Filmstalker: Favourite Easter film?

It's that time of year where some of us get a long weekend off work, some sit back and eat ourselves full of chocolate, and some will be rolling eggs down hills, for others it will be a period of worship, but for all hopefully family fun. What better way to enjoy that with a Saturday and Sunday afternoon movie, but which one? There are so many choices.

What does Easter hold for you movie wise? What do you like watching on those afternoons when the chocolate is taking its toll, or the kids have finally tired you out? In fact never mind Easter, what films do you love watching on those long, lazy afternoons? I know my choices are somewhat unusual...

Strangely for me, very strangely that is, I love the old big biblical epics. Yes, my friends will be shouting at their screens right now. I love films like The Robe with Richard Burton, Jean Simmons and Victor Mature, and I really cannot tell you why other than that is what I grew up with these types of films on the TV and I loved watching them. Oh, and there is not a single molecule of me that is religious...go figure!

If there's nothing like that then a World War II movie with John Wayne, or a great western. Magnificent Seven, every time!

So I checked out what was on this weekend, it being Easter and all I assumed there would be some of those very films for me to relax to...I was stunned to find that the only vaguely close film to what I used to love watching was The Agony and The Ecstasy, the story of Michelangelo as played by that great character actor Charlton Heston. The film may be an abject lesson in miscasting, but it's still a great movie. Oh, don't get me wrong it'll fill that Easter weekend craving very well, but that's the only one there.

The rest of the weekend leaps from Columbo and Diagnosis Murder movies to Tomb Raider, Ice Storm, Chocolat, Rush Hour 2, Harry Potter, etc. Never mind, Deep Impact and Tora! Tora! Tora! are quite fitting!

So when you sit down on that Sunday afternoon and want some time to chill out and relax, apart from reading and commenting on Filmstalker, what do you like to watch? Do you want something relaxing or stirring, or a trip down memory lane? Oldies, newies, westerns (great on a rainy Saturday), epics, war movies (another great afternoon watching!)? Oh, and don't kid yourself, you know it's going to be raining!

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Richard says, "apart from reading and commenting on Filmstalker, what do you like to watch?"

Very nice Rich. Does that mean Filmstalker is offline this weekend? No new discussions? ;-)

We call it Holy Week back home, there are no Easter egg hunts, no bunnies, no chocolates so its really more of a spiritual weekend including forms of entertainment that we would watch as a family. I remember when I was a child, the cinemas would show either The Ten Commandments or Jesus Christ Superstar and my parents will like take us to the cinema every year, but since the betamax came out (that certainly gives away my age eh!), we would then rent this films and watch it as a family yearly. I bought the DVD of Ten Commandments and watched it last year and realised how inaccurate the film was, so you acan say, its not a very good adaptation of the portion of the Scriptures.

I watched Passion of the Christ in 2004 and it was very good with regards to the cinematography and Gibson's direction, and I didnt realise they were talking in Hebrew-Aramaic, that's how so involved I got into it, but as for accuracy to the real events well, again it's debatable. But I'll give it to Gibson for the effort.

I would prolly watch a few of the DVDs I still havent opened this weekend, it has to be light though, nothing heavy.

Posted by: Simone | April 13, 2006 5:02 PM

No, no. There's plenty to be written this weekend. Perhaps one day off for me though.

Posted by: Richard Brunton | April 13, 2006 6:50 PM

It´s an impossibility to ask where I live, but... what better to watch in Easter days, and specially those rainy Sundays, than a good 50´s ci-fi flick? You know, giant spiders, octopus, brain eaters, monsters from the outer space in black and white (or colour), and with lots of imagination.

When I was a kid, they programmed these films in Saturdays afternoons. Now they program shit, wrapped in laboratory containers.

Posted by: Peter | April 14, 2006 6:34 PM

People don't celebrate easter here...anyway I've watched 'Thought Crimes' and 'Birth' to spend the weekend..both were fine movies.

Posted by: Amber | April 16, 2006 4:45 AM

I'm outside oiling my garden furniture.

Posted by: Lee | April 16, 2006 8:40 AM

Where's here Amber? Simone, I've yet to see Passion, I'm awaiting it in my rental queue...Still nothing beats The Robe for me...

What are you doing Lee?!

Posted by: Richard Brunton | April 16, 2006 8:45 AM

Richard, I havent seen "The Robe", but on your recommendation I will hunt down the DVD when I go out next and let you know what I thought of it!

Posted by: Simone | April 16, 2006 7:30 PM

My favourite film about the death of Christ is undoubtedly Ben Hur. You never even see Jesus' face but I always find those handful of scenes where he appears in that long movie very moving.

Posted by: Morbius | April 16, 2006 11:10 PM