Thread: Easter television Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.


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Posted by Casineb (# 15588) on :
 
I've been looking at the TV schedule for the Easter weekend and I'm struggling to find religious programming which is appropriate to the holiday. Aside from two church services on Easter Sunday, there is just one film depicting the Passion. This is the principle of the Christian year, and there is only one film from 1961 to mark the day.

Is it just me who is deeply saddened by this? [Frown] A sign of an increasingly irreligious society.

Is this a sign of the irrelevance of Christianity to society at large in 2016?

[ 22. March 2016, 21:16: Message edited by: Casineb ]
 
Posted by mark_in_manchester (# 15978) on :
 
What about this ? BBC4, Easter Sunday, 7pm.

My mate is singing in it - I volunteer at the homelessness project from which a good lump of the cast is drawn, including the bloke whose picture adorns the promo pictures. I think it might be rather good, so long as everyone stays off the sauce!
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
We're just about to watch "The Battle for Christianity" on the BBC.

And Mary Berry's seasonal baking programmes are properly Easter-focussed (not that I'm a great fan of hers).

[ 22. March 2016, 21:54: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Casineb:

You may find this article to be of interest...

Happy Crossmas: Why Easter Stubbornly Resists The Commericalization That Swallowed Christmas
 
Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on :
 
Church doors will be open over Easter, services will be publicized and held. People have the freedom to partake in Christian practice if they wish.

As individual Christians we have the freedom to play religious videos or recorded music.
TV is for the masses, religion is no longer it's opiate.
 
Posted by cliffdweller (# 13338) on :
 
In the US I don't recall us ever having much special programming for Easter. One of the networks will replay "Sound of Music"-- that's about as close as we'll get to religious programming. I don't think there's even an Easter-related "Peanuts" special.

But, as others noted, we're expecting a full house at church-- and the local chicken & waffles place I'm sure is gearing up for a record day.
 
Posted by mark_in_manchester (# 15978) on :
 
Also BBC 1, Easter Sunday 6:05pm - Paul O'Grady and the Sally Army.
 
Posted by Casineb (# 15588) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
Casineb:

You may find this article to be of interest...

Happy Crossmas: Why Easter Stubbornly Resists The Commericalization That Swallowed Christmas
I did find this interesting. Thanks for sharing. However, I don't equate commercialisation with religious programming.
 
Posted by Nick Tamen (# 15164) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Casineb:
Is it just me who is deeply saddened by this? [Frown] A sign of an increasingly irreligious society.
I'm sure it's not just you, but to be honest, my reaction is quite the opposite. Personally, I'm glad there are few if any Easter movies or Easter specials on TV, partially for the reasons stated in the article Stetson shared.

Personally, I don't see it as a sign of an increasingly irreligious society. (I do see plenty of other signs of that, though.) When I was a kid, "The Ten Commandments" was always shown at Easter/Passover. I didn't see that as a sign of religious society, except insofar as it said that advertisers and TV execs thought there was enough of a market for them to make money by showing it.

But take me with a grain of salt—I also spend much of December, and now November, avoiding the stream of Christmas movies and specials on TV and the incessant holiday music on the radio. I do this not because I'm less religious, but because those things detract rather than add to my experience of the holiness and mystery of Advent and Christmas. I'm happy for Easter to stay in churches, homes and other gatherings of the faithful.
 
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
I don't think there's even an Easter-related "Peanuts" special.
It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown!
[Razz]
 
Posted by Casineb (# 15588) on :
 
This was a rather rushed post and I've reconsidered my position a little. But to clarify, I'm not lamenting the lack of any overly-commercialised Easter season, nor do I want a month of Easter-themed television. I think it would be nice to have more Christian films rather than the usual animated films that crop up on the TV schedule every holiday.
 
Posted by Hedgehog (# 14125) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Casineb:
I've been looking at the TV schedule for the Easter weekend and I'm struggling to find religious programming which is appropriate to the holiday.
Apparently, you don't have access to Turner Classic Movies. For Easter Sunday their U.S. schedule is as follows:


In that list, the only one that does not have a religious aspect is "Easter Parade."
 
