Thursday Film Picks- Easter

 

Wandering Through The Shelves originated and still does this fun post but only twice per month now instead of every week but I love doing this so I pick my own theme when she is taking a break. Since Easter is almost upon us, I am going with some Easter movies that I watched every year at this time. It became a family tradition and here is the first…

1. EASTER PARADE-1948

I have to choose this musical because , well, duh! This film stars Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Ann Miller about a famous dance and song team, Astaire and Miller who are romantically involved when Miller decides to break up the cat so she can hit the big leagues. Astaire meets Garland and tries to mold her into Miller’s style but it doesn’t work. He realizes, finally, that she is great but in her own way and they become a great team much to Miller’s chagrin. This is a fun, breezy musical with a lot of Irving Berlin tunes including the title song. Fred Astaire was “retired” but when Gene Kelly broke his ankle, he asked Astaire to replace him. Garland was better than average on the set and Cyd Charisse was supposed to be in Miller’s role but she tore up her leg muscles and in came Miller. 

2. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS-1956

Well, duh…lol. Of course this is a must see film for Easter starring God, er,  I mean Charlton Heston, as Moses before he found his God. This virile, sexy, man about pyramid is raised as an Egyptian and even walks like one. He is not like his “bro” virile, baldy, Yul Brynner, who wants to abuse the slaves and make them work for nothing who also lusts after his sister, Nefertiri, played by sexy Anne Baxter. Nefie only has eyes for her cousin, Moses and he lusts after her too. Unfortunately, it all comes out that Moses is Hebrew and therefore, a slave and is driven into the desert to meet up with Lily Munster, I mean, Yvonne De Carlo who is a shepherdess with 6 other sisters who are hard up for a man but Yvonne gets her Moses. Of course then he meets the burning bush( get you minds out of the gutter), his hair turns white and he becomes boring as sand. He and his family head back to the city where he wants his people freed and after many nasty things happen including the freaky green Angels of Death pay a visit and kill the first born sons, Yul lets  his slaves go and the thousands take off happy as a lark. Are they happy? Of course not, they just have to listen to Little Caesar, aka Edward G. Robinson, and despite all the miracles to save them, they decide to betray Moses and have an orgy around a gold statue. No, not the Oscar, but a golden calf, that they lust after while Moses is receiving the 10 Commandments from the finger of God. When he finally reappears with a bigger beard and whiter, he is pissed. I always thought Moses could have done a lot more if he just stayed where he was but nooooo, he went all martyrdom and became very boring. Hahahaaa. This is still a fun frolic that I love watching every year. I love the drama and the way Anne delivers her lines as she lusts after Moses plus the special effects are great.

3. BEN-HUR-1959

Another mega-biblical epic starring Chuck Heston as Ben Hur who is a wealthy Jewish man with a mom and sister and a really good childhood friend who happens to be Roman. Of course accidents happen when a roof tile falls onto a Roman soldier and Ben Hur is arrested by his friend and sent to become a slave on a ship while his mom and sis are thrown into prison and his house left to rot. When Ben Hur is thirsty, a man gives him water saving him so he can be a slave on the ship of a Roman. When the ship is sunk, Ben Hur saves the Roman who decides to make him his adopted, very grown up son. Ben Hur arrives back home but out for blood and to win the great chariot race. There is more to this story with Ben Hur giving a man water, the same man who did the same for him years before, as the man is heading to his crucifiction. This film won 11 Oscars, not sure it deserved ll of them but it’s a biggy without doubt. I love the fact that William Wyler, the director, told Steven Boyd, the actor who played Mesala, Hur’s best friend, to act as if he was in love with Ben Hur because they both knew what a prude Heston was and would never catch on…he never did. Love it!

What Easter movies did you watch?

Oh, I hope you watch the clip below of Ann Miller dancing to “Shaking The Blues Away” from “Easter Parade”. She was married to an abusive, alcoholic who threw her down the stairs while she was pregnant. She lost her baby, could never have children afterwards and she broke her back. She did all the dancing in a back brace!