, stars Debbi Morgan (“Coach Carter,” “Woman Thou Art Loosed”) as Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Ananda Lewis (“The Ananda Lewis Show”, “The Insider” Host). “The idea of re-imaging is very important to my vision of this story, says LaMarre “For decades blacks have been the victims of negative imaging, especially in their depiction in Hollywood films. I applaud Fox for taking a step toward rehabilitating this image. Jesus is a great place to start”.
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, which released “The Passion of the Christ” on domestic home video, has acquired the domestic home video rights for “Color of the Cross” for seven figures including a P & A commitment for theatrical release.Producer/Theologian Dr. Cecil “Chip” Murray, of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church (First AME) in Los Angeles, believes this version of Christ’s story is long overdue. “I think that people will welcome this as a fresh perspective, especially as well-researched as this story is,” said Dr. Murray.
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I would like to thank Manual McMillan, Sr., Asst. Director, Financial Aide Administration,the University of Louisville for sending me this link.
Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!
Remember, it is not Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius, nor New Age that saves. Jesus saves!
It is sad that it took this long for somebody to make a movie with a Black Jesus!
ReplyDeleteYou are right. The fact that I have blogged this story and the doll test story is no coincidence. I don't believe in that anyway. Someone made a powerful point and I have not forgotten it. They said what if somewhere in the future, "people" decide to paint Martin Luther King, Jr. as a white man. This is what has happened to Jesus and no one has defended it in film. What really gets me is when people say, as soon as you decide to hang a picture of a black Jesus, "Well, God is a spirit and they that worship Him should worship Him in spirit and in truth. He's not any color." That is true, but until all the white Jesuses' come down, I am going to continue hanging pictures of a Jesus who looks like me. And it is more accurate that He looked like me anyway, since civilization began in Africa, and the scriptures speak of Him as having bronze feet and wooley hair.
ReplyDeleteWhat concerns me is that the director and those creating the film have chosen to introduce race as a reason for why Jesus was crucified. I want to know how they are able to prove that scripturally.
I have contacted Nu-Lite Entertainment and have learned that Color of the Cross will open in select markets on October 27th. The movie will open nationwide, including the Louisville area, November 10th. Nu-Lite spokesperson, Gail Gipson, suggests that people interested in seeing the movie in this and other markets may also need to contact movie theatres and request that the movie be shown. She said that is how they have been able to get the movie into some theatres.
ReplyDeleteLook for an article on Color of the Cross in the upcoming edition of Jet Magazine (with Tyra Banks on the cover) on page 59.
Finally, I am working on an interview with either Color of the Cross director and star Jean-Claude LaMarre or Gail Gipson.
Angela Lee Price