Review by Quin
If the 1973 film Ganja and Hess was ever going to be remade, Spike Lee was definitely the one who had to do it. In fact, he even used Kickstarter to fund the film. I know that Brutal as Hell’s Ben has reiterated time and again how the age of Kickstarter feels like we’re being asked to throw more money in more directions, often with little hope of any sort of return on our investment – and I don’t disagree. However, Spike Lee’s new film Da Sweet Blood of Jesus is a film that makes me glad that crowd sourcing is a thing, and even filmmakers with big names and cash and friends in high places can use it to work in their favor. We all know too well that no director is immune to being squashed by the Hollywood system. I bet there’s actually an alternate universe where Pootie Tang is a great movie. Alas, we’ll never know – but we do know that Spike Lee has succeeded with Kickstarter and he’s mostly succeeded with the dreaded medium: the remake. The film does have some issues that could make it hard to please more than a very select audience, but I’ll walk you through it and we’ll figure out together if this is going to be your kind of movie.
Dr. Hess Greene is an anthropologist who specializes in the Ashanti. While at his New England compound, Greene is attacked by a researcher named Dr. Hightower. During the attack his heart is pierced by a cursed dagger, leaving him with an addiction for blood. Hightower, thinking he murdered Hess and now feeling guilty, commits suicide. Hess’ new impulses propel him to start robbing blood banks. He mostly lives a secluded and lonely existence with one butler until Mrs. Hightower comes to town. She doesn’t seem particularly overcome with grief at the loss of her husband, but she’s there nonetheless. In no time, Mrs. Hightower (first name Ganja – and she smokes giant joints) and Dr. Hess Greene become romantically involved. He’ll hide his addiction for as long as he can, but things escalate when he wants his blood fresher and warmer so he starts to hunt people.
This synopsis is probably making Da Sweet Blood of Jesus sound like your run-of-the-mill vampire flick, but I assure you it’s not. It remakes practically every scene in Ganja and Hess, but expands it with more daylight, brighter colors and clearer dialogue. That is not to say that this movie isn’t still a little convoluted at times, but it is so much less abstract than Ganja and Hess – which is a straight up experimental head-scratcher of a film. Spike Lee joked that this movie wouldn’t be a remake of Blacula, but I guess somewhat ironically, it feels a little more like a blaxploitation reimagining of Ganja and Hess. The older film was made in the era of blaxploitation and gets lumped in with those movies, but it’s more serious and less sensational. Spike Lee has added more dark humor and a tone that is at times extremely campy. The conversations don’t feel quite as real, but they are stylized along with the visuals in a way that Spike Lee is a master of. Da Sweet Blood of Jesus also has a lot more sweet sweet lovin’ and tons of nudity.
The opening credits will remind Spike Lee fans of his film Do the Right Thing. But instead of Rosie Perez dancing to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power”, it’s a young kid dancing in various Brooklyn locations to a sweet, melancholic piano tune. From the first frame, the cinematography is stunning and it stays that way through to the last.
Fans of HBO’s The Wire will also be interested in seeing an unrecognizable Felicia Pearson (she played gangster Snoop in The Wire) in a small role. I had no idea she was in this until I heard her talk, and that voice hasn’t changed one bit. Elvis Nolasco, who was in an excellent new network television show this year called American Crime, is in the brief role of Dr. Hightower. Even though it’s short, he has a lot to work with. He’s great to watch and I’m guessing we’re going to keep seeing a lot more of him. Spike Lee’s sister Joie Lee also has a brief appearance as a nurse. She’s always great too, and it’s nice he’s still utilizing her talents.
As for the two lead actors, Zaraah Abrahams and Stephen Tyrone Williams, they aren’t quite as effective as Marlene Clark and Duane Jones in the original. But as I said, there is a subtle campiness here and Abrahams and Williams make a fine Ganja and Hess. But if you enjoy this, you’ll definitely want to check out the older version. In that one, you’ll get to see Ben from Night of the Living Dead like you never thought you would. Duane Jones had some serious range and his career was much too short. But enough about Bill Gunn’s Ganja and Hess; you should read Keri’s review of that, then you can decide which version you think you’d most likely prefer. I, of course, recommend that you see both of them.
Da Sweet Blood of Jesus is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray in the US, from Anchor Bay Entertainment.