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Color of the Cross

Play trailer Poster for Color of the Cross PG-13 Released Jul 21, 2006 1h 28m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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40% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In this biblical reinterpretation, a passionate black religious leader known as Jesus of Nazareth (Jean-Claude La Marre) must face the dual specters of religious and racial persecution. With the Roman army on their trail, Jesus, John (Akiva David), Judas (Johann Jean) and the rest of the disciples take refuge in a remote mountain home. As the group breaks bread together, a Jewish council troubled by Jesus' race and influence sets out to silence him once and for all.

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Color of the Cross

Critics Reviews

View All (10) Critics Reviews
Jeannette Catsoulis New York Times Color of the Cross, a low-budget re-imagining of Christs final days, makes a big deal out of the relatively tame suggestion that Jesus was black. Rated: 1.5/4 Nov 10, 2006 Full Review Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer Filled with close-ups of Jesus and his apostles (all the better to hide the absence of elaborate period sets), mixing quotes from the Scripture with flat exposition, this low-budget affair is earnest and, alas, more than a little bit cartoonish. Rated: 2/4 Nov 10, 2006 Full Review John Monaghan Detroit Free Press ...The first film to depict a black African Jesus is hindered by shoddy production values and so-so storytelling. Rated: 2/4 Oct 27, 2006 Full Review Kam Williams Sly Fox The Crucifixion revisited featuring a black Jesus as the victim of a bias crime! Rated: 4/4 May 18, 2015 Full Review Kam Williams Heritage Konpa Magazine The Crucifixion revisited with black Jesus as victim of bias crime. Rated: 4/4 Dec 22, 2006 Full Review Maitland McDonagh TV Guide Director, cowriter, coproducer and star LaMarre is more interested in Jesus' teachings than in his suffering, and suggests that race may have helped shape the course of biblical events. Rated: 2.5/4 Nov 10, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (22) audience reviews
Audience Member good movie to watch at church Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Takes the story of Jesus then misses the point by making it about racism. Also, Jesus might not have been the lily white figure portrayed by the church but he certainly wasn't from Sub-Saharan Africa which is where these actors' ancestors came from. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member samanyolu tv tadinda... :( Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member An interesting premise (Jesus portrayed as a black man) is ruined by shoddy production values, terrible acting, and bad theology as the message of Jesus' sacrifice for all mankind is suggested to be racially motivated. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Race isn't the issue. Just the budget and production quality. I think they got their message across, not a multi million dollar blockbuster film either is it for everybody Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Okay, I have absolutely zero problem with a black Jesus. However, this has got to be one of the worst Jesus movies I've ever seen. Considering it was put out by a Christian company, it's frustrating for me to say that. First of all, challenging the status quo should not involve some monologue and some varient of "But he's Black!" or "Do you think it's because he's black?" And the way the dialogue is delivered is almost as the bad punchline to a racial joke. Speaking of dialogue, I don't think I really dig how this entire play was written. Okay, first of all, you have Mary Magdaline and Judas interacting (and not in the way that you'd expect or the way that is plausible. First she slaps him one minute and then... What the...??? Mary Magdaline just... erm... struck me as someone going through mood swings. And then there's Jesus. Jesus is apparantly a black Nazarene. Fine. But is it necessary to have Jesus acting like a wuss?? And is it necessary to have me cring (not because of what he went through but because of the acting...) due to the Gethsemane scene. And then he comes back and yells at Peter about getting nothing but excuses. Again, "What The...?" And Peter's response? Hangs his head and looks sad. Erm... If Jesus actually did that (And I really doubt he did.) it would have probably resulted in a shouting match. Peter was a Fisherman, we know he had a few choice words for the person accusing him of being a Nazarene. The cinematography is about the only decent thing I have to say about this film. Considering the budget (which I suspect was low) I think that what they got was pretty good, though some of the props left me telling exactly what they're made of and some of the cuts were just... odd. All in all, I can't really recommend this film to much of anyone. The history is a very tough fit from a racial standpoint. But that being said, some of the stuff left me going, "And you did your research for this film?" Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Color of the Cross

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this biblical reinterpretation, a passionate black religious leader known as Jesus of Nazareth (Jean-Claude La Marre) must face the dual specters of religious and racial persecution. With the Roman army on their trail, Jesus, John (Akiva David), Judas (Johann Jean) and the rest of the disciples take refuge in a remote mountain home. As the group breaks bread together, a Jewish council troubled by Jesus' race and influence sets out to silence him once and for all.
Director
Jean-Claude La Marre
Producer
Rev. Cecil "Chip" Murray, Jessie Levostre, Jean-Claude La Marre, Kenneth L. Halsband, Horacio Blackwood
Screenwriter
Jean-Claude La Marre, James Troesh, Jean Claude Nelson
Distributor
Nu-Lite Entertainment
Production Co
Nu-Lite Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Graphic Crucifixion Images)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 21, 2006, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 11, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA)
$84.7K
Runtime
1h 28m
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