Color of the Cross

Last updated
Color of the Cross
Color of the cross.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJean-Claude La Marre
Written by Jean-Claude La Marre
Produced by Ken Halsband
Jessie Levostre
Cecil L. Murray
StarringJean-Claude La Marre
Debbi Morgan
Elya Baskin
David Gianopoulos
Ananda Lewis
Caspar Poyck
Stephen Wozniak
Music by Flexx
Jean-Claude La Marre
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • October 27, 2006 (2006-10-27)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$85,802 [1]

Color of the Cross is a 2006 religious film written by, directed by, and starring Jean-Claude La Marre.

Contents

The film is one of the few depictions of Christ as a black man, and portrays Jesus' persecution as the result of racism. [2]

Plot

In what would later become the last 48 hours of his life, Jesus of Nazareth (Jean-Claude La Marre), a Black man, leads a group of 12 disciples to the biblical city of Arimathea to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover. The city of Arimathea is governed by the elite Jewish Sanhedrin under the administrative jurisdiction of the Roman Empire who persecute and discriminate against the Jewish population. Growing weary of the popular influence displayed by Jesus, a Jew claiming to be a messiah, the Sanhedrin wish to call an emergency meeting to discuss his growing power and clout. From the Sanhedrin, some of the members find it hard to believe a black man although Jewish, could in fact be the messiah. The members attempt to formulate a plan to capture and interrogate Jesus over his alleged blasphemy. Meanwhile, Jesus with the help of his disciple John (Akiva David), discovers a safe dwelling in Arimathea to consume the Passover meal away from the watchful patrol of Roman soldiers who are also attempting to subdue him over his reputation. Accordingly, Mary (Debbi Morgan), the mother of Jesus, comes to believe her son is being individually singled out on motivations based on race. In addition to persecuting Jews in general, the Romans also view Jews who are black in skin color as a more troublesome ramification than just ordinary white Jews.

After a trek through the wilderness in the province of Judea, Jesus and his followers arrive in Arimathea. During the passover meal at a secret location within a Jewish guest home, Jesus reveals a vision which he experienced from God; depicting one of his disciples will betray him and hand him over to the Romans as a blasphemous criminal against the Empire. After hearing of the so-called miracles which Jesus performed, such as the healing of a blind man, and the restoring of life to a dead person, Caiphas (Elya Baskin), the leader of the Sanhedrin remains unconvinced of Jesus' prowess. The Sanhedrin believe that Jesus may in fact be a prophet like other Jews in the past, but do not believe he is a messiah. Later, Judas Iscariot (Johann John Jean), one of Jesus' followers, betrays him for a payment of 30 pieces of silver by revealing his hiding place from the Romans to Caiphas. Against the wishes of his fellow members in not involving the Romans into the matter, Caiphas recruits a group of Roman soldiers led by Horatius (David Gianopoulos), to capture Jesus. Earlier, Jesus along with his disciples left the Jewish guest home to seek refuge in the Garden of Gethsemane within the mountains of Judea. Following his capture with the aid of Judas, Horatius leads Jesus away to a presumed trial before the Romans. Jesus is later condemned to death and crucified.

Post production

Sequel

The sequel to the film, Color of the Cross 2: The Resurrection, was released on DVD on Wednesday, March 5, 2008, including a performance of Judas Iscariot by Sebastian Siegel.

Reception

Critical response

Reaction to the film was generally negative due to its low budget and production qualities. Among reviews, Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times , noted that "Color of the Cross, a low-budget re-imagining of Christ's final days, makes a big deal out of the relatively tame suggestion that Jesus was black." [3] Todd McCarthy of Variety solidly concurred saying, "Lacking the drama of Jesus' trial and the passion, as well as the substance of his teachings, (actor Jean Claude) LaMarre's turgid take has very little to offer dramatically or inspirationally." [4]

Box office

At its widest release in the U.S., the film was screened at 29 theaters grossing $25,868 in its opening weekend. The film went on to gross $85,802 in ticket sales through a 4-week theatrical run.

