By Alexander Villafania
DAGUPAN CITY, PANGASINAN – It’s the Holy Week again and there’s still a lot of things to do other than reflect. While some are heading to the provinces, or going on their own vacations, others will be staying home. What to do this Lenten season won’t be much of a problem as there are multitudes of things that can keep an idle mind occupied after praying the Rosary or attending a pabasa.
Interestingly, people can choose to watch some movies during the weekend. There are a few foreign and local classics that can be rented out from your favorite video shops such as Video City.
1. The Ten Commandments – Marked as the most classic film by Cecil DeMille, this 1956 film started off the epic Lenten movies. It starred Charlton Heston and Yul Bryner, who played Moses and Ramses II, respectively. This nearly four-hour long movie is always played by one or two of the free TV channels during the Lenten season. It achieved an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
2. The Greatest Story Ever Told – Nine years after The Ten Commandments, Heston again played in a religious film. This time, he played John the Baptist in The Greatest Story Ever Told about the life of Jesus Christ. The movie had mixed reactions from critics but still, it captured much of the essence of the Biblical story of Christ.
3. Last Temptation of Christ – Martin Scorsese made an important but controversial mark with his interpretation of Christ’s life in the film adaptation of the same, equally controversial novel. In particular, Scorsese added a scene wherein a married Christ was making love to Mary Magdalene. American actor Willem Defoe (later known as Green Goblin in the first Spider-Man film) played Christ.
4. The Passion of the Christ – THE most controversial of the lot, this film is the most graphic depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In many screenings, people were so disgusted with the scenes that they walked out crying. Perhaps this was the intention of director Mel Gibson, who incidentally got caught later making antisemetic slurs in a drunken stupor.
And now for some Filipino films:
1. Himala – Nora Aunor’s dramatic portrayal of a fake healer showed that there is weakness even in believing in the power of God. The movie and Aunor won several awards. Premier director Ishmael Bernal showed an artistic yet thought-provoking commentary on poverty and misguided beliefs.
2. Tanging Yaman – All the melo-drama that Filipino movie watchers could enjoy is placed in this star-studded film by Director Laurice Guillen. Yet it still lends lessons about families and the bonds weaved by a parent that keeps her family together.
3. Magnifico – Child actor Jiro Manio shot to fame in this inspiring story about a child’s pursuits to help his family get over their poverty. Not only did this film by Maryo De los Reyes sweeped domestic awards in 2004, it also won two awards during the Berlin International Film Festival that same year.
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