New Fox division focuses on faith; film of Jesus as a black man

[kurth]

New Fox division focuses on faith
September 20, 2006

The company that brought TV viewers racy and irreverent programs such as "Nip/Tuck," "Temptation Island" and "The Simpsons" has found religion. 20th Century Fox unveiled a new division Tuesday called FoxFaith, which will deliver up to a dozen religious-oriented movies a year.

With budgets of less than $5 million each, the films will be aimed at the same Christian audiences that helped boost box office receipts for such films as "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Chronicles of Narnia."

About half of the movies will be distributed in theaters through a third-party company under a deal with two large theater chains, AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas. The others will go directly to DVD.

The first theatrical release to be marketed by the unit will be "Love's Abiding Joy," based on the fourth installment in author Janette Oke's book series. FoxFaith also will be releasing "Color of the Cross," a film that portrays Christ as a black man.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0609200093sep20,1,1326768.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

[Vinca]

1. Uh oh, the fundies won't like a non-blond Jesus. nt

[MadMaddie]

2. You said it before I did..

Fox is trying to have the best of both worlds and this is what will sink them.....

[lvx35]

10. I wonder how much they will dislike it.

An artist got in huge trouble for painting a female jesus, trying to make a commentary on the status of women...But I'm not sure the racism runs as deep as the sexism in the extreme religious elements.

[Skinner]

3. I must admit: That's ballsy.

When I first heard about FoxFaith, I expected that they would be pandering to the hard-right Christian fundamentalist crowd.

But my impression is that the hard-right Christian fundamentalist crowd will not particularly appreciate Christ being portrayed as black. I'm kinda looking forward to watching the fight over this. Seems like "Last Temptation of Christ" Redux to me.

[Skinner]

5. Here's the website.

http://www.colorofthecross.com

[ContraBass Black]

8. "the single most positive image of a black lead character in a film"

You don't say.

[kurth]

9. God's killing could have been racially motivated

It says.

[calimary]

11. Actually, that's a movie I think I'd like to see.

I think it might be an interesting message to put out there. After all, when I was a Catholic school kid, we'd be visited occasionally by some missionary nuns and, depending on the part of the world in which they worked, Christ might be depicted as black, brown, Indian, Polynesian, or Asian. Same thing for depictions of the Virgin. I always thought that was pretty cool.

I'm sure this would unwig a few people, but considering the area of the world where Jesus was born, lived, and died, I've often thought He probably would look something like Osama bin Laden. Middle-eastern facial structure, swarthy skin, dark-eyed, and not clean-shaven. Maybe not quite as tall - OR as gray-haired, though, since He didn't get past age 33.

BTW - did you LOVE "Last Temptation of Christ"? I thought it was one of the most beautiful, moving films EVER. REALLY made me appreciate Christ, and the sheer magnitude of His Sacrifice, all the more. I was so amazed at all the people who went apoplectic over it. They just missed the point, completely.

[Skinner]

14. It's been years since I saw it.

I saw it when it first came out -- if I'm not mistaken, I think I was in high school at the time. I was still pretty devout Christian back then. I thought the movie was great.

[AX10]

4. The fundies will not like this non "angloesque" Jesus.

[ContraBass Black]

6. This could be interesting.

I remember reading about a black stage actor who was reviled and boycotted for playing Jesus in the 90's even though he played the Devil without a complaint for years before that in the same theater.

[Sequoia]

7. I saw the trailer of "Color of the Cross"

with Jesus as a black man. Jesus was targeted because he was black (some things never change, eh?). What gets me about these "Jesus was a blonde" types is that in the Book of Revelations it states that the Son of God had hair like lamb's wool. St. John didn't know about ... "Buffalo Soilders, dreadlock Rasta."

[imfreaky]

12. Fox launches FoxFaith,

Fox launches FoxFaith, a division aimed at producing films for the evangelical Christian market. Coming next, FoxIslam, "Where all the movies are bombs" :)


headline from fark.com

[AspenRose]

13. Feet like brass, hair like wool. Hmmm.

"But suppose God is black? What if we go to Heaven and we, all our lives, have treated the Negro as an inferior, and God is there, and we look up and He is not white? What then is our response?" --Robert F. Kennedy

His head and hairs white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes as a flame of fire;

And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters.

And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and His countenance as the sun shineth in his strength. Revelation 1:14-16 (KJV translation)

I don't know if Jesus was black, but he CERTAINLY was NOT a blue-eyed blonde, that's for sure.