Posted by Alan Cresswell (# 31) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Nick Tamen:
When I was a kid, "The Ten Commandments" was always shown at Easter/Passover. I didn't see that as a sign of religious society
I would put The Ten Commandments well and truly into the category of secular movies based on a religious theme. When I read Exodus, I tend to see Moses more as a wimpy kid, and Charlton Heston does not have "wimpy kid" in his repertoire. That categorisation is true of the vast majority of TV drama and film, both at Easter and Christmas. There are also a lot of "holiday movies" that have no religious content at all, especially at Christmas - think White Christmas, Home Alone or Die Hard. There is plenty of scope for our TV schedules to be filled with seasonal movies and dramas and still be devoid of religious content.

But, is that a problem? Do we depend on TV to give us our bit of seasonal religion? And, even if there was a decent selection of genuine religious broadcasting (eg: church services, a performance of Messiah, some documentaries) with millions of channels to choose (not to mention streaming movies, the old fogies with their DVD collection, or even the 'off' button) from it'll only be a minority of people who watch.
 
Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
I usually shudder at the idea of Easter/Passion TV. That's because of being exposed to way too many so-called "History" Channel garbage about Jesus and his alleged wife/Hindu background/violent zealot background/world travels/random magic tricks. It's like the 12 days of Blasphemas. [Projectile]
 
Posted by Alan Cresswell (# 31) on :
 
There is, of course, the usual difference between "something on TV" and "something worth watching on TV".
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Casineb:
quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
Casineb:

You may find this article to be of interest...

Happy Crossmas: Why Easter Stubbornly Resists The Commericalization That Swallowed Christmas
I did find this interesting. Thanks for sharing. However, I don't equate commercialisation with religious programming.
Well, the bitter truth mught be that more commericalization would mean more programming of the type you'd like to see.

When a movie studio releases a nativity film for Christmas, they're doing it because they want to make money off of people who like nativity films. Extrapolating from that to a hypothetical world where the public is really interested in watching movies about the Passion...
 
Posted by Gamaliel (# 812) on :
 
Baptist Trainfan mentioned Robert Beckford's provocatively titled 'The Battle for Christianity', shown last night after the late BBC national and regional news and running 10 minutes behind schedule due to extended coverage of the terrible events in Belgium.

I'll open a new thread for any Shippies who saw it.
 
Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on :
 
Of course the real reason is that those with a religious bent will be out for the whole time at services, parades, marches etc.

The rest of us will be at home watching "OMG how hideous is that we must keep watching".
 
Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
Good Friday morning has a programme about Judas by the Rev'd Kate Botley of Gogglebox fame.
 
Posted by Anyuta (# 14692) on :
 
Ben Hur. Every Easter in my childhood this was shown, right after "The Ten Commandments".

To tell you the truth, I don't much care about what is shown on TV for any holiday. I'm (personally) more bothered by the common practice of celebrating Easter before Easter. Parties, egg-rolls etc, held not just by schools and communities, but also by churches. I get that not every church follows a liturgical calendar, and that holy-week is not viewed as particularly holy by many faithful Christians, but it still bothers me (and this is not even taking into account the fact that my own Pascha is not for several weeks yet). Seems to me that if you are commemorating the resurrection based on a liturgical calendar, you might at least give SOME thought to the events that led up to that event, and not hold parties.

But that clearly shows my own bias.

As for Easter TV: on years when Pascha and Easter coincide, I tend not to be watching TV at all during Holy Week (too busy at church services or cooking) nor on the day of the Resurrection (too busy partying). So if there was Easter-themed programming, I would miss it anyway.
 
Posted by stonespring (# 15530) on :
 
I asked if anyone had "Mystery Worshipped" a particularly, um, "interesting" pop-song infused television special called "The Passion" aired on FOX in the US on Palm Sunday in Eccles.

http://forum.ship-of-fools.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=008377

I think it's been done before in the UK and The Netherlands. Has anyone seen it?
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
A few Christmases ago the big religious movie release was Moses Prince of Egypt, with Christian Bale (better known as Batman) in the title role. It covered much the same ground as The Ten Commandments. I stood out in the lobby after the showing, waiting for children to come out of the restroom, and agreed with another waiting lady that the Charlton Heston version was better.
 
