#BTColumn – The sun rose in the tomb: A film critique

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados TODAY Inc.

by Jade Gibbons

As Easter approaches, you may be wondering how to spend the time. I suggest watching Risen (2016) by Kevin Reynolds. To incentivise you, this article will critique what I think is the best scene in the film.

Set in 33AD, Risen tells the story of a Roman Tribune, Clavius, who has been tasked with finding the missing corpse of a man whose execution he oversaw.

As part of his investigation, he tracks down the men who were guarding the tomb. The official narrative is that the deceased’s disciples came and stole the body while the legionaries slept.

Yet the fact that the legionaries have been pardoned instead of executed means that there is more going on than meets the eye. Clavius tracks one of the legionaries to a tavern. It is this tavern scene that I will be looking at.

The first thing we see is a medium close-up (MCU) on a woman playing the tambourine. The camera pulls away from the woman transitioning into a long shot of the tavern. The lighting is low-key. We see two colours of light.

The light on the wall to the farthest right is blue which indicates that this is the entry point as blue light equals to moonlight. The previous scene established that the narrative is taking place at night.

The light in the remainder of the tavern is yellow. We hear music, applause, and the shout of someone saying, “Don’t stop!” The camera rests on an MCU of a drunken man. He is the source of the speech. A cup is in his hand that he just banged on the table.

A figure walks into frame, obstructing our view. As the figure sits down, the man’s smile disappears. You can hear chatter and laughter which is good. The presence of this noise adds to the verisimilitude of the scene.

A medium long shot reveals that the figure is Clavius. Taking the pitcher in his hand, Clavius smells it and says, “pricey wine for a legionary.” Now we know that the man is the legionary that Clavius has been searching for.

The subsequent dialogue between Clavius and the legionary exposes the fact that the legionary has recently come into some money. Aware of his guilt, the legionary highlights that he has been pardoned. Still, Clavius interrogates him.

His stern gaze makes the legionary look away. The legionary tells the official narrative. He looks tortured while he speaks. While the legionary is speaking, Clavius takes the cup and throws it.

Clavius rebuts: “How did the stone fall 10 paces from the tomb? It took seven men, myself included, just to roll it closed.” An MCU on Clavius shows him grabbing the legionary by the collar and shouting, “No more lies.”

This is followed by a series of shot-reverse-shot combinations which serve to enhance the tension of the scene. There is a small glitch in the continuity, however, as the reverse shots on the legionary do not show Clavius holding his collar. Instead Clavius’ hand is cupping the legionary’s head.

This becomes most glaring when the legionary finally responds to Clavius’ questioning as he shakes his head out of Clavius’ palm and shouts, “You forgot us!” The agonised visage of the legionary is starkly different to the jolly smile that started the scene.

It is clear that the truth haunts him. The legionary admits that they did sleep but highlights that they had taken turns. This foregrounds in the audience’s mind the seriousness of the legionaries’ infraction and the power and influence of those who have been protecting them.

The legionary goes on to say, “we was wakened by this terrible flash. The night was gone… And all of a sudden, the sun rose in the tomb.”

An MCU on Clavius reveals that his countenance has changed. The legionary keeps talking and eventually bangs his hand on the table. A medium shot of the tavern suggests that this has caused other patrons to look at the legionary. Technically, this is not realistic.

Taverns are noisy places. Cinematically it makes sense to remove the background noise that was present at the beginning of the scene to ensure the audience focuses on what is being said.

But narratively it is illogical for the tavern to actually be quiet enough for patrons to hear and/or care if a man bangs his hand on a table. When the scene began, the legionary was banging his cup on the table and shouting. No one paid him any attention then.

Still, I think this is a really good scene. It ends with the legionary explaining how the burden of inexplicable truth is what compels him to drink. The final shot shows him drinking and as he drinks, his tears mix with the “wine”.

Jade Gibbons is an arts and business graduate with a keen interest in social issues and film-making. See https://www.jadegibbons246.com