Some suggested turning the film into a modern-day hip-hop opera starring a rapper like 50 Cent.
"But the one problem I had, as most black Christians have, has been the historical Hollywood depictions of Christ." "I thought dealing with Christ's crucifixion would be a good story," La Marre said. Black color on the Cross starting at the 3:00 PM. This daring film portrays the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his ministry after his death.
They feel empowered and validated." "What was difficult was finding anyone who was willing to put money into the film. COLOR OF THE CROSS opens with the credit blackchristianmovies.com. But in America, he's traditionally been seen as a white man in most churches and homes, until recently.
Purple color starting at lent season, which is 40 days up to Easter. "I think Fox realized this would make good sense," said La Marre, who thinks people are hungry for these kinds of stories. said Murray. Cecil Murray, a black minister in Los Angeles and a professor of religion at the University of Southern California, is credited as a producer for his work as a consultant on "Color of the Cross." Scholars agree there is no definitive description of Christ in the Bible. "He picked the Hebrew people, who had a history of oppression and slavery, so it's entirely likely that if Christ came back today, at least in America, he'd be African American, perhaps someone of Latino heritage." Director Kevin Smith described Jesus as a black man in his 1999 film "Dogma," with Chris Rock playing a black apostle whose story was erased from biblical canon by the church. "It gives them liberty. The film, which opened in late October in 19 markets nationwide, opens Friday at the Oaks Theatre in Berkeley. With Jean-Claude La Marre, Raquel Roque Herring, Gerald Webb, Andy Garza. From director Jean Claude LaMarre (Color of the Cross), comes another epic film about the ministry of Jesus Christ. ROME, 26 February 2013 (ZENIT) Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university. But to make him white?" La Marre said he encountered skeptical studio chiefs when he originally tried to pitch the movie, with some saying the project had no chance unless it featured an actor like Denzel Washington or Don Cheadle in the lead role. "If our icon of religion -- the founder of the Christian faith -- looked like us, then we can't be as bad as we've been depicted." 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. Telling people you want to make (this) movie is like trying to tell people you want to make a movie about dwarves living on the moon," said La Marre. La Marre has had supporting roles in movies including Spike Lee's 1992 "Malcolm X" and last year directed "Brothers in Arms" starring David Carradine. This undated photo released by Nu-Lite Entertainment shows Jean Claude LaMarre, who wrote, directed and stars as Jesus in a scene from "Color of the Cross." He dismisses the argument that what's important is the New Testament savior's message and not his skin color. "If they want to make him olive-skinned, fine. 'Color of the Cross' puts a different face on the debate. The film is the first representation in the historyWhat race was Jesus? Photo: TEDDI BROWN By casting himself in the lead role, writer and director Jean-Claude La Marre is challenging a view of Jesus that's dominated since the Middle Ages and adding to a growing body of Hollywood films with Christian themes, including Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Da Vinci Code." The Rev. "Color of the Cross" also features actress Debbi Morgan as Jesus' mother, Mary. "It means a lot to a minority culture to see a Jesus that looks more like them than a European Jesus," explained Gawlowski, who said he believes if Jesus were to return today he'd be a minority. But a new film, "Color of the Cross," shows the Christian savior as a black man. "Sometimes you have to put your money where your mouth is, and I really believed in this picture," he said. "It's this extremely muscular, blue-eyed, blond-haired figure," said Loewe. Post production Sequel. William Loewe, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., said it's easy to find everyday examples of how Jesus has been cast as European in Western civilization, citing a religious icon on his own campus. This undated photo released by Nu-Lite Entertainment shows Jean Claude LaMarre, who wrote, directed and stars as Jesus in a scene from "Color of the Cross… (AP Photo/ Nu-Lite Entertainment, Teddi Brown)This undated photo released by Nu-Lite Entertainment shows Jean Claude LaMarre, who wrote, directed and stars as Jesus in a scene from "Color of the Cross." 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 (The novel version of the screenplay, also entitled Reaction to the film was generally negative due to its low budget and production qualities. The movie comes across as exactly that. Despite passages in the Book of Revelation referring to Jesus with woolly hair and bronze-colored skin, he's usually depicted as having white skin, flowing hair and European facial features. "I find it to be offensive, as far as I'm concerned, because it seems to be such a denial of his Jewishness." La Marre then sold the film to Fox, which released "The Passion of the Christ" on video.