Posted by Trudy Scrumptious (# 5647) on :
 
Oh, I think Prince of Egypt is about three hundred thousand times better, both as a movie and as an adaptation of the Biblical text, than The Ten Commandments. And I have watched both movies many, many, many, many times when my kids were younger.

But there you go; tastes differ.

It's Val Kilmer, not Christian Bale, voicing Moses in that movie. Unless you mean the much more recent (2014) "Exodus: Gods and Kings" which does have Christian Bale. I haven't seen that one. Prince of Egypt is an animated movie and musical, and is absolutely fabulous.

[ 23. March 2016, 13:02: Message edited by: Trudy Scrumptious ]
 
Posted by bib (# 13074) on :
 
There is nothing on tv about Easter where I live.However, there is a community group that is holding a Monster market day on Good Friday with lots of bells and whistles, fun and frivolity and a promise of attendance by the Easter bunny. This is starting at 9am and lasts well into the afternoon. A disturbing sideline is that those who don't see anything wrong with holding this on Good Friday wouldn't dream of holding a similar function on Anzac Day which seems to have become the quasi religious service for those who don't bother with church. I think we are fighting a losing battle to retain the important Christian observances. You are likely to hear the question "what's Jesus got to do with Easter" if you raise the subject.
 
Posted by Trudy Scrumptious (# 5647) on :
 
My one visit to Australia there was at Easter, and I found Easter there (in comparison to Canada) to be much more commercialized and secularized in the way that we in North America complain about Christmas being. Here, Easter is mainly a religious holiday, with a commercial side roughly comparable to Valentine's Day in terms of cards and chocolate, but the "secular Easter" seemed to be a much much bigger deal in Australia (to my Canadian perspective).
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
Oh, you're right -- I posted before drinking my cup of coffee. Definitely the Christian Bale movie was Exodus. At the time I wrote a review of it and my brain should have been more deft.
 
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :
 
There is no Dr Who Easter Special?
 
Posted by Tubbs (# 440) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by LeRoc:
There is no Dr Who Easter Special?
Sadly not. Christmas special and back properly in 2017. [Waterworks] [Waterworks]

I shall console myself with reruns.

Tubbs
 
Posted by Trudy Scrumptious (# 5647) on :
 
Death and resurrection might be a bit ho-hum for Doctor Who.
 
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :
 
quote:
stonespring: I asked if anyone had "Mystery Worshipped" a particularly, um, "interesting" pop-song infused television special called "The Passion" aired on FOX in the US on Palm Sunday in Eccles.

http://forum.ship-of-fools.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=008377

I think it's been done before in the UK and The Netherlands. Has anyone seen it?
My father was in the Passion that was aired on Dutch TV. At some point, I think the Cross was carried by many people, and he was one of them.
 
Posted by quetzalcoatl (# 16740) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by LeRoc:
There is no Dr Who Easter Special?
The blogger James McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix), talks a lot about the spiritual dimensions of Dr Who, and also other sci-fi stuff. In fact, I guess it has become a kind of cliche.
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by bib:
[QB] There is nothing on tv about Easter where I live.However, there is a community group that is holding a Monster market day on Good Friday with lots of bells and whistles, fun and frivolity and a promise of attendance by the Easter bunny. This is starting at 9am and lasts well into the afternoon. A disturbing sideline is that those who don't see anything wrong with holding this on Good Friday wouldn't dream of holding a similar function on Anzac Day which seems to have become the quasi religious service for those who don't bother with church.
There is a bit of a history of devout patriots taking a rather frivolous attitude toward Good Friday.
 
Posted by Nick Tamen (# 15164) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
I usually shudder at the idea of Easter/Passion TV. That's because of being exposed to way too many so-called "History" Channel garbage about Jesus and his alleged wife/Hindu background/violent zealot background/world travels/random magic tricks. It's like the 12 days of Blasphemas. [Projectile]
That's sort of my feeling. The stuff that isn't History Channel-style sensationalism is too often, at least to my tastes, a bit too sentimental, maudlin or Sunday schoolish.
 
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :
 
In North-East Brazil, a whole village was built as some kind of replica of Jerusalem. It is called Nova Jerusalém (New Jerusalem), and every year a very big Passion is staged there. People say it is the biggest in the world. I saw it once.

