Movies to See
Movies To See
Junious Ricardo Stanton
Today’s motion picture environment is much different than it was just a few years ago. Even if the theater management pulls a movie from the venue due to lack of attendance, now you can still see the films via, streaming, cable or direct purchase without waiting months or years. You can see them without going to a store to buy the DVD or ordering them from Netflix which no longer does mailings. So you have no excuse not to see a particular film even if it is not in theaters.
Recently my wife and I went to see The Color Purple and The Book of Clarence. I urge you to see both of these films while you can in theaters or when they become available via streaming services or direct purchase.
The Color Purple is a reimagining of the book, the 1985 original film of the same name and the award winning 2005 Broadway musical production also called The Color Purple. While the 2023 film version encompasses aspects of all of them, the book, the original film and Broadway adaptations, it is not a remake or reboot of any of them. It is a unique project all its own.
The new film is different in that the scenery and setting are not the same even though the action still takes place in the South during the 1920’s. This time the action is near the ocean and we get to see more of Shug Avery’s lavish lifestyle in Memphis Tennessee as she helps Celie find and reinvent herself. More importantly, in my opinion, the story line arc of the characters is more developed and the criticisms of the book and movie about the depiction of the men offer a resolution without altering the trauma of the backstory. The backstory remains the same, there is brutality and abuse by Celie’s step-father but the character of Mister shows gradual transformation and eventual redemption in this version.
The scenery, the costumes and interplay among the characters is powerfully well done, the songs have positive messages and the choreography reflect the Black experience and culture. The direction and actors are very very good and their performances help differentiate this film from the original and the stage versions allowing it to stand on its own merit.
I recommend seeing the film because at its core it is extremely entertaining and it has a powerful message of resilience, forgiveness, redemption and empowerment.
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I also highly recommend The Book of Clarence. It is a unique and groundbreaking film that is the first depiction of people of color in a Biblical era film in the history of American cinema and this film stands in stark contrast to the historically inaccurate Hollywood portrayals of the people of that region as white skinned Europeans! The film shows what the people probably looked like two thousand years ago all of whom except for the Romans are black and brown people! The film is satirical but it addresses modern human conditions and psychological states and finds resolution amid deep personal ambiguity uncertainty and crisis.
The film is based in Biblical subject matter yet it is satire but with a powerfully poignant modern message. The notion of a Black man living two thousand years ago in Palestine named Clarence is in itself funny. To top that, Clarence has an estranged twin brother named Thomas who is the famous doubting Thomas disciple of Yeshua Bar Joseph (Jesus of Nazareth). The cinematic magic and interplay between the two of them played by Lakeith Stanfield which reveals their contentious history, their divergent lifestyle choices and worldview differences is genuinely ingenious. The film also uses iconic themes from older movies like the Ben Hur chariot race but in an irreverent and humorous fashion that reveal how Clarence’s choices as he tries to hustle to make it big blow up in his face.
The character Clarence is a man determined to prove he is somebody. He is a small time hustler, con artist and schemer who wants to make a better life for himself and his mother amid the brutal Roman occupation and oppression in Jerusalem. Seeing Jerusalem as ancient an all Black city with the exception of the Roman occupiers is masterful. There are modern elements woven into the story like their slang, Clarence selling and smoking weed, homelessness, poverty and the tensions between the residents of Jerusalem and the Roman occupiers.
Clarence finds himself at odds with and owing money to a Jerusalem gansta who just happens to be the brother of the girl he is infatuated with. Clarence must find a way to square his debt with her brother to save his life. The film chronicles his desperate attempts to find a way to raise money to repay him in a short period of time.
I will not give any more of the plot away other than to say Clarence witnesses Jesus performing miracles and he notices the way the people flock to Jesus and adore him. Clarence is an atheist but decides he wants to be like them to get money. He tries to join them as a disciple but is rebuffed. He subsequently connives, schemes and scams with his two compatriots to perform fake miracles so he can get money and fame, However his conversations with Mary, John the Baptizer, his twin brother Thomas and other true believers stirs something deep within him.
I will leave it at that but I urge you to see this film. It is thought provoking in its content and it provides extremely deep imagery and messages throughout the whole film. I know many Christians will have problems with this movie because it goes against the deeply entrenched orthodoxy of a lily White Jesus. Many will categorically reject the film without even seeing it. To do this is to do yourself a disservice and deny yourself a thought provoking cinematic experience.
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posted by Junious Ricardo Stanton @ 10:59 AM
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