The Book of Clarence has such a unique approach and perspective, and I think people of all backgrounds and beliefs can enjoy it! But I would love to hear what you think, let me know below!
Well first thing you are completely wrong about is that the Director is a Christian. Actually he's a 5 Percent Nation believer. Even in the interview he says "peace to the Gods" Something that is totally opposite of the foundational beliefs of a Christian. That's why it's blasphemous by many critiques. There is all sorts of 5 percenter symbolism throughout the movie including the title based off of the founder Clarence X. So may want to do more research next time.
@byron6838 It's a story written by Jeymes Samuel. That's a fact. It's better to leave it at that, and decide if it's a story you would like to see. It's not about "Jesus." Its not about Christianity. If that's what people are looking for, there are plenty of those to see. This is a once in a Cinematic lifetime opportunity to see something a bit differently. * Personally, I wouldn't be surprised what little people actually know about Yah'shua, aka Jesus. The ones who walked and talked with him often didn't know or understand him. Misunderstood his sayings and his teachings. There are plenty of examples for the reading. No different than those today who call themselves "Christians" follow their own version of The Way, worshipping him in their image and after their likeness. Refusing to accept him any other way than their own. Im guessing some will be in for a rude awakening on that day when he says to them, "I never knew you: depart from me," Matt. 7:23 I'm praying for the humility and the discernment to see, not the sins of others, but what I need to see in myself. to make sure what's spoken Matthew 7:23 isn't spoken of me.
The movie was SO GOOD. 10/10 Had me in tears…. I wasn’t RAISED to believe in Jesus so now that I’m grown and found him on my own this movie HIT different. Phenomenal art displayed! I don’t feel like God was disrespected, if anything I want to learn more. Blessings ❤️
The book of clarance was written by members of a cult called the 5% nation that believe some very very heretical and non Christian things. Look up the 5% nation. They believe that all black men are gods instead of saying Jesus/ Yeshua is god. The group teachs some very heretical beliefs. Unless you look it up you wont realize it looks innocent the movie but it’s far from it.
Great review of the movie. I appreciate your courage to accurately speak on it. Its sad most who are commenting on the movie are based on the trailer and not the actual movie.
I appreciate this so much, thank you! Yeah, I've seen some pretty aggressive thumbnails on RUclips from creators who haven't seen the film, but to each their own I guess haha thank you so much for watching!!
I enjoyed it too especially it's pretty creative on direction but Also pretty funny too. It's less than a monty python,but some jokes did work especially Benjamin
I believe the lightbulb to be symbolic of his enlightenment and/or awakening. I also think the resurrection could be a “death” to his old ways and now he will live in faith…great vid as well
Interesting thought, but his beliefs didn't change at those points in the story. I think it was more just a playful expression of having an idea; the lightbulb over the head symbolism has existed for a long time in cartoons.
I feel like that last lightbulb symbolized an idea to share his realizations with others, similar to earlier in the story. This time he realizes that it's all real and now it has greater meaning and purpose.
Book of Clarence is phenomenal! Cast, writing, acting, and direction was genius. The ending left you forefilled, in deep thought, and wanting more. Bravo to all involved!!!
@@googlrcif someone makes a movie saying the sky is red Would anywhere care , no. But sense they made movie about something that everyone knows is not real. They don’t like it bc it makes them think
Religious ppl don’t like anything that makes them think about there religion. They rather leave it alone for when there hopeless. But all of us in heart know god can’t die and come back
My entire fellowship watched the movie. They said they got the message, us Christian’s are to susceptible to judge easily. This movie truly isn’t blasphemous, but a somewhat promotion to Christianity. Personally I liked it.
uuh no..as a Christian this movie is almost completely blasphemous. I know this because all of its messages don't come from Christianity, but rather another religion (you can look this up yourself too) called the "5-percent Nation"..which is a spinoff of MUSLIM teachings.
@@nukeman7613 It's not an opinion, it's quite literally what the "5% Nation" believes. I highly recommend you go look them up, because both the director and the producer are members of it and are not related to Christianity.
Wrong the movie is blasphemous. It’s based on a cult to which the director and jay-z are likely nembers and their teachings have nothing to do with what Jesus taught. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-Percent_Nation
This is one of the best reviews of this film. It's amazing how the messages went over so many impatient and shallow minded people. Definitely creative and artistic.
@@DoronBond Both Jay-Z and the director are part of the "5-percent Nation" cult. If you know anything about that group, there's nothing to debate about whether or not this movie is blasphemous.
You have such a great review only question is I wonder why you show the false symbolisms throughout the video that's what makes this movie so powerful is the accuracy of the ethnicity you show pictures from Roman Catholicism and Renaissance read depictions you need to study the word and understand that's what makes this movie so relevant thank you for your work I do appreciate you
Took my Madukes and I to the movies to go see this and I must, say at first, I was hesitant because of course, I thought otherwise also blasphemy but man, oh man, I almost cried watching this movie. I also laughed, I was shocked, and also excited to know that the whole time this movie was talking about us Afro, Nubian, African American Kingz and Queenz living back in Biblical Times. Not the Europeans as they like to portray through the media and school history. It was all along us black people that connected directly with The Most High God! I want to say Asé 🙏🏽 to all of my Afro Kingz and Queenz out there 💙 Much love and please take the time out to watch this movie when you all have the time to! 💙💙💙
Watched it on netflix...it was a bold move to make this and i knew it would flop in theaters...but it's actually a good movie. Smart and beautifully shot. I hate it didn't do well. I'd like to see more black movies of this quality.
Yeah it's such a unique take on a biblical period drama, which I thought was really fresh, but I certainly expected it to be as polarizing as it is. I'm super curious to hear what you think about it this weekend!
Did you actually watch the movie? The song is about the main character and not Little Wayne. This is the problem with so-called Christians. You were deceptively taught herd behavior/mentality! It's sad, 95 percent of the critics of the movie are so-called Christians who didn't see it and yet to say, "don't judge a book by its color." Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV [13] Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
For me, this commentary sheds light, on questions I had. Many of the scenes reflect the same issues we deal with every day. The cast & crew did an excellent job on this. (I applaud all of you) I enjoyed watching this fantastic film.
Yall missed ALOT in this. The truth in who the real hebrews are… just read the good book. And if you don’t like the Bible read how the Romans described the Hebrews of Judah 🤷🏽♀️ good review of the movie. I really liked it and I didn’t think it was blasphemy
@@jamesleon403 I've read it multiple times over, my favorite OT book is the book of Job, my favorite NT book is the book of Revelation, the whole reason I know she's wrong is A: because I've read the Bible, and B: I know what the "5-percent Nation" cult is. Maybe you should also read up on the "5-percent Nation" because this movie is their playbook right down to the director and producer whom they themselves are openly a part of.
I was hoping this would better challenge the charge of "blasphemy" levelled from critics. It seems to be a weapon to silence conversation and make people not watch the movie out of instinct. It sounds a lot like the term "anti-Semitism" being charged against those who oppose the slaughter of Gazans. I got over nearly everyone of Jerusalem being Black after about 10 minutes and went with it. Is that blasphemous? Asking questions about the Biblical stories such as Virgin Birth; is that blasphemous? The earliest Gospels were probably written about 70 years after the Crucifixion, so who knows where they came from, what was added or taken away from oral stories, or previous versions now lost? We found the Gospel of Thomas in 1945 which is a listing of saying of Jesus. Is that blasphemy too?
Jay z's own lyrics " jesus cant save you" "life begins when the church is dead" & " 666 murder murder Jesus. Nahh i'll pass on this one. Jay is literally telling us who he serves. There's a spiritual battle taking place right now between God and the devil. We are all caught in the middle. Y'all better wake up and pick a side because you can't be luke warm. Jesus says in revelation 3 25:-28, that if you are luke warm, He will spit you out of His mouth.
