This was originally published for cutprintfilm.com back in January of 2015. But since the site has apparently vanished - I'm posting it here with a few updates. Enjoy...
Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus is not as bad as critics made it out to be. It's far from perfect and I think late period Spike Lee will always be a bit tone-deaf and somewhat out of touch, but I respect him for the ambitious undertaking of remaking a cult classic that is kind of out of his wheelhouse.
Sorry, but these days if I have the choice between something “safe”/non-threatening
versus something imperfect & ambitious – I’m going to go with the latter. Much like how A Most Violent Year is a non-gangster GANGSTER film, Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus is a non-vampire
VAMPIRE film. The story centers around “Dr. Hess Green” – a lawyer & collector
of ancient African artifacts who comes under a mysterious spell that makes him
addicted to blood. He’s not exactly a vampire (he doesn’t have long sharp teeth
and isn’t allergic to sunlight) but his thirst for blood (and what he does to
attain it) would make you think he is a vampire. Like most vampire (…or
vampire-ISH) films, Dr. Green’s curse becomes too much for him to handle and
things spiral out of control.
In some circles Ganja and Hess is looked at as a low-budget cult film. But beyond that, it went on to influence the next generation of Black American filmmakers. If anything - Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus gave the original a momentary spotlight for rediscovery...
My tree scene was an homage to Bill Gunn's Ganja and Hess. I figured it's all part of the continuum of the Black aesthetic - Julie Dash
 |
| Ganja and Hess / Daughters Of The Dust |
Between Only Lovers Left Alive & A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,
vampire films were a “thing” again within independent/art-house cinema between 2013-2015. In some ways,
Spike’s latest reminded me of Claire Denis’ Trouble
Everyday (another modern non-vampire vampire film where you never actually
see any sharp teeth, but there’s plenty of blood & murder). There’s even a
painful scene in Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus
where our protagonist Dr. Green murders a woman during sex that kind of mimics
the disturbing finale of Trouble Everyday
where Vincent Gallo literally “eats out” his poor victim.
There are quite a few levels to this film yet no one seems to be looking deeper. Putting aside the noir-ish/thriller aspects of this movie, it obviously touches on issues like addictions, gender, racism & class. Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus also clearly acts as a metaphor for the transmission of STD’s (specifically HIV & AIDS) among people of color. Is this Spike Lee doing his iteration of Abel Ferrara's Addiction?
I found myself getting incredibly frustrated at people
(specifically so-called Spike Lee fans) dismissing Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus upon seeing the trailer (I honestly thought
the trailer was great). Unfortunately, whether Spike Lee fans realize this or
not, he’s held to a strange (unfair?) high standard where people are still
expecting him to make another Do The
Right Thing or Malcolm X (I guess
that’s what happens when you’re one of the very few talented black filmmakers
working in the mainstream). Some of you may disagree with that statement but
that’s the way I see it. Perhaps some folks forgot Lee’s indie/D.I.Y. roots (Joe’s Bedstuy Barbershop & She’s Gotta Have It). From the subjects
& characters in Shirley Clarke’s films to the work of Melvin Van Peeples,
the origins of black people in independent film has always been a little
against the grain, “left field” & grass roots-based. Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus is no exception. Plus, not every Spike Lee
film is going to be a game-changer. I think some people have a hard time
accepting that. If you aren’t expecting a 40 acres & a mule classic and
just looking for an interesting film to kick back with (it’s now streaming on
Vimeo), Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus is
certainly worth your time (although I don’t think it needed to be 130 minutes
long).
No matter how problematic this movie is, it represents Spike
Lee’s ability to still step outside of his comfort zone and do something
different. It shares strands of the same DNA as his previous work. Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus definitely takes
place in the same cinematic realm as Redhook
Summer. The opening sequence feels like a scene out of He Got Game, there’s a touch of She
Hate Me in there, and the supporting cast features long-standing Spike Lee
repertory actors like Joie Lee, Cinque Lee & Thomas Jefferson Byrd.
There’s been a tiny black cloud looming over Spike’s head
(and his career) for quite some time. That’s partially his fault. His last film
Oldboy (a remake of the popular
Korean film) felt a little flat, and his film before that, Redhook Summer, might be the worst thing he’s done since Girl 6 (sorry, just my opinion). Lee
caught a lot of heat for crowd-sourcing his latest project and I understand
that on some level. Back in 1992 he reached out to a few famous celebrities
& athletes (Michael Jordan, Bill Cosby, Janet Jackson, etc) for additional
funding in order to finish Malcolm X
when he went over budget. That was in 1992. What stopped him from reaching out
to his famous (wealthy) friends/peers in 2014? Why does he need our money? Maybe
that’s none of my business. I certainly don’t want to be in other people’s
pockets. I just find it peculiar when rich people take to crowd-sourcing to
fund a project. Spike’s recent rant about gentrification in New York City also
didn’t sit well with some folks, even though he was right in what he said for
the most part.
Because of all this, I feel people are going unfairly judge
and/or dismiss Lee’s new work (possibly before even seeing it). Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus has a lot
working against it. It’s being released with its back against the wall which is
unfortunate because it really isn’t that bad. Had Ava Duvernay or Lee Daniels
made the same exact film, I’m sure people wouldn’t be so harsh.