[ 23. March 2016, 18:34: Message edited by: LeRoc ]
 
Posted by Arabella Purity Winterbottom (# 3434) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Trudy Scrumptious:
My one visit to Australia there was at Easter, and I found Easter there (in comparison to Canada) to be much more commercialized and secularized in the way that we in North America complain about Christmas being. Here, Easter is mainly a religious holiday, with a commercial side roughly comparable to Valentine's Day in terms of cards and chocolate, but the "secular Easter" seemed to be a much much bigger deal in Australia (to my Canadian perspective).
Dunno about Australia, but Easter is the gardening holiday for many in NZ, particularly if the warm weather is still holding. I haven't noticed much commercial activity out of the ordinary for a holiday weekend.
 
Posted by Hedgehog (# 14125) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Casineb:
A sign of an increasingly irreligious society.

Is this a sign of the irrelevance of Christianity to society at large in 2016?
Setting aside for the moment the accuracy of whether there is or is not religious programming on Easter weekend in whatever location a Shipmate happens to be, it seems to me that there is a basis for discussion on Casineb's underlying question.

First, I think we should limit the question of "the irrelevance of Christianity to society at large" to only those society's that purport to be Christian. The lack of Easter programming in a largely Buddhist society, for example, would be expected and, yes, probably indicative of the lack of relevance of Christianity to that society. By the same token, the lack of Buddhist programming in a purported Christian society would similarly reflect a lack of relevance of Buddhism to that society. However, that doesn't really have deeper significance, since it just reflects that the one society is Christian and the other Buddhist.

So, assuming a Christian society, in 2016, with our current level of technology, does the lack of religious programming on television (assuming, for the sake of argument, that there is a lack) necessarily reflect that Christianity is or is becoming irrelevant to that society? I am not sure that it does.

My reason for thinking that is the proliferation of other sources of entertainment, information and even inspiration in 2016. Television, for decades, was a primary source, but it no longer is. There are streaming services and other internet sites. If one is interested in Christianity, one might reasonably look for an internet Ship to socialize in rather than turn on television. Or, in my personal case, I have become very fond of going to the Vatican website and reading the various speeches and sermons of Pope Francis. I can get my inspirational and religious input from another source than a fictionalized television account (or even a bloated Hollywood spectacular)(Yes, I'm looking at you, DeMille.).

So, in the current tech age, programming on television is different than it was a couple decades back. A couple decades back, the programmers might have felt some sort of social obligation to provide religious-themed programming on television. That compulsion is no longer present as the avenues for the faithful to stream programming or find inspiration have expanded.

So I would hesitate to point to a lack of television programming as being particularly indicative of anything with respect to the relevance of Christianity to that particular society.
 
Posted by gog (# 15615) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Trudy Scrumptious:
Death and resurrection might be a bit ho-hum for Doctor Who.
Don't think so, as they had the Doctor regenerate a couple of years back at Easter, all very resurrection and all
 
Posted by Adeodatus (# 4992) on :
 
In 1988, BBC2 broadcast a recording of Wagner's Parsifal on Good Friday. Never again since.

*Sigh*. We live in the twilight of civilisation.
 
Posted by Gill H (# 68) on :
 
Mary Berry's two programmes were wonderful. She visited people from different Christian and cultural backgrounds - Jamaican Baptists, Polish RCs, Greek and Russian Orthodox and two Archbishops! The food all looked wonderful and her refreshingly natural and unforced discussions about Christianity were a delight. Best Easter programming on the BBC for ages.
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
The Selfish Giant

An old Canadian animation of the Oscar Wilde fairy-tale. Not sure if it was specifically made for Easter, though meteorologically, I'd say the theme is more spring than winter. And pretty clear references to the Passion and the Resurrection at the end.
 
