Happy Easter Everybody

Well, this is most assuredly the strangest and loneliest Easter I have ever had the misfortune of being alive for. Sequestered in our home, unable to attend any services, go anywhere, share with anyone other than my immediate family. Our Easter dinner has been, if not cancelled then at least postponed until further notice.

But there are still ways to celebrate, to maintain some semblance of normalcy in these trying times we are experiencing. We will view some films today which are among our favorites on the subject of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and follow along in the spirit of His word. I will share our favorites with you, add in a little quiz regarding the image above and see if you can identify the actor and film, and hopefully help you smile and find a blessing hidden deeply in our lives right now.

The costar in this film has had a rough Christmas holiday, has had his peers try to kill him, and been chased by aliens.

The film The Robe, starring Victor Mature, Sir Richard Burton, Jean Simmons and Michael Renne was based upon the book of the same name authored by Lloyd C. Douglas and arrived in theaters in 1953. It tells the tale of a Roman tribune who was handed the task of crucifying Jesus. He takes the robe which has Jesus' blood on it and it haunts him, causing him physical pain as he uses it as a shelter from a rain storm.

This is the story of those directly involved with Jesus' Crucifixion, allowing us to view persons on both sides of the conflict between Rome and early Christians. Masterfully directed, acted and filled with human intrigue, The Robe is one of my all time favorites.

Not the atrocity that was the 2016 remake, but the original 1959 masterpiece starring Charlton Heston which gathered in eleven (that's 11) Academy Awards. I mean, why in the world would you try to remake an 11 time Oscar winning film?! You must be delusional, or at least stupid I suppose.

While not necessarily an Easter film per se, Ben Hur details the life of one man, Judah Ben Hur, along his life from his wealth and prosperous life through his accidental downfall, slavery and then rise once more to prominence. Along the way he encounters Jesus twice, once as a slave, the next as Jesus is en route to his Crucifixion.

Powerful, wide sweeping and filled with amazing sets and action, Ben Hur ranks among the very best films of all time.

The person in the photo above has played death, savior from death, and a bringer of death.

Another film not necessarily telling the story of Easter, yet because of its being shown primarily during the Easter/Passover time frame in my formative years, I associate it with Easter.

Another Charllton Heston larger than life character, filled with "a cast of thousands", Cecil B DeMille's magnus opus is one of the greatest films to ever grace the silver screen. Another multiple Academy Award nominee film, this story of Moses leading the Jews out of bondage and from under Rameses thumb as slaves is timeless. Heston plays Moses, while Yul Brynner IS Rameses. The confrontation between the two former "friends" is both powerful and heartbreaking at times, filled with egos so large the screen barely contains them in their roles.

Filled with actors whom I had never heard of before, and containing perhaps the most honest and truthful scenes of Christ's treatment and suffering in His final hours on earth, The Passion of the Christ is without a doubt the most difficult film I have ever forced myself to sit through. Not because it was bad, far from it; rather that it tells the story in such a straightforward manner, unblinking and unflinching in its attempt to relive Christ's crucifixion and His suffering by the hands of mortals that it forces one to truly identify with what He went though for us, for our sins.

I absolutely cannot get through this without crying, sometimes even sobbing at the cruelty displayed towards Jesus, even if I know it is but a film, these are actors, and no one was really hurt during the filming. But it was His life, His struggle, His pain that is put on display for us to witness, and to remember. We are here with a chance at redemption, for a better life all because of what He did for us, and as that is displayed in this film I can really identify with His struggle in a real time, real emotion moment.

Few films are more powerful and the fact that it is in subtitles while the words spoken are Latin, Hebrew and Aramaic does not detract from its greatness one iota. Watch it, I beg you; if only to make known to your soul what He did for us, now and always.

The film which this image is from, while not truly a pandemic situation film, is considered to be a Science Fiction film, a post apocalyptic film in which the pandemic is the means to the world's end.

Okay, one more tip (if you don't get it here, you might never get it): monkeys.

From my grandparents; I still have it. Please share your memories of Easter, your thoughts on my film choices, and your thoughts on your favorite Easter films. And give me your guesses on who the actor is in the image. I will tell you right or wrong in the comments.

Take care, and may God bless on this sacred day.