Maybe Jay Z knows that "Jesus" was a creation of the Roman Catholic church and IS in fact the SON OF PERDITION who decieves the entire world...His Name was NEVER "JESUS" and the Church itself is a creation of the Roman Catholic Church... Make sure your "eschatology" isn't Perry Stone, Paul Washer, Hank Hanagraff, Jon McArthur, Martin Luther, Charles Stanley, TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, R.C. Sprull, "Church Father", Ravi Zacharias based eschatology....otherwise, you'll be more confused than you already are...
It kills me that Christians have brought God down so far in the attempt to relate to Him that they believe there is a being capable of waging war with Him. Satan is not God's enemy, he's yours.
@@davidthirugnanakumar7888no it’s satanic.the director is a five Percenter so more than likely it’s going to be focused on a five percenter perspective.
I don't know why the Christians are up in an up roar I am a Christian also the movie is absolutely great I laugh I cried I absolutely loved the movie 👍🏽💯 ❤
What a great review of this movie. Thank you. I saw it this past weekend and was just in awe of the story telling and how well everything came together to leave me inspired.
I thought it was going to be all-comedy like _Life of Brian (1979)_ which starts with Brian being born in a manger alongside Jesus and ends with him being crucified, with all those on crosses singing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." But the term "redemption" seems to be what the movie that started as a comedy turned into.
Very well stayed bro! What a great movie and as a Christian, it pointed me back to Christ! So glad I watched this and didn’t discredit it due to my preconceived notion of blasphemy.
The blasphemy that everyone's referring to is that the whole cast are people of color black to be specific American Africans Nobody called Jesus Christ Superstar blasphemous or Godspell blasphemous but because it's a black created film without a white washed Jesus. It's blasphemous, and we're doing it to ourselves. People didn't even see it before they sacrilegious. I love the message at the end where Christ demonstrates He is the Resurrection.
"Knowledge is stronger than belief" - You only believe because you don't know, once you know, You no longer have to believe..... Knowledge dispels belief. When you believe in things you must know it be a lie
It's just semantics. Nothing can be "known" with absolute certainty. You have to first "believe" that your perception of reality is reliable and trustworthy. Trying to make an argument predicated on the perceived distinction between these two words is a waste of time. Beliefs can be based on evidence, and the only things you know are tautologies. Everything else has the potential to be proven wrong. It's just a movie.
Referring to time stamp 7:30 Jesus was not a "Palestinian Jewish man" but in fact a Israelite from the tribe of Judah that chose to govern his life by the law, statutes and commandment of the Torah. Where his lineage is then tracked to king David of Jerusalem. While continuing to track, his lineage then follows Judah, one of the 12 sons of Israel/Jacob, which is the grandson of Abraham. Again, He is an Israelite from the tribe of Judah. This is biblically demonstrated. After the Romans officially sacked Jerusalem in 70ad, The romans rebuilt the walls and in 135ad renamed the land Palestine. Jesus was not around for that and would have never referred to himself as such. being "Jewish" is a religion therefore anyone from any nationality can convert to Judaism. To be an Israelite from the tribe of Judah however, lets see what the "Scientist" feel they looked like shall we?
@@djbear6427 of course but that’s not specific enough. Edomites carry that moniker too but he’s surely not one of them. You feel? Hebrew Israelite from the tribe of Judah if you prefer.
@@Swagmessiah007legit what the director and Jay-Z believe. This belief mostly influenced the movie as well. So this ain’t a Christian movie. It’s a 5% movie.
I absolutely loved this film...it elevated me spiritually. I loved the symbolism depicted in the characters and dialog. I have seen the movie twice and have recommended it to many of my friends and family. I enjoyed watching this essay and agree totally with your interpretations.
It's not coming out here in France until March but I am indeed very much looking forward to seeing it... even more now after your quite moving essay!! Thanks so much Lucas!! I suspect you're probably kinda preaching to the converted though, so to speak, 'cause those who make up their minds before even seeing it are those who only seek out media that already agrees with their uninformed or illinformed opinions.
It's a really interesting approach so I'm excited for you to see it, and yeah I may be preaching to the choir a little haha but I really hope at the very least it opens a viewer's mind to appreciate the positivity of the message a little more, or makes them a little more willing to go see something they wouldn't see. Thank you for watching! And hope you enjoy when the time comes!
OMG! THANK YOU 👏🏿🙌🏿! I definitely feel like Christians who've seen just the trailer and not the actual movie doesn't really judge it it by the story or the actual message of the movie. From all the reviews that I've seen from it, it seems like everyone is judging it by the fact that, "since it has Jesus in it then it needs to be about Jesus", when the movie title says, " The Book of Clarence". Not the, "Book of Jesus". It's not about Jesus but it's about an outside perspective of Jesus from a far. Like your on the outside looking in, trying to get in, and there's a difference. Thank you man for pointing this out which has been on my mind when I saw this movie. Peace be with you
Anytime my friend, I'm really thrilled to hear it resonated with you! And yeah, once you see the film and realize Jesus and Clarence are two very different characters in this film (as you've said), you realize the film is for everyone. At least I guess that's how we see it haha but thank you so much for your kind words, it means a lot!!
The reason they use Thomas is because Thomas is the one who doubted that Jesus had come back from the dead the reason why his twin in this movie is named Clarence is after Clarence 13X the founder of the nation of gods and Earth aka the 5%er This movie is an ideology disguised as satire showcasing the replacement theory this theory says that the crowd was mistaken and believed that Jesus was crucified but Jesus was never crucified in the Islamic ideology It also says that Jesus is not the Son of God and isn't God we know this is the Islamic Jesus because of the scene where he brings the clay pigeons to life this story is only found in the Quran and the infancy Gospel of Thomas where Jesus is a murderer Other words this movie is blasphemous because this isn't the biblical Jesus it's the Islamic Jesus Making it anti-christ
I liked the movie had a lot of messages that most may miss. Loved the visuals, cast, loved the music. I did not love the last scene too graphic for me personally.
I absolutely loveddddd this movie ! I love the parallels of current events intertwined with the biblical days. You can’t argue with peoples biases based on their beliefs. I’m an ominist , meaning I believe in a higher power and truth in many belief systems, so I held no biases watching this film . I truly appreciate the masterpiece that is this movie !
I can't wait to see it. I know Thomas is referenced in the bible as "twin". I also know during that time there was a racial diverse of people in that region. Jesus was/lived in Galilee (the ghetto) outside Jerusalem. Jerusalem which the Idumeans Roman and Pharasee resided. Herod and his people were Idumeans (converts). Open your eyes and grasp the movie.
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
That's nice, but clearly men wrote the Bible, edited it and decided what was legitimate or not (i.e. redaction). The Gospels were written down maybe 70 years after the Crucifixion, so who knows where it came from? Also, the early Christians had to decide whether to believe in the sayings of Jesus or all these stories of miracles.
@@sandal_thong Do some more research I used to think the same thing but there is actually more proof scholarly of the Bible and Jesus then anything from antiquity.
@@sandal_thongThe Oral Gospel predates that. This is confirmed by St. Paul’s epistles mentioning the gospel. He and the early Christians understood and knew the miracles and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
@@MrComic97They definitely are making up miracles, especially the rock throwing scene. Then again, this is lukewarm blasphemy. You can literally buy deuterocanonical Bibles and Tewahido Bibles, so it just depends on what denomination you adhere to
I’m over here fighting saying what you just said my boy in other videos!!! U just said everything I was thinking Damb it even scared me because that’s exactly what I thought about this film!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂
I got a tradition of watch a thought provoking, theolgical, bible twist film for Good Friday; Silence, Life of Brian, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspel, Jesus Revolution, Of Gods and Men, Prince of Egypt, and thanks to your video essay, I look forward to watching this film this Good Friday, awesome work man!
I’m an atheist and still will be, but this is the first film that has enabled me to connect with the story of Jesus and the potential beauty of Christianity. I use to blame Christianity for many of the issues I dealt with within the church, I blamed it for the politics and apathy shown in this country, yet this film did something no sermon ever has.
Love this movie and loved your analysis! I’m not personally religious but I love the approach this movie takes to religion and your analysis legitimately added so much to the film for me. I’m curious though, what’s the song you use at the end? It sounds heavenly (pun intended).