Home media

The Region 1 Code widescreen edition of the film was released on DVD in the United States on January 9, 2007. Currently, there is no set date on a future Blu-ray Disc release for the film.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judas Iscariot</span> Apostle and betrayer of Christ

Judas Iscariot was—according to Christianity's four canonical gospels—a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane by kissing him on the cheek and addressing him as "master" to reveal his identity in the darkness to the crowd who had come to arrest him. Like Brutus, his name is often used synonymously with betrayal or treason.

The Pharisees were a Jewish social movement and a school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Pharisaic beliefs became the foundational, liturgical, and ritualistic basis for Rabbinic Judaism.

<i>The Passover Plot</i> Conspiratorial book published in 1965 regarding the life of Jesus Christ

The Passover Plot is a 1965 book by British biblical scholar Hugh J. Schonfield, who also published a translation of the New Testament from a Jewish perspective. The book was adapted into a film, The Passover Plot (1976).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passion of Jesus</span> Final period in the life of Jesus, before his crucifixion and death

The Passion is the short final period before the death of Jesus, described in the four canonical gospels. It is commemorated in Christianity every year during Holy Week.

<i>The Greatest Story Ever Told</i> 1965 film directed by George Stevens

The Greatest Story Ever Told is a 1965 American epic religious film about the retelling of the Biblical account about Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. Produced and directed by George Stevens, with an ensemble cast, it features the final film performances of Claude Rains and Joseph Schildkraut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caiaphas</span> Jewish high priest (c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD)

Joseph ben Caiaphas, known simply as Caiaphas in the New Testament, was the Jewish high priest during the years of Jesus' ministry, according to Josephus. The Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John indicate he was an organizer of the plot to kill Jesus. He famously presided over the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus. The primary sources for Caiaphas' life are the New Testament, and the writings of Josephus. The latter records he was made high priest by the Roman procurator Valerius Gratus after Simon ben Camithus had been deposed.

<i>Jesus of Nazareth</i> (TV series) 1977 British-Italian television drama

Jesus of Nazareth is a 1977 British-Italian epic film and television drama serial directed by Franco Zeffirelli and co-written by Zeffirelli, Anthony Burgess and Suso Cecchi d'Amico, which dramatizes the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It stars Robert Powell as Jesus, and features an all-star ensemble cast of renowned actors, including eight who had won or would go on to win Academy Awards: Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Rod Steiger, James Earl Jones and Peter Ustinov.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barabbas</span> Figure mentioned in the New Testament

Barabbas was, according to the New Testament, a prisoner who was chosen over Jesus by the crowd in Jerusalem to be pardoned and released by Roman governor Pontius Pilate at the Passover feast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historical background of the New Testament</span>

Most scholars who study the historical Jesus and early Christianity believe that the canonical gospels and the life of Jesus must be viewed within their historical and cultural context, rather than purely in terms of Christian orthodoxy. They look at Second Temple Judaism, the tensions, trends, and changes in the region under the influence of Hellenism and the Roman occupation, and the Jewish factions of the time, seeing Jesus as a Jew in this environment; and the written New Testament as arising from a period of oral gospel traditions after his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark 14</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Mark 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It contains the plot to kill Jesus, his anointing by a woman, the Last Supper, predictions of his betrayal, and Peter the Apostle's three denials of him. It then begins the Passion of Jesus, with the garden of Gethsemane and Judas Iscariot's betrayal and Jesus' arrest, followed by Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin and Peter's denials of Jesus.

