Color of the Cross 2: The Resurrection - Now out on DVD

A few years ago it seemed like there was a host of potential films being made about the resurrection. At that time there was, of course, a good deal of speculation as to whether Mel Gibson would make a sequel to The Passion of the Christ, but other projects were being discussed such as Risen: The Story of the First Easter, and Tim LaHaye's The Resurrection. So I'm a little embarrassed that the first such film to be completed since then flew in under my radar.

Color of the Cross 2: The Resurrection is, as you'd expect, the sequel to 2006's Color of the Cross produced by and starring Jean Claude LaMarre. And it seems that it was released in March - seemingly straight to DVD. The DVD has been released by Lightyear, and whilst there's isn't much in the way of information at their site, they do offer the following synopsis:

From director Jean Claude LaMarre (Color of the Cross) comes another epic film about the ministry of Jesus Christ. This daring film portrays the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his ministry after his death. After the crucifixion of Jesus the disciples go into hiding believing their lives are in danger. They had lost all hope that Jesus would come back to them as He had prophesied. Three days after his death Mary Magdalene Mary the mother of Jesus and other women go up to the tomb to put spices on Christ's body. They are shocked to find the tomb completely empty. Jesus' body is gone. The now frightened women go running out of the tomb when two angels stop them. They declare to the women that Christ has risen! The women still bewildered go and spread the news to the disciples. Created with the same enthusiasm and astonishing interpretations as Color of the Cross The Resurrection brings a new perspective of the resurrection and ascension of Christ.

The DVD is available from Amazon who are also amongst a number of companies offering it for direct download.It seems unlikely to be a classic. The original was below average, and at present the IMDb is giving the sequel is a mere 1.1 (out of ten!).

Reviews are pretty thin on the ground. The best I came across was from a reviewer on Amazon who calls the film "an 85 minute misery". It appears the film uses some footage from the first film, but that the cast has changed leaving poorly re-dubbed dialogue. It's also criticised for "poor make-up and constuming (sic.)" and "bad acting".

One interesting point the reviewer does raise is that, like the BBC's The Passion this film also attempts a creative solution as to why Jesus wasn't instantly recognised. It's clear from the image above (captured from the trailer) that the resurrected Jesus is now bald and clean shaven. This is an interesting solution, but seems a little odd given that the original film's main premise was largely based on a specific interpretation of Rev 1:14's description of the resurrected Jesus's hair as "like wool". Whereas most (white) commentators would consider this metaphor's point of similarity to be about the color of wool/Jesus's hair, the filmmakers took it as a suggestion that Jesus had African-type "wooly" hair. But if the resurrected Jesus is bald then that raises a few questions. Perhaps it grows back?

That said, this reviewer also adds that Jesus initially appears as an old man as well, so perhaps the color of Jesus's hair comes into play as well which would give the simile a greater degree of correspondence than is normally taken. Either way the transition to a bald and shaved Jesus seems to work better for LaMarre than it would have for most of the other actors to have played Jesus, and also has echoes of Woody Strode's Black Jesus. Whilst the trailer is up at YouTube, there's not much other information available. I've struggled in vain to find an official site for the film, and even the site for the original film has now been taken down. There are a few photos out there, however, courtesy of David Novak who plays Caiaphas.