I can’t wait to see this movie…..of course I’m a middle aged white guy who is a non Christian follower of Christ….a practitioner of the principles of Jesus and lover of my fellow humans…..you know, a right blasphemous bastard. And I’ve always rejected the image of what I call Jesus Gibb. Yeah, a well scrubbed, blue eyed, blond WHITE guy in Northern Africa 2000 plus years ago never struck me as accurate. Plus, it’s the MESSAGE of Jesus that’s important: love. Oh yeah, speaking of love, I love your videos, Lucas. Always a pleasure ❤
I’d be super interested in hearing what you think about it cus i feel like you’re gonna approach it with a really open perspective which is certainly needed for this. So happy to hear you love the channel as well, it means so much, thank you!!
@@lucasblue20 Thanks for replying! Seriously made my evening. You keep up the awesome work and I’ll definitely keep watching! I’ll hit you up when I’ve had the opportunity to visit, revisit and digest the material. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this one since the first trailer. Thanks again for reading my words!
I’m sorry but this is all backwards. You claim to be non-Christian? And if so, do you still go to church? Because that’s Biblical. Second, I haven’t seen an aryan depiction of Jesus, if anything, most depictions come from Europe where Jesus is based off the image of man around those parts (the artists have never seen a jew before, so they based Jesus off the ordinary light skinned European), again, these are just depictions. Third, The Lord is not African or from North Africa, he is Jewish, a descendant of King David, Jesus’ family fled to Egypt to escape Kind Herod’s baby-genocide. This movie is pretty blasphemous too by the way, but whatever, peace.
Its blashpemous this man misinterpreting the movie its actually a slap tot he face as the apostles are appearing as if they look down on the low end people. And made the romans seem like white cops. Jay z calls him self jehova and follows the occult better read before you get fooled
Everyone who hated on this movie probably didnt give it a chance. The story, symbolism, and connection to us today was beautiful. My mom cried at the end.
There's an inherent problem in calling this well-based in any kind of faith or Biblical worldview, because it's not, and anyone who's theologically knowledgeable can tell you that, and I'll explain why. Though they stress some of the Biblical episodes in a way that deviates from the Biblical text, overall the film adapts these episodes of Jesus' ministry in a fairly accurate and non-mocking way. So it makes sense that so many Christian organizations saw this movie as supporting the reality of Jesus and the importance of belief in Him. The only problem is...They're all wrong. The underlying message has NOTHING to do with Jesus OR the God of the Bible. Some viewers may be tipped off to this once they realize some of the liberties the director takes. For example: the film draws from some non-biblical material to supply some of its narrative like the gnostic gospel of Thomas which a book not accepted into scripture, written in the late 2nd century, over 100 years after Thomas had already been martyred. Now at first glance, it might seem that it's simply a creative decision, but as you'll see later, there's a deeper reason for these references that everyone seemed to miss. Speaking of apostles, the apostles are also seen as almost an elitist group of people with wealth, power, and influence that look down on the common people which is what leads Clarence to envy them, but this is the exact opposite of the way that the apostles interacted with society as they were often attacked by the ACTUAL religious elites of their day, specifically four of them associating with the social outcasts. Yet like most things in this movie, there's an intentional reason for why the director chose to portray them this way that has more to do with the hidden message of the film than faithfully representing the Biblical narrative. That said, one message that they didn't try to hide were the pretty overt racial overtones surrounding a lot of messages around race dynamics that parallel a lot of things going on in America today. They really seem to want to show a dichotomy between white and black people by having an almost all-black cast except for the evil and malicious Roman oppressors who were all white. They even parallel the Romans with stereotypes of racist police officers, so those parts of the movie I think a lot of people are gonna see them as unnecessary and inflamitory, and although this part is overt in its message, it still plays into the hidden message as well. While we're in the realm of subliminal messages, the depiction of how religion spreads and operates in some parts of the movie is also problematic. Early in the movie, we see the religious believers depicted as ignorant pawns whose only function is to make the religious scammers that tricked them rich and powerful, which matches a lot of the modern stereotypes of how churches run and operate today. The director himself even states in an interview on the Breakfast Club podcast, saying “Clarence saw all the materialistic stuff, which a lot of these preachers today see. A lot of these preachers today see the Bible as an opportunity to amass humongous amounts of wealth. So Clarence is in the town square with his best friend, Elijah, he's walking and he sees Jesus coming and everyone clamoring around him and he's like 'Look - No one messes with them!' and Clarence is like 'I want that now!'” So clearly the notion that the church functions to gain power by duping the masses is one of the meta-narratives in this movie. But those who watched it probably didn't know what to do with all off the references of everyone calling each other “gods” or that “God is just like all other men” among other things that make theologically informed people raise an eyebrow. There's a lot more that I can reference, like the perverse drug use and the risque brothel scene, but all this is to say that this is definitely NOT a faith-based film. Clearly if we try applying a Christian framework to this movie, we're gonna end up with some big inconsistencies. Unfortunately, that confuses people to think this is a mixed bag of a movie with themes around Christ and the Good News. The problem is there is a blasphemous world view that informs that underlying message of the film. You may try asking me if these views are so radical, how could all these people miss them? The reason why is that the qualms they had with the movie were outweighed by what they thought was a deeper Christian message. Yet, if we ask the director, he notes multiple times in his interview with V-103 that “It's not about - this film is not about Jesus..at all.” and again in the Breakfast Club, “The book of Clarence isn't the story of Jesus at all.” So even though some people are saying this movie's message is about Jesus, the creator says that is incorrect. But if Jesus isn't the focus of the film, then what is? The director answers this too. Once again back to Breakfast Club, “There is a god..in yourself..and that's super important there's a god in yourself and that - and that's like the most important thing”, then later, “whatever your belief is, even if you have no faith, god is inside you and I want people to know - for people to take that away from this movie.” At first, this might not sound too crazy...until we understand what he means when he says “god”, because all throughout the BC interview, he mentions not only that god is in him, but also that HE is God, just like the other men in the room. Confused? That's because these teachings come directly from a religion called the “Five-percent Nation”, and trust me, their beliefs get VERY bizarre and are all throughout the book of Clarence, from the big themes, even to the minor details. The “Five-percent Nation” is a black national religious movement that broke away from the nation of Islam. The name comes from their belief that, among other things, that among people, ten percent are enlightened people and know the truth and keep 85 percent of the world in darkness. They claim to be the 5 percent that's left that's dedicated to enlightening black people to give them truth and justice. Oh, they also believe that white people are evil devils, that black men are divines/superior race that they call “the gods of the earth”, that God is “black mankind”, and a LOT more, and these are the elements that are all throughout the movie, even down to the name of the film. If you're wondering why they chose the name “Clarence”, it's because “Clarence 13X” happens to be the name of the founder of the “Five-percent Nation” movement. This also makes sense to the fact of why there's this continuous refence in the movie that “knowledge is stronger than belief”. Unless the creator's a fan of Schoolhouse Rock, it's probably because knowledge is the top virtue in “5-Percent's” teachings. Even more, producer Jay-Z is known for his 5-percent influence, and James Samuel the director repeatedly collaborates with 5-percent rappers as well. Even his greetings, throughout his interviews saw him use the standard “5-percenter” phrase, “Peace to the gods” with which we see variants of in this movie. When you have that knowledge, everything in the movie suddenly makes sense, but more alarming is the fact these teachings aren't really hidden in the details, but actually shape the entire narrative of the film and explain the unbiblical concepts as welll. For example, when it comes to the movie's inclusion of the gnostic gospel of Thomas, that makes perfect sense now because the story's found in the Quran, which is a part of the "5-percent" movement. Also when it comes to the movie's handling of race, disturbing as it is, it makes even more sense now given the fact that in the "5-percent" theology, white people are seen as intrinsically evil devils. And when it comes to the "5-percent" belief that "black people need to unite against the white people" (yes, that is actually in their teachings), this explains why that is precisely what happens in this story. It's the message they were trying to get across, and all of this conflicts with Biblical teaching that "There is no Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal 3:28) It also conflicts with the Christian teaching that we're all sinners, whether black, white, or any race. So when it comes to faith, Clarence starts out as an atheist skeptic, but eventually moves to faith and belief in God, but one key thing everyone is missing is that his character experiences redemption and belief APART from Christ. The reason why is because the "5-percent" teaching is that "God is black" and "all black men are gods". So if that's the case, then of course Jesus isn't needed for Clarence's path to salvation because he finds himself as a god as he became an "enlightened black man", which by the way is why we're constantly seeing the theme of lightbulbs in the movie to represent enlightenment. So even though words like "God" and "belief" are mentioned in the movie, they're VERY DIFFERENT than what Christians mean by them. Lastly, this should also explain why Jesus is black and what they mean when they claim that Jesus is God. In the book of Clarence, the reason why Jesus is "god" isn't because He's the unique son of God found in the trinity. Instead, Jesus' divinity comes from the color of His skin, which is why the main character also finds himself able to do miracles after he becomes "enlightened" as well. Obviously this is completely opposite of what the Bible teaches, which is why it's so important for you to understand the worldview of this movie and frankly any other media because otherwise, you might accidentally advance the wrong messages.