<i>The Miracle Maker</i> (1999 film) 1999 British film

The Miracle Maker sometimes subtitled The Story of Jesus, is a 1999 Welsh-Russian stop motion-animated film directed by Derek Hayes and Stanislav Sokolov of the life of Jesus Christ, voiced by Ralph Fiennes. Hand-drawn animated cartoons are used to distinguish flashbacks, parables, stories, spiritual encounters and visions from the main plot, which is all in stop motion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 26</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Matthew 26 is the 26th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. This chapter covers the beginning of the Passion of Jesus narrative, which continues to Matthew 28; it contains the narratives of the Jewish leaders' plot to kill Jesus, Judas Iscariot's agreement to betray Jesus to Caiphas, the Last Supper with the Twelve Apostles and institution of the Eucharist, the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and the subsequent vindication of Jesus' predictions, of betrayal by one of the twelve Apostles, and that he will, in the Denial of Peter, be disowned by his closest follower, Saint Peter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanhedrin trial of Jesus</span> Trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin, a Jewish judicial body

In the New Testament, the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus refers to the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin following his arrest in Jerusalem and prior to the trial before Pontius Pilate. It is an incident reported by all three Synoptic Gospels of the New Testament, while the Gospel of John refers to a preliminary inquiry before Annas. The gospel accounts vary on a number of details.

"Son of Man" is a British television play by playwright Dennis Potter which was first broadcast on BBC1 on 16 April 1969, in The Wednesday Play slot. An alternative depiction of the last days of Jesus, Son of Man was directed by Gareth Davies and starred Northern Irish actor Colin Blakely. The play was shot on videotape over three days on a very limited budget: Potter was later to say that the set "looks as though it's trembling and about to fall down."

<i>The Last Temptation of Christ</i> (film) 1988 film directed by Martin Scorsese

The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 epic religious drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by Paul Schrader with uncredited rewrites from Scorsese and Jay Cocks, it is an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' controversial 1955 novel of the same name. The film, starring Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Andre Gregory, Harry Dean Stanton and David Bowie, was shot entirely in Morocco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burial of Jesus</span> Event in the New Testament

The burial of Jesus refers to the entombment of the body of Jesus after crucifixion, before the eve of the sabbath described in the New Testament. According to the canonical gospel narratives, he was placed in a tomb by a councillor of the Sanhedrin named Joseph of Arimathea; according to Acts 13:28–29, he was laid in a tomb by "the council as a whole". In art, it is often called the Entombment of Christ.

<i>The Great Commandment</i> 1939 film by Irving Pichel

The Great Commandment is a 1939 American Christian film directed by Irving Pichel, which portrays the conversion to Christianity of a young Zealot, Joel, and the Roman soldier Longinus through the teachings of Jesus in his Parable of the Good Samaritan. It was co-produced by Rev. James K. Friedrich and released by Cathedral Films in 1939. Its theatrical release was in 1941 by Twentieth Century Fox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilate's court</span> Trial of Jesus in praetorium before Pontius Pilate

In the canonical gospels, Pilate's court refers to the trial of Jesus in praetorium before Pontius Pilate, preceded by the Sanhedrin Trial. In the Gospel of Luke, Pilate finds that Jesus, being from Galilee, belonged to Herod Antipas' jurisdiction, and so he decides to send Jesus to Herod. After questioning Jesus and receiving very few replies, Herod sees Jesus as no threat and returns him to Pilate.

<i>Son of God</i> (film) 2014 American film

Son of God is a 2014 American epic biblical film directed by Christopher Spencer, and produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. The film retells the life of Jesus and is an adaptation of the ten-hour miniseries The Bible, which aired in March 2013 on the History channel, and immediately following the movie begins another TV series called A.D. The Bible Continues.

<i>Mary of Nazareth</i> (film) TV series or program

Mary of Nazareth is a 2012 Italian-German-Spanish television movie directed by Giacomo Campiotti. It focuses on life events of Mary of Nazareth, Mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene.

References

  1. "Color of the Cross". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  2. "New Jesus film puts race into religion - CNN.com". CNN . Retrieved 2007-04-21.
  3. Color of the Cross, review by Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times, November 9, 2006
  4. Color of the Cross, review by Todd McCarthy, Variety , October 26, 2006