As Lent draws to a close, we're perhaps a little self-conscious about how we spend our television time. Should we turn away from the screen, watch only Catholic programming, skip our favorite game show in favor of the Mass of the day?
Those are good choices, of course; but enjoying a movie in the evening after dinner is not “wrong” -- it can still be a great way to end a hectic day.
In fact, a great movie can make us smile, can make us stop and think, while at the same time drawing us closer to God.
The Passion and a Prince
Some films, like Mel Gibson's 2004 classic The Passion of the Christ, starring Jim Caviezel as the crucified Christ, bring the Scriptures to life in a profound way.
Production on the long-awaited sequel, The Resurrection of the Christ, is underway, with an expected two-part release by Lionsgate in 2027, on March 26 (Good Friday) and May 6.
On the other hand, DreamWorks' 1998 animated film The Prince of Egypt tells an Old Testament story in a way that will make you laugh and will appeal to the entire family, even the exuberant preschoolers. (Both The Passion of the Christ and The Prince of Egypt are available through Amazon Prime, among other places)
Risen
Even imagined events from the life of Christ can make for meaningful viewing -– so check out the 2016 biblical drama Risen.
Joseph Fiennes stars as Clavius, a dedicated Roman soldier who embarks on a search for the missing body of Jesus, but comes to believe that Jesus really was the Christ and really rose from the dead. Risen is available on Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube and elsewhere.
The Ten Commandments
As it has seemingly since time immemorial (or at least since 1973), this 1956 Cecil B. deMille classic returns to ABC, airing at the earlier time (it's 3 hours and 39 minutes long, uninterrupted) at 7 p.m. Eastern (check local listings).
Celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, the epic stars Charlton Heston as Moses, who rises from being a disgraced prince of Egypt to leading the Israelites to the Promised Land (and it was actually shot in Egypt, and on the Paramount lot in Hollywood).
It's a spectacle of the first order, with larger-than-life performances from Heston, Yul Brynner as Pharaoh Rameses II, and Anne Baxter as the Egyptian princess caught between them.
The film is always shown near Easter, but it's actually a Passover story.
If you don't have access to broadcast TV, The Ten Commandments can also be streamed on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Fandango at Home and several other services.
Beyond the Bible:
Miracles From Heaven
And while the life of Christ is a worthwhile point of focus during this week before Easter, simple and wholesome movies can also encourage virtue.
Here are just a few classic films which inspire virtue in the viewer, and which thus are ideal for those last days leading up to the solemn reflections of Good Friday.
Miracles From Heaven (2016) is reportedly based on a true story. Ten-year-old Anna Beam (played by Kylie Rogers) has a rare, incurable disease; and her mother Christy (Jennifer Garner) works tirelessly to find a solution. When young Anna falls from a tree, she is miraculously healed, to the amazement of medical specialists.
The faith which blankets Anna Beam's family and her whole town is an inspiration to viewers. Miracles From Heaven is available to rent or purchase through Amazon Prime.
Heaven Is for Real
In the 2014 drama, Greg Kinnear plays Todd Burpo, a father whose son Colton (Connor Corum) has a near-death experience and reports that while visiting heaven, he actually got to meet Jesus.
Colton talked enthusiastically about things he learned during his heavenly experience –- things he could not have known. For example, Colton surprised his father with stories about his sister who had died, and about whom no one had ever told him.
I confess that Heaven Is for Real holds a special place in my heart because when it was released in 2014, I attended a press junket where I met the real Colton Burpo and the young actor who played him; the two kids were full of energy and spent their time darting back and forth in the hotel hallways, playing an action-packed game of tag.
The film is available to view on Tubi, or for rent or purchase on Prime.
Image: Canva
Kathy Schiffer writes regularly for the National Catholic Register and Catholic World Report, and for other Catholic publications, including Evangelization and Culture, Crisis Magazine, Aleteia, Zenit, the Michigan Catholic, and Legatus Magazine. She’s worked for Catholic and other Christian ministries since 1988, as radio producer, director of special events, and media-relations coordinator.
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