Seen any good "Easter" movies lately?

Should that list include "The Ten Commandments"? That's a question worth discussing

It’s the obvious Eastern Orthodox editorial comment for today, although its doctrinal content will be embraced by traditional Christians around the world: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life!”

Let’s see, what is that in Arabic? “Masīh qām min baīni’l-amwāt  Wa wati’ al-mawt bi’l-mawt Wa wahab al-hayāt Lil-ladhīna fī’l-qubūr!”

I am a convert to the Antiochian Orthodox Christian faith (our patriarch lives on the Street called Straight in Damascus), but I live in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee. I don’t speak Arabic, or Greek. But, the throng of believers here at our local parish (the vast majority are converts), have learned to sing this celebratory hymn in multiple languages.

Meanwhile, check out this classic video of a flash-mob celebration in a public mall in Beirut, Lebanon.

So, to all who are celebrating, have a blessed Easter! In the ancient churches of the Christian East, we celebrate Pascha.

I’ll send this weekend’s post to the whole list!

OK, let me segue way into the “On Religion” column for this week, which is directly linked to Easter. It opens with a discussion of one of the classic movies that Hollywood considers one of the great “Easter” movies of all time. What is that flick? Read on.

But this column does discuss several important questions, such as “What is an Easter movie?” or “What is a Catholic movie?” These questions are at the heart of any traditional Christian discussion of the arts.

So, here is the column that shipped for use this weekend — as posted at the Religion Unplugged website.

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For more than 50 years ABC, with very few exceptions, has offered "The Ten Commandments" as the network's featured film for Holy Week.

Nothing says "Easter" like a showdown between Moses, the 13th Century Hebrew prophet, and the pharaoh Ramses the Great and the gods of Egypt.

"Why is The Ten Commandments an Easter movie? Part of me thinks they play it because people think it's a generic Christian movie," said Joe Wilson, one of the writers behind the "100 Movies Every Catholic Should See" website. "Digging deeper, you could make an argument for Moses as a messiah figure leading the Israelites out of Egypt into a kind baptism and resurrection, with their march through the Red Sea."

Director Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 classic -- with Charlton Heston as Moses -- is a biblical epic appealing to Judeo-Christian audiences. It's perfect for the Jewish Passover season that falls close to Easter, or Pascha on the ancient calendar of the Eastern churches. This is a year when Easter and Pascha fall on the same Sunday.

It is interesting, noted Wilson, that major networks have not, through the years, aired movies with traditional depictions of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, such as "The King of Kings." NBC has created "Jesus Christ Superstar Live!", the network's hip take on the popular, but also controversial, musical.

Easter movies often appear on cable channels, such as Turner Classic Movies offering "The Greatest Story Ever Told." Other options have included the four-part "Jesus of Nazareth" series directed by Franco Zeffirelli or the movie version of the musical "Godspell." It would certainly be controversial to feature Mel Gibson's R-rated "The Passion of the Christ" on basic cable, even the version without its most violent images.

Perhaps, said Wilson, a network should show "something like 'Ben-Hur.' That's another classic, also with Charlton Heston, and it contains some Holy Week imagery — although it doesn't show the resurrection."

This Easter movie puzzle is a perfect demonstration of why feature films are so important in American culture. However, what many viewers will consider a classic movie may be considered second-rate or even scandalous to others.

Thus, Wilson and his colleagues -- Samuel Morales and Cameron DeLaFleur -- decided to name their online project "100 Movies Every Catholic Should See” instead of "100 Catholic Movies." DeLaFleur and Wilson recently addressed the "Catholic movie" debates when they published a list of short versions of the website's first 100 essays.

"All great films, regardless of genre, are 'catholic' in the sense that they touch on universal themes of human existence," they wrote. "Our list reflects the wonderful diversity of cinematic history, including (we hope) something for everyone that can draw them into deeper contemplation of God, his truth, and the meaning and beauty of human life.

"There are many films with explicitly Catholic themes, including a couple of saintly biopics (A Man for All Seasons, The Reluctant Saint), biblical stories (Prince of Egypt, The Passion of the Christ), and even a story written by a pope and saint himself (The Jeweller's Shop). Catholicism's rich symbolic tradition, complex doctrines, and well-known hierarchical structure have made it a common subject of filmmakers."

There are many classic movies that include what are clearly Catholic themes, images and characters, while also containing plenty of violence and bad language. To name an obvious example, said Wilson, "we put 'The Godfather' in our list. That's a movie with a Catholic ethos and strong Catholic imagery -- especially in the powerful baptism scene -- that shows Michael Corleone's descent into becoming, almost, a kind of anti-Christ."

The website's next 100 films will include "The Exorcist," a landmark R-rated horror movie written by the late William Peter Blatty, a conservative, articulate Catholic.

There is more to this project than creating another list of "clean," "safe" movies, Wilson explained. The goal was to address film in the same way that Catholic writers and leaders have addressed the fine arts and literature.

"Very often, it seemed like -- at least when we encountered Catholics talking about films -- it was all about what you shouldn't see, what you shouldn't go watch. You know, 'This movie is offensive,' 'This movie has sex scenes in it,' or whatever. … As young Catholics, we wanted to take a more positive approach."