Great Movies to Watch During the Easter Holiday

Most people can easily list their favorite Christmas, Thanksgiving and other major holiday movies. But how many of us have a list of films we enjoy every Easter?

The holiest holiday of the Christian calendar has spawned numerous adaptions of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. From the early days of Hollywood (1953's "The Robe") and the recent spate of Christianity-based fare on offer at the cineplex (2014's "Son of God"), to "A.D. 

Even those looking for lighter Easter-themed fare need only look to Fred Astaire and Judy Garland ("Easter Parade") and the Peanuts gang ("It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown") for something to view this weekend.

Here, in no particular order, a list of the best Easter movies:

While Jesus’s other big celebration gets all the movie treatment, there was never a lot to choose from on Easter.  At one point, it was the crystal toothed straight-to-DVD Jesus, Bruce Marchiano, with his blue-ish eyes, perfect Americanized accent, and healing powers to boot. In 2004, it was the dark and mysterious Jim Caviezel Jesus, who winded up Mel Gib-sonned in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.  And back in the day, we got a Ted Neeley diva-like Jesus, who discoed his bare feet through a resurrection while singing lyrical messages of straight proverbial fire in Jesus Christ Superstar. 

Films with Christian themes still sell, and Netflix remains a huge housing station to all that. So if it’s even a little Christian-ey or a little Jesus-ey, it was added to the list. 

"The Robe" (1953)

Richard Burton plays military tribune Marcellus Gallio who commands the Roman unit that crucifies Jesus. In a dice game, Gallio wins the robe Jesus wore and is told it will serve as a reminder of his first crucifixion. Haunted by nightmares of the act he has participated in, Gallio slowly begins to believe the robe is having an effect on his life. Over time he comes to understand what Jesus was trying to achieve, and eventually converts to Christianity - much to the disgust of his peers and his father, an important Roman Senator. "The Robe" was also the first film ever to be released featuring the widescreen process known as CinemaScope.

The Matrix

Let’s just remind ourselves that Keanu Reeves is immortal, and by extension, is probably Jesus. That much is proven. But then there’s the allegory fodder of The Matrix by the Wachowskis (now Lana and Lilly Wachowski). A story that features “The One”, who is “tempted” to switch sides by AI-driven agents, the devils of the series initially. Then he’s guided along to his destiny by Morpheus played by Laurence Fishburne, a black John the Baptist. And finally, ultimately, rises above it all to discover that he’s the saviour to all of mankind after technically dying and resurrecting himself to become “The One.” It’s about Jesus-ey as it can possibly get in within science fiction.

"Easter Parade" (1948)

Starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire and featuring music by Irving Berlin, "Easter Parade" definitely falls on the lighter end of the Easter movie spectrum. Astair stars as a dancer suddenly bereft of a partner when his former colleague (Ann Miller) departs the duo for a solo career. Astair's character finds a replacement in a chorus dancer who can not only move, but has a great singing voice (Garland). The movie features beloved numbers such as "It Only Happens When I Dance With You," "A Couple of Swells" and of course, "Easter Parade."

"Jesus of Nazareth" (1977)

Italian director Franco Zeffirelli's dramatic take on the life of Christ is a television mini-series produced in Britain. Robert Powell portrays Jesus alongside an all-star cast that includes Christopher Plummer, Anne Bancroft, Laurence Olivier, Claudia Cardinale, Ian McShane, Olivia Hussey, James Mason, Ian Holm and Anthony Quinn.

"Ben-Hur" (1959)

Charlton Heston is Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish merchant of noble blood in this sword-and-sandals historical epic that begins with the birth of Jesus and ends with the titular character witnessing the Crucifixion. Thanks to an act he did not commit, Ben-Hur ends up a slave who must fight his way back to the land and the woman he loves. One key scene involves Ben-Hur being denied water when his slave gang arrives at Nazareth. He collapses and a local carpenter (who is revealed to be Jesus) comes to his aid against the orders of the Roman guards. The nine-minute chariot battle featured in the movie became a hallmark of great cinematic moments and the film went on to win eleven Academy Awards including Best Picture.

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"The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965)

Max Von Sydow portrays Jesus in this three-plus hour movie that also features Charlton Heston as John the Baptist and follows the life of Christ from Nativity to Resurrection. Other notable stars in the movie include Angela Lansbury, Jose Ferrer, Telly Savalas and Dorothy McGuire, and it marks the final film of Claude Rains.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

The Jesus look for the Americanized modern day; feared by the people he most wants to save, while wearing the knitted red and blue. Zack Snyder’s Superman has been the most visual example to the allegory of an almighty Christ. Its original creators from infancy alluded to his Christian roots. We’re not going to spend too much time talking about how terrible this plot was with the “Why did you say that name?” line. Just know, that as far as the Jesus-y symbolism goes, this one stacks up. (Ben Affleck’s ‘Batman’ is clearly a doubting Saint Peter, btw.)

