‘The Book of Clarence’ Filmmaker Jeymes Samuel on Reviving the Biblical Epic and Getting D’Angelo and Jay-Z on a 9-Minute Track
variety.comAngelique Jackson SPOILER ALERT:This story contains spoilers from “The Book of Clarence,” now in theaters. “The Book of Clarence” begins with a misdirect.
The sophomore feature of British musician-turned-filmmaker Jeymes Samuel, a biblical epic, opens with a crucifixion. The camera sweeps across a sun-streaked landscape where a dozen men are nailed to crosses.
At the center of the gruesome assembly hangs a white man with a full beard and long brown locks — that must be Jesus of Nazareth, right?
Not so fast. The camera continues to move, pushing in closer and closer to the man until it suddenly swings right, resting on a Black man instead. “I wanted to open the movie on the most striking image possible,” Samuel tells Variety. “You automatically assume that’s Jesus because of what we’ve been fed by Hollywood all our lives.
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