This move is historically accurate if you view it from the lense of the Apocrypha and the nag hammadi ! The saracen was switched with the Savior in carting the cross. This is a beautiful film and all the people portrayed were as depicted as woolly haired and was not an Arab. And it hits different seeing yourself and people like you crucified! It was a very personal gut wrenching surrealist moment. It reminds us of humanity in people and the possibilities of Christ being in all of us.
Best movie of the century. It had a beautiful blend of different schools of thought. Such as the16 crucified savior, the gospel of Barnabas and Solomons book of light. And the soundtrack not to mention. The Nights over Egypt took me to Heaven. A Glorious Classic.
I understand the backlash to this new version of Jesus story. However, there were Soothsayer who claimed to be the Messiah. What is Clarence portraying?
There is a difference between belief and knowing. We have been taught to believe because mankind has been programmed for hundreds of years. How is it that we accept these beliefs without questioning man's perspective of circumstances that unfolded over 2000 years ago when we were not there to witness the events? Religion teaches us to believe. The age of Aquarius teaches us to KNOW. He went from believing to allowing the Spirit that said I and my Father are one to transform him. Love the storyline.
@@DK-wr5wx “The Way” is mentioned several times in the book of Acts (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22) Jesus said He is "The Way the truth and the life" (John 14:6)
I loved it. We have so many lazy writers these days and production companies that are stuck on remaking. I am happy that they were brave enough to fight for this work. If you think its Blasphemy it is because your so called third eye is blocked. Sorry for you. Nice analysis - I would add, for Black people we have watched so many white Jesus movies. It was beautiful to see our images and the imagined swag. It was beautifully made. Oh and the sound track….
This film is incredible I think the marketing of this film as a comedy was not the best way to go - it’s more of a drama/comedy a dramedy, it’s worth seeing Lakeith was wonderful and the panels to today society are essay to make.
One of the art of filmmaking is to know how to relate to your audience with a clear message. Your intentions may be good but if you miss that mark then its a failure. Leave certain type of movie out of your reach.
The book of Clarence may well turn out to be the sacrificial lamb that carries the burdens of knee jerk (mis)perceptions of such a great work. People will realise, perhaps too late, their folly in following the mob as they blindly proclaimed "blasphemy".
This movie’s controversy really makes me wonder what the life of Brain would be received in today’s oh so divisive world. My guess is that it would receive the same amount of criticism as this movie did
The Book of Clarence has such a unique approach and perspective, and I think people of all backgrounds and beliefs can enjoy it! But I would love to hear what you think, let me know below!
To say this is the story of Jesus with a modern twist just shows how little you know about who Jesus is.
Well first thing you are completely wrong about is that the Director is a Christian. Actually he's a 5 Percent Nation believer. Even in the interview he says "peace to the Gods" Something that is totally opposite of the foundational beliefs of a Christian. That's why it's blasphemous by many critiques. There is all sorts of 5 percenter symbolism throughout the movie including the title based off of the founder Clarence X. So may want to do more research next time.
it's not about feelings when it comes to truth
@byron6838
It's a story written by Jeymes Samuel. That's a fact. It's better to leave it at that, and decide if it's a story you would like to see. It's not about "Jesus." Its not about Christianity. If that's what people are looking for, there are plenty of those to see.
This is a once in a Cinematic lifetime opportunity to see something a bit differently.
*
Personally, I wouldn't be surprised what little people actually know about Yah'shua, aka Jesus. The ones who walked and talked with him often didn't know or understand him. Misunderstood his sayings and his teachings. There are plenty of examples for the reading.
No different than those today who call themselves "Christians" follow their own version of The Way, worshipping him in their image and after their likeness. Refusing to accept him any other way than their own. Im guessing some will be in for a rude awakening on that day when he says to them, "I never knew you: depart from me," Matt. 7:23 I'm praying for the humility and the discernment to see, not the sins of others, but what I need to see in myself. to make sure what's spoken Matthew 7:23 isn't spoken of me.
Hello Lucas. Please do a video breaking down Eyes Wide Shut.
The movie was SO GOOD. 10/10
Had me in tears…. I wasn’t RAISED to believe in Jesus so now that I’m grown and found him on my own this movie HIT different. Phenomenal art displayed! I don’t feel like God was disrespected, if anything I want to learn more. Blessings ❤️
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-Percent_Nation This movie is based on a cults false teachings and has nothing to do with Jesus Christ except to mock him.
Had me in tears too and may God blessings be upon you 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
The book of clarance was written by members of a cult called the 5% nation that believe some very very heretical and non Christian things. Look up the 5% nation. They believe that all black men are gods instead of saying Jesus/ Yeshua is god. The group teachs some very heretical beliefs. Unless you look it up you wont realize it looks innocent the movie but it’s far from it.
Absolutely ❤
@@SharaCProphet look up 5 percent nation. They made the movie. Movie is more then appears on the surface.
Wasn’t expecting much from this film, but jeez what a movie. The ending had me in absolute tears.
Great review of the movie. I appreciate your courage to accurately speak on it. Its sad most who are commenting on the movie are based on the trailer and not the actual movie.
I appreciate this so much, thank you! Yeah, I've seen some pretty aggressive thumbnails on RUclips from creators who haven't seen the film, but to each their own I guess haha thank you so much for watching!!
Yes this was a great review and honest
💯💖👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I enjoyed it too especially it's pretty creative on direction but Also pretty funny too. It's less than a monty python,but some jokes did work especially Benjamin
I believe the lightbulb to be symbolic of his enlightenment and/or awakening. I also think the resurrection could be a “death” to his old ways and now he will live in faith…great vid as well
Love this answer, I agree with you wholeheartedly. So glad you enjoyed the video as well, thank you!
It's definitely a movie where you can become your own god and not need Jesus....be careful. Much like Genesis 3 the serpent and Eve.
Interesting thought, but his beliefs didn't change at those points in the story. I think it was more just a playful expression of having an idea; the lightbulb over the head symbolism has existed for a long time in cartoons.
@@Dragn7I am referring to the lightbulb at the end of the movie…but I hear you I just hope he didn’t have another bad idea lol
I feel like that last lightbulb symbolized an idea to share his realizations with others, similar to earlier in the story. This time he realizes that it's all real and now it has greater meaning and purpose.
Book of Clarence is phenomenal! Cast, writing, acting, and direction was genius. The ending left you forefilled, in deep thought, and wanting more. Bravo to all involved!!!
If this movie does succeed hopefully we see more black Biblical films but told accurate stories not no fictional characters.