Posted by Doone (# 18470) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Gill H:
Mary Berry's two programmes were wonderful. She visited people from different Christian and cultural backgrounds - Jamaican Baptists, Polish RCs, Greek and Russian Orthodox and two Archbishops! The food all looked wonderful and her refreshingly natural and unforced discussions about Christianity were a delight. Best Easter programming on the BBC for ages.
Totally agree, a delight [Smile]
 
Posted by Gamaliel (# 812) on :
 
That short animation used to 'get' me each time I saw it - the BBC used to show it every year when I was a kid ... [Votive]
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Gamaliel:
That short animation used to 'get' me each time I saw it - the BBC used to show it every year when I was a kid ... [Votive]
Just wondering, but what time of year did the BBC show it?

I think I remember it being shown in Canada as a Christmas thing, but the last time I saw it on TV(more than 30 years ago), I think it was in the early summer. It's one of those stories that can be vaguely slotted into a holiday theme, but can also stand alone.

[ 25. March 2016, 14:18: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
"The Passion" - Sunday evening on BBC4.
 
Posted by Gamaliel (# 812) on :
 
I'm not sure what time of year it was shown, Stetson, but I do remember it being shown for a few years running - although not as regularly as the dubbed French 'Robinson Crusoe' which seemed to be on every few months - so much so that I can still recite entire passages off by heart ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQHB1zd1f5M

And the theme tune is one I can never get out of my head ...
 
Posted by HCH (# 14313) on :
 
An interesting question might be this: What television programs would you prefer to have on Easter weekend (or during Lent) (or during the Epiphany season)? Are there themes you would like to see explored in fiction programs, or would you want recreations of Biblical events or perhaps events in later church history?
 
Posted by shamwari (# 15556) on :
 
Britain is not a Christian country. ( If it ever was.)

So why expect some kind of preferential treatment for the Christian Faith?

Britain is a-religious; amoral and 'a' everything else.
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
An interesting question might be this: What television programs would you prefer to have on Easter weekend (or during Lent) (or during the Epiphany season)? Are there themes you would like to see explored in fiction programs, or would you want recreations of Biblical events or perhaps events in later church history?
Some years ago there was the brilliant "Dateline Jerusalem" which purported to be TV news broadcasts giving you an up-to-date rundown on the political situation, as this oddball preacher from Galilee was getting himself arrested in Jerusalem.

There were vox pops, interviews and footage but somehow it managed to avoid being cheesy. It had a freshness and immediacy about it that kept you interested and watching, even though you knew the story. Martyn Lewis was the main broadcaster I think. That would be well worth re-running.
 
Posted by georgiaboy (# 11294) on :
 
It is probably no longer available anywhere, antique film stock being what it is(was), but I would love to see the original silent 'King of Kings.' I was quite small when I saw it, but various scenes remain in my memory.
 
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by georgiaboy:
It is probably no longer available anywhere, antique film stock being what it is(was), but I would love to see the original silent 'King of Kings.' I was quite small when I saw it, but various scenes remain in my memory.
I just checked amazon.com -- they have it on DVD.
 
Posted by Stumbling Pilgrim (# 7637) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
An interesting question might be this: What television programs would you prefer to have on Easter weekend (or during Lent) (or during the Epiphany season)? Are there themes you would like to see explored in fiction programs, or would you want recreations of Biblical events or perhaps events in later church history?
Some years ago there was the brilliant "Dateline Jerusalem" which purported to be TV news broadcasts giving you an up-to-date rundown on the political situation, as this oddball preacher from Galilee was getting himself arrested in Jerusalem.

There were vox pops, interviews and footage but somehow it managed to avoid being cheesy. It had a freshness and immediacy about it that kept you interested and watching, even though you knew the story. Martyn Lewis was the main broadcaster I think. That would be well worth re-running.
And for Epiphany/Christmas there was one called "Bethlehem Year Zero", again with Martyn Lewis, and several other genuine news correspondents. I remember it being quite unnerving in its use of modern-day footage, and especially in the last episode, which dealt with the sudden appearance at local hospitals of huge numbers of small children with what appeared to be deliberately-inflicted wounds ... Trailer is here , but I'd really like to be able to find a (legal) copy of the whole thing if such a thing exists. It would make a great Advent discussion group subject!

[ 30. March 2016, 20:39: Message edited by: Stumbling Pilgrim ]
 
Posted by Gill H (# 68) on :
 
Hugal's gran got totally fooled by that. She said she wanted to watch the special news bulletin because there was a new star...!
 


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