Black Nativity Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Black Nativity Blu-ray Movie Review

Grace is color blind.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 15, 2014

In an odd bit of unintentional public relations synchronicity, Black Nativity got some unexpected media attention when Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly ignited a firestorm of controversy a few months ago after she stated that Jesus (along with Santa Claus) was white. Kelly, certainly one of the least pugnacious pundits on the air (an admittedly pretty low bar), insisted she had only been referring to historical representations, but even that rationale fell on deaf ears from those who pointed out that at least in the case of Jesus, his Semitic heritage would have meant he almost certainly would not have looked anything like a traditional Caucasian. During the brouhaha, I couldn’t help but think of the absolutely gorgeous carol by Alfred Burt called “Some Children See Him”. The lyric of this moving song reads:

Some children see Him lily white,
the baby Jesus born this night.
Some children see Him lily white,
with tresses soft and fair.
Some children see Him bronzed and brown,
The Lord of heav'n to earth come down.
Some children see Him bronzed and brown,
with dark and heavy hair.

Some children see Him almond-eyed,
this Savior whom we kneel beside.
some children see Him almond-eyed,
with skin of yellow hue.
Some children see Him dark as they,
sweet Mary's Son to whom we pray.
Some children see him dark as they,
and, ah! they love Him, too!

The children in each different place
will see the baby Jesus' face
like theirs, but bright with heavenly grace,
and filled with holy light.
O lay aside each earthly thing
and with thy heart as offering,
come worship now the infant King.
'Tis love that's born tonight!

Burt, a remarkable man who would compose Christmas carols to send to friends and family in lieu of the more traditional card, seems to sum up rather simply the perhaps obvious fact that people of different races and backgrounds will tend to invert the traditional Biblical maxim and make God in their own image. If God's (and Jesus') exhortations to us to love others as we love ourselves is taken at face value, it's perhaps only fitting that part of that love should be tolerance for how those different from us tend to perceive the Divine. Black Nativity first appeared in the pre- Christmas season of 1961 as on off-Broadway play by celebrated author Langston Hughes, a play that was part of a growing cultural awareness of African American (or as it was termed then, Negro) culture that would soon burst forth in the civil rights upheaval that would be one of the defining characteristics of the sixties. The show ran for only 56 performances, closing in January of 1962, but it enjoyed new life through the years in a series of regular mountings put on in such major cities as Boston and Seattle. It's perhaps a little odd that this property should be coming to film so many years after its debut, albeit in a form rather drastically divorced from Hughes' original, but ironically Megyn Kelly's comments suddenly helped to put a new spotlight on Black Nativity that had not been there for several decades.

Stage musicals are often a difficult genre to adapt for the screen, as attested to by the inordinate number of outright film flops that have littered cineplexes since the Golden Age of Hollywood gave way to smaller, more intimate, fare. While some may debate the wisdom of this choice, Black Nativity actually pretty much eschews its stage bound roots to try to toe a middle ground where some aspects of Langston Hughes’ original conception are retained, but within a larger, more ostensibly realistic, context. Langston is in fact a character, at least in name if not in factual historicity, for the film follows the travails of young man Langston Cobbs (newcomer Jacob Latimore), supposedly named in honor of Hughes, who is sent to stay with his grandparents when Naima (Jennifer Hudson), his mother, is threatened with eviction. Langston suddenly finds himself awash in the hustle and bustle of Harlem, but not adjusting particularly well to life at his grandparents’ home.

Grandpa is Reverend Cornell Cobbs (Forest Whitaker), a stolid, quiet and somewhat tentative man who knows what right is, but is unsure how to communicate that to a defiant Langston. Cornell’s wife Aretha (Angela Bassett) is the nurturing spirit of the household, though even her efforts are met with resistance by Langston. Writer-director Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou) utilizes a couple of conceits, including Cornell’s church mounting Hughes’ Black Nativity, as well as a fantasy dream sequence, to introduce some of Hughes’ actual work, a not especially felicitous approach that tends to split the film into sections, albeit sections linked by (the character) Langston’s attempts to find his way in life.

Musicals are often big, even bloated, affairs and perhaps the single most interesting aspect to this Black Nativity is how intimate and small scale it often is. Part of this was no doubt dictated by the film’s relatively paltry budget, but it’s refreshing to have a film that doesn’t rely solely on spectacle to create its musical magic. Hudson gets the bulk of the singing time here, as perhaps should be expected, but there are some rousing choral numbers as well. The score features both traditional hymns as well as a glut of more contemporary fare including everything from Stevie Wonder to Walter Hawkins to several originals by the film’s music supervisor Raphael Saadiq.

Black Nativity Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Black Nativity is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. This film was shot digitally with the Arri Alexa, one of the more filmic looking systems, and this transfer boasts an often sumptuous appearance that defies the smaller budget Lemmons had to work with. While some of the straight dramatic scenes aren't especially well lit, contrast and shadow detail are often exceptional, and in the more blatantly theatrical moments, things look excellently sharp and well detailed. Colors are nicely saturated and accurate looking, and for once the film hasn't been color graded to within an inch of its life (though Lemmons does play with palettes quite inventively throughout the film). The transfer is free of any noticeable compression artifacts.

Black Nativity Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Probably not that surprisingly, it's the musical sequences that offer Black Nativity's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix the most opportunity to open things up and envelop the listener. However, the songs are not the only time the surround channels are utilized to good effect. Langston's entry into New York City's Times Square is awash in nice ambient environmental sounds and even the nonmusical church sequences offer good attention to ambient reverb and spatial detail. Quite a few of the muiscal numbers feature a rather punchy kick drum which adds a lot of vigor to the low end. Fidelity is excellent throughout the track, with dialogue, effects and music all very well prioritized and cleanly presented. There are occasional minor mismatches between prerecords and onscreen lip synching, but those are of course unrelated to actual audio quality.

Black Nativity Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 13:51) oddly feature Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.


• Promotional Featurettes (all with Dolby Digital 2.0 mixes) include:

  First Look (1080p; 4:41)

  The Music Behind the Film: He Loves Me Still (1080p; 1:59)

  The Music Behind the Film: Raphael Saadiq (1080p; 2:50)

  The Cast of 'Black Nativity' (1080p; 3:51)

  Introducing Jacob Latimore (1080p; 2:54)

  An Inspiring Playwright: Langston Hughes (1080p; 1:59)

  Inside Production in Harlem (1080p; 3:54)

  Be Grateful (1080p; 1:52)

  Feel Good (1080p; 1:08)

  Photoshoot B-Roll (1080p; 1:48)

• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:33)

Black Nativity Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kasi Lemmons' decision to at least partially divorce her Black Nativity from Langston Hughes' original ironically removes the film from the very controversy that swirled around it (albeit tangentially) after Megyn Kelly's on air comments, which led several commentators on several networks to mention Black Nativity in passing as an example of other ethnicities and/or cultures viewing religious stories in ways other than how white reporters might assume. But perhaps without the central focus on an African American Mary and Joseph the film is able to make a probably less subtle but no less important statement about the universality of the ideas of salvation, redemption and forgiveness. Performances in this film are quite excellent (especially by Latimore, who looks to have a promising future ahead of him), and while the film is not a traditional musical nor even Langston Hughes' Black Nativity, it's ultimately a rather moving offering that is heartfelt and effective, even if the big gospel finale feels like something ported out of any given Tyler Perry enterprise. Recommended.