From visionary filmmaker Jeymes Samuel, The Book of Clarence is a bold new take on the timeless Hollywood era Biblical epic. Streetwise but struggling, Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) is trying to find a better life for himself and his family, make himself worthy to the woman he loves, and prove that he’s not a nobody. Captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah and His apostles, he risks everything to carve his own path to a divine life, a journey through which he finds redemption and faith, power and knowledge.
For in-depth thoughts on The Book of Clarence, please see my colleague Liselotte Vanophem’s review from its original festival debut here.
Video Quality
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings The Book of Clarence to Blu-Ray with a great 1080p video presentation that brings this one to life quite well. The presentation delivers a solid amount of depth in the interior moments and when out in the natural environment. The production design along with the intricacies of costumes provide distinct textural details. Flesh tones remain natural with an agreeable amount of detail present in close-ups. The image is crisp and clear with a multifaceted color palette full of complex hues. The film especially thrives with the bold splashes within the clothing and production design against the earthy background. Black levels are strong with no serious instances of digital noise or crush, and highlights are likewise stable with no blooming in sight. This Blu-Ray succeeds on all fronts, even if things could have been enhanced with a 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a top-notch DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that boldly realizes the sonic capabilities of the narrative. Numerous kinetic moments effectively call upon the surround speakers to add a sense of identity to the locale. When the characters are walking through public spaces, some forthright ambient details flesh out the setting. The film stands apart with its implementation of music, and every piece springs to life as it confidently emanates from the speakers. The low end of the track conjures some texture without stealing focus. Dialogue is crisp and clear without being drowned out by competing sounds. The audio track is a first-rate presentation for this feature on all fronts. There are optional English, English SDH, and many more subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Jeymes Samuel and star LaKeith Stanfield provide a lively commentary track in which they reflect on the production of the film, the challenges of bringing certain moments to the screen, the freedom to improvise, and more.
- Book 4 – Making The Film: A nine-minute piece that looks at the collaborative nature of this production that brought new ideas to a classic story. There are great insights from the cast and creative team about the characters brought to the screen, chariot races, and more.
- The Gospel Of Jeymes – On The Set with Jeymes Samuel: A nine-minute featurette that takes a look at the unique creative vision that director Jeymes Samuel brings to this material and why he wanted to tackle a biblical epic.
- Band of Brothers – Meet The Cast: A 12-minute look at the talented ensemble brought together for this story and what everyone brings to their character.
- Song of Songs – An Epic Collaboration: A four-minute exploration of the role that music plays within this story.
- Gag Reel A five-minute look at various ruined takes, flubbed lines, laughing fits, and more.
- Deleted Scenes: There are eight scenes totaling 31 minutes provided here that did not make the final cut and are worth a watch. Each scene is provided with an introduction by the creative team.
- Previews
Final Thoughts
The Book of Clarence is not your typical faith-based movie, and it is all the better for it. While it is true that director Jeymes Samuel is perhaps too ambitious when it comes to cramming so many ideas into one narrative, he does succeed in injecting a bubbling energy into this genre it has not seen in some time. The ensemble gathered here is so great from the lead performance of LaKeith Stanfield to the smallest role. The film gets a bit lost tonally and narratively as we reach the end, but, by and large, it offers a very entertaining time that should have been embraced more theatrically. Sony Pictures has provided a Blu-Ray disc that sports a great A/V presentation and a fine assortment of supplements. If you want a unique biblical narrative that is teeming with creativity, give this a shot. Recommended
The Book of Clarence is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.