I can’t say I understand the trend of selling stage play recordings on DVD, as the lighting and acting in live theatre doesn’t translate well on modern HD screens, even if it does increase exposure for an artist’s work. However, this assumes the artist’s work should be shared with a wide audience, and while T.J. Hemphill’s Lord All Men Can’t Be Dogs has themes and characters that can easily resonate with its target audience, it promotes ideas that are ill-formed. Primarily, it endorses a cast of characters disturbingly devoid of free will.
Hemphill’s story of a crumbling marriage has two angels, Satan, and Temptation walking around the stage as characters unto themselves. Every bad action is the direct result of the latter two characters’ influence, whereas the angels just sit back and do nothing but shoot fireworks out of their fingers and rejoice in the residents of the house thinking there are ghosts. Essentially, the story suggests that people only behave badly when under the influence of evil, that heart attacks are the work of Satan (yes, really), and that marriages fail due to a lack of prayer.
Simplistic messages like this are fine as allegories, except Hemphill’s play takes the ideas to reckless extremes. Counterpoints: we do bad and good things as we’re taught, medical conditions lead to heart attacks, and marriages fail because people are imperfect.
From a perspective of home entertainment, whoever committed this play to film has a lot to learn about working a camera. The framing is awkward more often than not, and sometimes cuts off parts of people’s heads at weird angles. Also, the lighting wasn’t changed in preparation for filming and consequently there are shadows all over the place. Lord, All Men Can’t Be Dogs shouldn’t have been released on DVD in the first place and especially not looking like this.
DVD Bonus Features
A collection of photos and looks at the cast and crew of the film are the only extras.
"Lord, All Men Can't Be Dogs" is on sale June 7, 2011 and is not rated. Comedy, Drama, Theater. Directed by Tj Hemphill. Written by T.J. Hemphill. Starring Vivica A Fox, Christian Keyes, Elise Neal, Johnny Gill.