This movie is an instant classic
paid actor
@@googlrcif someone makes a movie saying the sky is red Would anywhere care , no. But sense they made movie about something that everyone knows is not real. They don’t like it bc it makes them think
Religious ppl don’t like anything that makes them think about there religion. They rather leave it alone for when there hopeless. But all of us in heart know god can’t die and come back
@@tomasosman2066 you copy pasted this
Get out, good
My entire fellowship watched the movie. They said they got the message, us Christian’s are to susceptible to judge easily. This movie truly isn’t blasphemous, but a somewhat promotion to Christianity. Personally I liked it.
uuh no..as a Christian this movie is almost completely blasphemous. I know this because all of its messages don't come from Christianity, but rather another religion (you can look this up yourself too) called the "5-percent Nation"..which is a spinoff of MUSLIM teachings.
Clearly you've never read the teachings of the "5-percent Nation", because that's the message that's actually being peddled, not Christianity.
We all have our opinions
@@nukeman7613 It's not an opinion, it's quite literally what the "5% Nation" believes. I highly recommend you go look them up, because both the director and the producer are members of it and are not related to Christianity.
Wrong the movie is blasphemous. It’s based on a cult to which the director and jay-z are likely nembers and their teachings have nothing to do with what Jesus taught. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-Percent_Nation
This is one of the best reviews of this film. It's amazing how the messages went over so many impatient and shallow minded people. Definitely creative and artistic.
Mocking God is not creative, nor is it wise.
@@benjamintodd5637you’re clueless
@@DoronBond Both Jay-Z and the director are part of the "5-percent Nation" cult. If you know anything about that group, there's nothing to debate about whether or not this movie is blasphemous.
@benjamintodd5637 please explain how God is mocked.
This is the BEST review I have seen on this movie!
So happy to hear this, thank you so much!!
You have such a great review only question is I wonder why you show the false symbolisms throughout the video that's what makes this movie so powerful is the accuracy of the ethnicity you show pictures from Roman Catholicism and Renaissance read depictions you need to study the word and understand that's what makes this movie so relevant thank you for your work I do appreciate you
@@stacyhicks6436💜 I agree
I just went to see the movie and I loved it. I wanna see it again. I feel like everyone needs to see it to fully understand it.
Think you definitely need to see it twice
So dangerous to mock God💔🥲
@sheritacotten5293
"Dont be deceived. God is not mocked."
Gal. 6:7
Do you believe Jeymes Samuel with this movie mocks God?
Where are they mocking god
@@arj123123123
Good question to ask those who say God is mocked.
Took my Madukes and I to the movies to go see this and I must, say at first, I was hesitant because of course, I thought otherwise also blasphemy but man, oh man, I almost cried watching this movie. I also laughed, I was shocked, and also excited to know that the whole time this movie was talking about us Afro, Nubian, African American Kingz and Queenz living back in Biblical Times. Not the Europeans as they like to portray through the media and school history. It was all along us black people that connected directly with The Most High God! I want to say Asé 🙏🏽 to all of my Afro Kingz and Queenz out there 💙 Much love and please take the time out to watch this movie when you all have the time to! 💙💙💙
Watched it on netflix...it was a bold move to make this and i knew it would flop in theaters...but it's actually a good movie. Smart and beautifully shot. I hate it didn't do well. I'd like to see more black movies of this quality.
Instead of assuming its impending collapse and failure, go to the movie and see for yourself, then it will be a flop or success.
After watching this movie I came straight to this channel. I'm glad I'm alive to see this movie. Salute to you. 💯
I just bought my ticket to see this Saturday night, it looks so interesting! And I love your analysis, so much insight, I can’t wait!!
Yeah it's such a unique take on a biblical period drama, which I thought was really fresh, but I certainly expected it to be as polarizing as it is. I'm super curious to hear what you think about it this weekend!
bro the movie was good. 7.5
Did he say James Samuel is a deeply faithful Christian? Bro did you listen to the lil Wayne verse in Hallelujah? James Samuel approved that.
These people are clueless
Did you actually watch the movie? The song is about the main character and not Little Wayne. This is the problem with so-called Christians. You were deceptively taught herd behavior/mentality! It's sad, 95 percent of the critics of the movie are so-called Christians who didn't see it and yet to say, "don't judge a book by its color."
Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV
[13] Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
@@regal394Yep Christians are clueless.
For me, this commentary sheds light, on questions I had.
Many of the scenes reflect the same issues we deal with every day.
The cast & crew did an excellent job on this. (I applaud all of you)
I enjoyed watching this fantastic film.
Yall missed ALOT in this. The truth in who the real hebrews are… just read the good book. And if you don’t like the Bible read how the Romans described the Hebrews of Judah 🤷🏽♀️ good review of the movie. I really liked it and I didn’t think it was blasphemy
Clearly the "Good book" you read wasn't the Bible then, because this isn't Scriptural in any sense.
@@benjamintodd5637Actually you don't read the Bible because what the young lady said is TRUE
@@jamesleon403 I've read it multiple times over, my favorite OT book is the book of Job, my favorite NT book is the book of Revelation, the whole reason I know she's wrong is A: because I've read the Bible, and B: I know what the "5-percent Nation" cult is. Maybe you should also read up on the "5-percent Nation" because this movie is their playbook right down to the director and producer whom they themselves are openly a part of.
@@benjamintodd5637 that shows you really didn't read it or don't understand what you've read.
@@jamesleon403 Repeating your"argument" is a fallacy, not to mention ad hominem.
I was hoping this would better challenge the charge of "blasphemy" levelled from critics. It seems to be a weapon to silence conversation and make people not watch the movie out of instinct. It sounds a lot like the term "anti-Semitism" being charged against those who oppose the slaughter of Gazans.
I got over nearly everyone of Jerusalem being Black after about 10 minutes and went with it. Is that blasphemous?
Asking questions about the Biblical stories such as Virgin Birth; is that blasphemous?
The earliest Gospels were probably written about 70 years after the Crucifixion, so who knows where they came from, what was added or taken away from oral stories, or previous versions now lost? We found the Gospel of Thomas in 1945 which is a listing of saying of Jesus. Is that blasphemy too?
Jay z's own lyrics " jesus cant save you" "life begins when the church is dead" & " 666 murder murder Jesus.
Nahh i'll pass on this one. Jay is literally telling us who he serves. There's a spiritual battle taking place right now between God and the devil. We are all caught in the middle. Y'all better wake up and pick a side because you can't be luke warm. Jesus says in revelation 3 25:-28, that if you are luke warm, He will spit you out of His mouth.
Maybe Jay Z knows that "Jesus" was a creation of the Roman Catholic church and IS in fact the SON OF PERDITION who decieves the entire world...His Name was NEVER "JESUS" and the Church itself is a creation of the Roman Catholic Church...
Make sure your "eschatology" isn't Perry Stone, Paul Washer, Hank Hanagraff, Jon McArthur, Martin Luther, Charles Stanley, TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, R.C. Sprull, "Church Father", Ravi Zacharias based eschatology....otherwise, you'll be more confused than you already are...
Neither of them were Christian to begin with, they're part of the "5-percent Nation", which is a break away from Islam.
Except he didn't direct this, they got a great director behind who want to tell a story and it's actually more christian than satanic
It kills me that Christians have brought God down so far in the attempt to relate to Him that they believe there is a being capable of waging war with Him.
Satan is not God's enemy, he's yours.
@@davidthirugnanakumar7888no it’s satanic.the director is a five Percenter so more than likely it’s going to be focused on a five percenter perspective.
I don't know why the Christians are up in an up roar I am a Christian also the movie is absolutely great I laugh I cried I absolutely loved the movie 👍🏽💯 ❤
What a great review of this movie. Thank you. I saw it this past weekend and was just in awe of the story telling and how well everything came together to leave me inspired.
The movie was surprisingly great with a great redemption story 😊
I thought it was going to be all-comedy like _Life of Brian (1979)_ which starts with Brian being born in a manger alongside Jesus and ends with him being crucified, with all those on crosses singing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." But the term "redemption" seems to be what the movie that started as a comedy turned into.
@@sandal_thong 🙏🏽👍🏽👍🏽💡
Very well stayed bro! What a great movie and as a Christian, it pointed me back to Christ! So glad I watched this and didn’t discredit it due to my preconceived notion of blasphemy.