Silence

An ultimate examination of what one can go through when having a crisis of faith; the Christian belief in something that isn’t seen. Martin Scorsese’s 2016 filmSilence is punishing, both in length and in its refusal to provide the viewer any sort of relief. Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver play two priests who leave Portugal for Japan in search of a third priest in Liam Neeson, who they believe committed apostasy. Add in a culture that once treated Christianity as if it were illegal, punishable by death in the 17th-century, and it’s easy to see where this is going.

The Prince of Egypt

It wasn’t the most historically accurate film, but to their credit, they got the right shade of color on these Egyptians for once. Dreamworks in 1998 went on to tackle the story of Moses by adding in some of the most catchy songs ever gifted to humanity thanks for the legendary Hans Zimmer. It also included a decent script from the mind of Philip LaZebnick ( Pocahontas/ Mulan), and was directed by Brenda Chapman, the first woman to direct a feature-length Pixar film— Brave. Nothing bad here.

"It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" (1974)

In this, the 12th prime-time television outing to feature the Peanuts gang, Linus tries to convince everyone the Easter Beagle will make the holiday a success when he arrives on Easter morning. After Linus' previous belief in the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and co. don't buy in to his ideas. Even Sally has trouble keeping the faith in her "sweet baboo" following her previous disillusionment at Halloween. Of course, by the time Easter morning arrives so does the Easter Beagle (Snoopy), just in time to distribute eggs.

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

Directed by Martin Scorsese, it's one of the more controversial retellings of Jesus' life, with Willem Dafoe as Jesus, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate, and Harry Dean Stanton as Paul. Throughout the film, Jesus is tempted by the various sins he must overcome, including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance and lust.

Kingdom of Heaven

In case it wasn’t already clear, Christians and Muslims have been going at it well before the respective religions became tax exempted. So here-in comesGladiator’s Ridley Scott with a historical epic surrounding the crusades and the Holy Land. Starring Orlando Bloom as a village blacksmith in France, he discovers that he’s actually the illegitimate son of Crusader, Sir Godfrey (Liam Neeson). Despite the religious conflicts woven within, which mostly reflected our own, it never came off as anti-Muslim, or pro-Christian film in its many stances; just a whole lot of sword on sword, blood-serviced comfort food.

The Passion Of The Christ

This is Mel Gibson adding a lot of cinematography (and blood) along with bells and whistles to a story that’s been told for the umpteenth time. And yes, while this is still a story about Jesus, it’s important to note just how different (and controversial) this was in 2004. Instead of the traditional focus on proverbial bars, and the slow progression towards death, Gibson went straight into the direction of carnage; zeroing in on the persecution of Christ with excruciating detail. Make no mistake, despite its religious intentions, this will always be considered the quintessential Christian horror film.

You also can’t watch this film without thinking about Mel Gibson’s notorious anti-Semitic comments and how the movie was criticized by the Jewish community.

Also, Gibson is making a Passion sequel. OK then!

Hacksaw Ridge

Here’s Mel Gibson again with the on-screen savagery in this 2016 biographical war drama. Sure, he’s one of the worst humans (seriously, there are too many awful things to list) but someone keeps letting him direct horror films disguised as history. To understand the placement of this film on this list is to imagine a soldier named Desmond Doss, played by Andrew Garfield, rummaging through bodies absent a gun because his pacifist beliefs as a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian don’t allow it. Another film that tackles the questions of faith without being preachy and monotonous in doing so.

Jesus Camp

“When I dance, I really have to make sure that that’s God because people will notice when I’m dancing for the flesh.” says one Jesus Camp attendee, Tori Binger, whose looks like she’s no more than ten years old. The statement is brewed with the nuttiness that encompasses this whole damn documentary about the cultish side of southern Christianity.

The Ten Commandments

I mean, I guess I gotta put this here and pretend like it hasn’t already been seen several hundred times before. Sure, I’m still not crazy about the white folks in Egyptian paints thing, but this the shining example what a hefty production could do to an over-told story in 1958. Even if you weren’t a Christian kid forced to watch this on ABC every easter, you had to appreciate the epicness of a water turning into blood and a parted sea. Charlton Heston, of course, played Moses who had to lead his Hebrew folks to freedom, and every spring,you're reminded of how much it became the Home Alone of the Easter holiday.

One could argue Ben-Hur is the better Charlton Heston Easter movie but it’s not on Netflix, so argument over.

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