I want to thank you for this review. You did an excellent job. I loved this movie. Saw myself and many in my community in Clarence. Well done sir.
Best movie I've seen in recent times
The blasphemy that everyone's referring to is that the whole cast are people of color black to be specific American Africans Nobody called Jesus Christ Superstar blasphemous or Godspell blasphemous but because it's a black created film without a white washed Jesus. It's blasphemous, and we're doing it to ourselves. People didn't even see it before they sacrilegious. I love the message at the end where Christ demonstrates He is the Resurrection.
...you do realize the movie isn't about Christ, right?
"Knowledge is stronger than belief"
- You only believe because you don't know, once you know, You no longer have to believe.....
Knowledge dispels belief.
When you believe in things you must know it be a lie
You sound like the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve
It's just semantics. Nothing can be "known" with absolute certainty. You have to first "believe" that your perception of reality is reliable and trustworthy.
Trying to make an argument predicated on the perceived distinction between these two words is a waste of time. Beliefs can be based on evidence, and the only things you know are tautologies. Everything else has the potential to be proven wrong.
It's just a movie.
You just made a logical fallacy here, if you do not have believe in your knowledge then what good does it give you?
@@Swagmessiah007
Make Be•lie•ve you made a pont there....lol
@@Swagmessiah007
Stevie Wonder -
"When you believe in things
That you don't understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition aint the way"
Referring to time stamp 7:30 Jesus was not a "Palestinian Jewish man" but in fact a Israelite from the tribe of Judah that chose to govern his life by the law, statutes and commandment of the Torah. Where his lineage is then tracked to king David of Jerusalem. While continuing to track, his lineage then follows Judah, one of the 12 sons of Israel/Jacob, which is the grandson of Abraham. Again, He is an Israelite from the tribe of Judah. This is biblically demonstrated. After the Romans officially sacked Jerusalem in 70ad, The romans rebuilt the walls and in 135ad renamed the land Palestine. Jesus was not around for that and would have never referred to himself as such. being "Jewish" is a religion therefore anyone from any nationality can convert to Judaism. To be an Israelite from the tribe of Judah however, lets see what the "Scientist" feel they looked like shall we?
Jesus was Hebrew!!!
@@djbear6427 of course but that’s not specific enough. Edomites carry that moniker too but he’s surely not one of them. You feel? Hebrew Israelite from the tribe of Judah if you prefer.
Facts
That's Right!!!!
It was good to see our people in there natural habitat.
This movie was brilliant. I loved it and the way it light heartedly challenge our inherited views, but kept a deep personal message.
Jeymes Samuels is a 5%er and doesn’t ascribe to Christianity solely. This movie was about recognizing the god within…
A "5%er" born in London? Yeah, you have no idea what you're talking about...
There is no God within, only through Jesus we will be reborn
@@Swagmessiah007legit what the director and Jay-Z believe. This belief mostly influenced the movie as well. So this ain’t a Christian movie. It’s a 5% movie.
@@Swagmessiah007That’s what you were taught, I understand
The difference between a believer and a knower.
I absolutely loved this film...it elevated me spiritually. I loved the symbolism depicted in the characters and dialog. I have seen the movie twice and have recommended it to many of my friends and family. I enjoyed watching this essay and agree totally with your interpretations.
It's not coming out here in France until March but I am indeed very much looking forward to seeing it... even more now after your quite moving essay!! Thanks so much Lucas!! I suspect you're probably kinda preaching to the converted though, so to speak, 'cause those who make up their minds before even seeing it are those who only seek out media that already agrees with their uninformed or illinformed opinions.
It's a really interesting approach so I'm excited for you to see it, and yeah I may be preaching to the choir a little haha but I really hope at the very least it opens a viewer's mind to appreciate the positivity of the message a little more, or makes them a little more willing to go see something they wouldn't see. Thank you for watching! And hope you enjoy when the time comes!
@@lucasblue20 🤞🏻🤞🏻 You never know!!
outstanding synopsis of this brilliant movie!! It's the story many don't realized they needed to see!!
Thank you so much!! And yes, totally agree with you, it's really a movie for viewers from all points of view.
Nobody is talking about that thing they smoke that made them float.. 🙂
It the humor 😂😂😂 I love it
I loved every minute of it
OMG! THANK YOU 👏🏿🙌🏿! I definitely feel like Christians who've seen just the trailer and not the actual movie doesn't really judge it it by the story or the actual message of the movie. From all the reviews that I've seen from it, it seems like everyone is judging it by the fact that, "since it has Jesus in it then it needs to be about Jesus", when the movie title says, " The Book of Clarence". Not the, "Book of Jesus". It's not about Jesus but it's about an outside perspective of Jesus from a far. Like your on the outside looking in, trying to get in, and there's a difference. Thank you man for pointing this out which has been on my mind when I saw this movie. Peace be with you
Anytime my friend, I'm really thrilled to hear it resonated with you! And yeah, once you see the film and realize Jesus and Clarence are two very different characters in this film (as you've said), you realize the film is for everyone. At least I guess that's how we see it haha but thank you so much for your kind words, it means a lot!!
The reason they use Thomas is because Thomas is the one who doubted that Jesus had come back from the dead
the reason why his twin in this movie is named Clarence
is after Clarence 13X the founder of the nation of gods and Earth aka the 5%er
This movie is an ideology disguised as satire
showcasing the replacement theory
this theory says that the crowd was mistaken and believed that Jesus was crucified
but Jesus was never crucified in the Islamic ideology It also says that Jesus is not the Son of God and isn't God we know this is the Islamic Jesus because of the scene where he brings the clay pigeons to life this story is only found in the Quran
and the infancy Gospel of Thomas where Jesus is a murderer
Other words this movie is blasphemous because this isn't the biblical Jesus
it's the Islamic Jesus
Making it anti-christ
I wasn’t interested in seeing this movie
But your perspective and review makes me want to give it a shot
Thank you 😊
It'll be worth it.
I liked the movie had a lot of messages that most may miss. Loved the visuals, cast, loved the music. I did not love the last scene too graphic for me personally.
I absolutely loveddddd this movie ! I love the parallels of current events intertwined with the biblical days. You can’t argue with peoples biases based on their beliefs. I’m an ominist , meaning I believe in a higher power and truth in many belief systems, so I held no biases watching this film . I truly appreciate the masterpiece that is this movie !
I can't wait to see it. I know Thomas is referenced in the bible as "twin". I also know during that time there was a racial diverse of people in that region. Jesus was/lived in Galilee (the ghetto) outside Jerusalem. Jerusalem which the Idumeans Roman and Pharasee resided. Herod and his people were Idumeans (converts). Open your eyes and grasp the movie.
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
They aren’t adding to the word😂
The modern church definitely removed from the word 😂
Taking out books from the Bible
That's nice, but clearly men wrote the Bible, edited it and decided what was legitimate or not (i.e. redaction). The Gospels were written down maybe 70 years after the Crucifixion, so who knows where it came from? Also, the early Christians had to decide whether to believe in the sayings of Jesus or all these stories of miracles.
@@sandal_thong Do some more research I used to think the same thing but there is actually more proof scholarly of the Bible and Jesus then anything from antiquity.
@@sandal_thongThe Oral Gospel predates that. This is confirmed by St. Paul’s epistles mentioning the gospel. He and the early Christians understood and knew the miracles and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
@@MrComic97They definitely are making up miracles, especially the rock throwing scene. Then again, this is lukewarm blasphemy. You can literally buy deuterocanonical Bibles and Tewahido Bibles, so it just depends on what denomination you adhere to
I’m over here fighting saying what you just said my boy in other videos!!! U just said everything I was thinking Damb it even scared me because that’s exactly what I thought about this film!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂
This movie. This review. Subbed. Thank you for this video, for those in the back who needed it.
I saw it and honestly had an internal Baptist fit watching the ending.
I got a tradition of watch a thought provoking, theolgical, bible twist film for Good Friday; Silence, Life of Brian, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspel, Jesus Revolution, Of Gods and Men, Prince of Egypt, and thanks to your video essay, I look forward to watching this film this Good Friday, awesome work man!
The film isn't about Jesus at all, as the director says. It's about 5 percenter philosophy and Gnosticism.
This movie was a masterpiece..!!!
I’m an atheist and still will be, but this is the first film that has enabled me to connect with the story of Jesus and the potential beauty of Christianity.
I use to blame Christianity for many of the issues I dealt with within the church, I blamed it for the politics and apathy shown in this country, yet this film did something no sermon ever has.
Awesome Movie enjoyed it Great work JayZ & Adams.
Great review, thanks for doing this. Subbed
Totally my pleasure! Thank you so much for watching!!
this movie was amazing.... it left me wanting more
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I will. I really liked this video essay. Thank you.
You should read up on the director's worldview first...because oh boy, it completely re-contextualizes the movie, and not in a good way.
This movie is soo deep. U did a great job putting it together
Love this movie and loved your analysis! I’m not personally religious but I love the approach this movie takes to religion and your analysis legitimately added so much to the film for me. I’m curious though, what’s the song you use at the end? It sounds heavenly (pun intended).
This is a beautiful review
This was beautiful. Book of Clarence has become one of my favs. Music is 🔥
I always enjoy your videos
Great job❤❤❤
Oh it's my Top 10 confidant haha so nice to hear from you and thank you!!
@@lucasblue20 💖✨️💖✨️💖
Loved it !!!!! I was in tears n inspired ❤
I can’t wait to see this movie…..of course I’m a middle aged white guy who is a non Christian follower of Christ….a practitioner of the principles of Jesus and lover of my fellow humans…..you know, a right blasphemous bastard. And I’ve always rejected the image of what I call Jesus Gibb. Yeah, a well scrubbed, blue eyed, blond WHITE guy in Northern Africa 2000 plus years ago never struck me as accurate. Plus, it’s the MESSAGE of Jesus that’s important: love. Oh yeah, speaking of love, I love your videos, Lucas. Always a pleasure ❤
I’d be super interested in hearing what you think about it cus i feel like you’re gonna approach it with a really open perspective which is certainly needed for this. So happy to hear you love the channel as well, it means so much, thank you!!
@@lucasblue20 Thanks for replying! Seriously made my evening. You keep up the awesome work and I’ll definitely keep watching! I’ll hit you up when I’ve had the opportunity to visit, revisit and digest the material. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this one since the first trailer. Thanks again for reading my words!
I’m sorry but this is all backwards. You claim to be non-Christian? And if so, do you still go to church? Because that’s Biblical. Second, I haven’t seen an aryan depiction of Jesus, if anything, most depictions come from Europe where Jesus is based off the image of man around those parts (the artists have never seen a jew before, so they based Jesus off the ordinary light skinned European), again, these are just depictions. Third, The Lord is not African or from North Africa, he is Jewish, a descendant of King David, Jesus’ family fled to Egypt to escape Kind Herod’s baby-genocide.
This movie is pretty blasphemous too by the way, but whatever, peace.
Its blashpemous this man misinterpreting the movie its actually a slap tot he face as the apostles are appearing as if they look down on the low end people. And made the romans seem like white cops. Jay z calls him self jehova and follows the occult better read before you get fooled
@@One9999-rf6rq Not to be contentious but i hear this movie is blasphemous a lot. Would you care to explain your reasoning why?
Awesome presentation brethren 💯✨🤍
Tear Jerker ALERT !!! LOVE THIS MOVIE AND I FEEL IT MEAN'T NO HARM BUT A WELCOMING! ❤ thank you.
Never ever i have seen such unique style of a story aynalasis. Love watching this movie and best part is the music is just awesome.
I loved this movie! Great video! Great analysis! Here's some engagement 🎉
Everyone who hated on this movie probably didnt give it a chance. The story, symbolism, and connection to us today was beautiful. My mom cried at the end.
The movie is so different from the trailer, I really enjoyed it actually. God’s love and grace is truly reckless and never ending. ❤
There's an inherent problem in calling this well-based in any kind of faith or Biblical worldview, because it's not, and anyone who's theologically knowledgeable can tell you that, and I'll explain why. Though they stress some of the Biblical episodes in a way that deviates from the Biblical text, overall the film adapts these episodes of Jesus' ministry in a fairly accurate and non-mocking way. So it makes sense that so many Christian organizations saw this movie as supporting the reality of Jesus and the importance of belief in Him.
The only problem is...They're all wrong. The underlying message has NOTHING to do with Jesus OR the God of the Bible. Some viewers may be tipped off to this once they realize some of the liberties the director takes. For example: the film draws from some non-biblical material to supply some of its narrative like the gnostic gospel of Thomas which a book not accepted into scripture, written in the late 2nd century, over 100 years after Thomas had already been martyred. Now at first glance, it might seem that it's simply a creative decision, but as you'll see later, there's a deeper reason for these references that everyone seemed to miss.
Speaking of apostles, the apostles are also seen as almost an elitist group of people with wealth, power, and influence that look down on the common people which is what leads Clarence to envy them, but this is the exact opposite of the way that the apostles interacted with society as they were often attacked by the ACTUAL religious elites of their day, specifically four of them associating with the social outcasts.
Yet like most things in this movie, there's an intentional reason for why the director chose to portray them this way that has more to do with the hidden message of the film than faithfully representing the Biblical narrative. That said, one message that they didn't try to hide were the pretty overt racial overtones surrounding a lot of messages around race dynamics that parallel a lot of things going on in America today. They really seem to want to show a dichotomy between white and black people by having an almost all-black cast except for the evil and malicious Roman oppressors who were all white. They even parallel the Romans with stereotypes of racist police officers, so those parts of the movie I think a lot of people are gonna see them as unnecessary and inflamitory, and although this part is overt in its message, it still plays into the hidden message as well.
While we're in the realm of subliminal messages, the depiction of how religion spreads and operates in some parts of the movie is also problematic. Early in the movie, we see the religious believers depicted as ignorant pawns whose only function is to make the religious scammers that tricked them rich and powerful, which matches a lot of the modern stereotypes of how churches run and operate today. The director himself even states in an interview on the Breakfast Club podcast, saying “Clarence saw all the materialistic stuff, which a lot of these preachers today see. A lot of these preachers today see the Bible as an opportunity to amass humongous amounts of wealth. So Clarence is in the town square with his best friend, Elijah, he's walking and he sees Jesus coming and everyone clamoring around him and he's like 'Look - No one messes with them!' and Clarence is like 'I want that now!'”
So clearly the notion that the church functions to gain power by duping the masses is one of the meta-narratives in this movie. But those who watched it probably didn't know what to do with all off the references of everyone calling each other “gods” or that “God is just like all other men” among other things that make theologically informed people raise an eyebrow. There's a lot more that I can reference, like the perverse drug use and the risque brothel scene, but all this is to say that this is definitely NOT a faith-based film.
Clearly if we try applying a Christian framework to this movie, we're gonna end up with some big inconsistencies. Unfortunately, that confuses people to think this is a mixed bag of a movie with themes around Christ and the Good News. The problem is there is a blasphemous world view that informs that underlying message of the film. You may try asking me if these views are so radical, how could all these people miss them? The reason why is that the qualms they had with the movie were outweighed by what they thought was a deeper Christian message. Yet, if we ask the director, he notes multiple times in his interview with V-103 that “It's not about - this film is not about Jesus..at all.” and again in the Breakfast Club, “The book of Clarence isn't the story of Jesus at all.”
So even though some people are saying this movie's message is about Jesus, the creator says that is incorrect. But if Jesus isn't the focus of the film, then what is? The director answers this too. Once again back to Breakfast Club, “There is a god..in yourself..and that's super important there's a god in yourself and that - and that's like the most important thing”, then later, “whatever your belief is, even if you have no faith, god is inside you and I want people to know - for people to take that away from this movie.”
At first, this might not sound too crazy...until we understand what he means when he says “god”, because all throughout the BC interview, he mentions not only that god is in him, but also that HE is God, just like the other men in the room. Confused? That's because these teachings come directly from a religion called the “Five-percent Nation”, and trust me, their beliefs get VERY bizarre and are all throughout the book of Clarence, from the big themes, even to the minor details.
The “Five-percent Nation” is a black national religious movement that broke away from the nation of Islam. The name comes from their belief that, among other things, that among people, ten percent are enlightened people and know the truth and keep 85 percent of the world in darkness. They claim to be the 5 percent that's left that's dedicated to enlightening black people to give them truth and justice. Oh, they also believe that white people are evil devils, that black men are divines/superior race that they call “the gods of the earth”, that God is “black mankind”, and a LOT more, and these are the elements that are all throughout the movie, even down to the name of the film.
If you're wondering why they chose the name “Clarence”, it's because “Clarence 13X” happens to be the name of the founder of the “Five-percent Nation” movement. This also makes sense to the fact of why there's this continuous refence in the movie that “knowledge is stronger than belief”. Unless the creator's a fan of Schoolhouse Rock, it's probably because knowledge is the top virtue in “5-Percent's” teachings. Even more, producer Jay-Z is known for his 5-percent influence, and James Samuel the director repeatedly collaborates with 5-percent rappers as well. Even his greetings, throughout his interviews saw him use the standard “5-percenter” phrase, “Peace to the gods” with which we see variants of in this movie.
When you have that knowledge, everything in the movie suddenly makes sense, but more alarming is the fact these teachings aren't really hidden in the details, but actually shape the entire narrative of the film and explain the unbiblical concepts as welll. For example, when it comes to the movie's inclusion of the gnostic gospel of Thomas, that makes perfect sense now because the story's found in the Quran, which is a part of the "5-percent" movement. Also when it comes to the movie's handling of race, disturbing as it is, it makes even more sense now given the fact that in the "5-percent" theology, white people are seen as intrinsically evil devils. And when it comes to the "5-percent" belief that "black people need to unite against the white people" (yes, that is actually in their teachings), this explains why that is precisely what happens in this story.
It's the message they were trying to get across, and all of this conflicts with Biblical teaching that "There is no Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal 3:28) It also conflicts with the Christian teaching that we're all sinners, whether black, white, or any race.
So when it comes to faith, Clarence starts out as an atheist skeptic, but eventually moves to faith and belief in God, but one key thing everyone is missing is that his character experiences redemption and belief APART from Christ. The reason why is because the "5-percent" teaching is that "God is black" and "all black men are gods". So if that's the case, then of course Jesus isn't needed for Clarence's path to salvation because he finds himself as a god as he became an "enlightened black man", which by the way is why we're constantly seeing the theme of lightbulbs in the movie to represent enlightenment. So even though words like "God" and "belief" are mentioned in the movie, they're VERY DIFFERENT than what Christians mean by them.
Lastly, this should also explain why Jesus is black and what they mean when they claim that Jesus is God. In the book of Clarence, the reason why Jesus is "god" isn't because He's the unique son of God found in the trinity. Instead, Jesus' divinity comes from the color of His skin, which is why the main character also finds himself able to do miracles after he becomes "enlightened" as well. Obviously this is completely opposite of what the Bible teaches, which is why it's so important for you to understand the worldview of this movie and frankly any other media because otherwise, you might accidentally advance the wrong messages.
nice.
This movie touch my soul. What I got out of it is be careful for what you wish for.
This move is historically accurate if you view it from the lense of the Apocrypha and the nag hammadi ! The saracen was switched with the Savior in carting the cross. This is a beautiful film and all the people portrayed were as depicted as woolly haired and was not an Arab. And it hits different seeing yourself and people like you crucified! It was a very personal gut wrenching surrealist moment. It reminds us of humanity in people and the possibilities of Christ being in all of us.
Best movie of the century. It had a beautiful blend of different schools of thought. Such as the16 crucified savior, the gospel of Barnabas and Solomons book of light. And the soundtrack not to mention. The Nights over Egypt took me to Heaven. A Glorious Classic.
I understand the backlash to this new version of Jesus story. However, there were Soothsayer who claimed to be the Messiah. What is Clarence portraying?
What do you think about the Last Temptation of Christ?
Have you seen it?
Im curious 🤔 about your thoughts
Great analysis!!
The Chosen and Risen probably have the most biblically accurate portrayals of Jesus in media so far.
😂😂😂😂😂the Cesar Borgia movies???
Outstanding breakdown!
So happy to hear this! Thank you!!
There is a difference between belief and knowing. We have been taught to believe because mankind has been programmed for hundreds of years. How is it that we accept these beliefs without questioning man's perspective of circumstances that unfolded over 2000 years ago when we were not there to witness the events? Religion teaches us to believe. The age of Aquarius teaches us to KNOW. He went from believing to allowing the Spirit that said I and my Father are one to transform him. Love the storyline.
This is officially the next Christmas classic.
Fantastic! Cant wait to check this out now.
Thank you for watching!! Hope you enjoy!
Best movie I’ve seen in awhile.. a great watch
I thought it was an amazing movie.... The best I've seen in a long time. Great analysis.
I liked how Jesus is black in the movie, because technically, he was, people just mad
He's jew. Evwn the ethiopian bible doesnt paint him black
@@Noob-fp7jn the ethiopian bible is not proof, jesus was infact darker than they show him jewish people arent all white
Jew actually.
Nor white nor black, and came for everyone; free or slave, men or women, jews or gentiles.🤔
As a follower of The Way I loved every bit of this movie it finna go see it again 🏃🏾♂️💨
Exactly what way are you following?
@@DK-wr5wx Yahweh I believe
@@DK-wr5wx “The Way” is mentioned several times in the book of Acts (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22) Jesus said He is "The Way the truth and the life" (John 14:6)
@ChillyMilly908 I know what Jesus said, what I'm saying is it doesn't look like he's following Jesus
@@DK-wr5wx did you watch the movie or...?
Thank u finally!!! I’m Mexican yet I loved it makes u think makes u reflect and think on ur own f up life u have lived!!! ❤❤❤❤
The Adobe stock image at 5:05 is absolute nightmare fuel.
The Bible says "people don't perish for lack of faith,they perish for lack of understanding." Knowledge is indeed powerful than faith
I absolutely love the book of Clarence, especially when it has one of my favorite actors as the lead
Excellent video. You have critically relayed the substance of this masterpiece. Thank you for this. Loved this movie.
I didn't expect to enjoy this movie,I cry the part were he carried to cross.
I loved it. We have so many lazy writers these days and production companies that are stuck on remaking. I am happy that they were brave enough to fight for this work. If you think its Blasphemy it is because your so called third eye is blocked. Sorry for you. Nice analysis - I would add, for Black people we have watched so many white Jesus movies. It was beautiful to see our images and the imagined swag. It was beautifully made. Oh and the sound track….
This film is incredible I think the marketing of this film as a comedy was not the best way to go - it’s more of a drama/comedy a dramedy, it’s worth seeing Lakeith was wonderful and the panels to today society are essay to make.
Clarence’s twin brother is Thomas=
Clarence Thomas
Great review
Thank you!!
One of the art of filmmaking is to know how to relate to your audience with a clear message. Your intentions may be good but if you miss that mark then its a failure. Leave certain type of movie out of your reach.
I love this film so much
This movies should teach us that we all have a little bit of Clarence in US good and bad
This movie is inspirational.
I love the movie and don’t at all think it’s blasphemy.
The book of Clarence may well turn out to be the sacrificial lamb that carries the burdens of knee jerk (mis)perceptions of such a great work. People will realise, perhaps too late, their folly in following the mob as they blindly proclaimed "blasphemy".
I was waiting for this movie to come out but they didn't even release it in Europe 😢
This movie’s controversy really makes me wonder what the life of Brain would be received in today’s oh so divisive world. My guess is that it would receive the same amount of criticism as this movie did