Easter TV
Every year I scan the TV guide to see what the networks are offering at Easter. I remember as a kid coming home from church on Friday and Sunday at noon and having our choice of at least two religious epics on different channels, often followed by another one, and then more religious movies in prime time. Unfortunately, to look at today’s television, you’d hardly know it was Easter. Channel 7 does best – they at least are showing The Passion of the Christ tonight (and commercial free too, which I applaud. It just wouldn’t seem right to interrupt that movie with adverts), followed by A Story of David at 11:55pm, and they have an “Easter Celebration” on in the morning, but unfortunately their midday movie is just A Passage to India. Anyway at least they get part-marks (7/10). Channel 9 do poorly – a half hour religious show called Easter Glory at 10:30am and then nothing all day. Instead of a midday movie they have Dr Phil and Days of our Lives, and for the evening it’s the Super Nanny USA and the movie The Out-Of-Towners (2/10) The ABC have their normal children’s TV all day, no Easter content whatsoever. They do at least have a religious documentary at 7:30 about a “maverick priest” in Redfern but that’s a pretty poor effort since it’s not specifically Easter-related (0.5/10). The other two stations, Channel Ten and SBS, are similarly poor. Ten has a show called “Celebrate Easter” at 6am but for most people who wouldn’t get up that early on a public holiday there’s diddly squat – their evening movie is EdTV (0.5/10). SBS has something called “A quest for the true cross” at 2pm for which I’ll give them half a mark also although I have no idea what it is – for all I know it may be a ‘Jesus seminar’ style program (0.5/10). Overall a very poor effort indeed. Let’s hope they all do better on Sunday.
As for me, I have my Easter viewing already selected. I’ve had waiting on my shelf for a few months a DVD copy of Barabbas, the 1962 movie starring Anthony Quinn, Jack Palance, Ernest Borgnine and others, which would have to be one of my favourite religious epics. It’s an excellent, powerful film and I’d encourage you to watch it if you get the chance (if they ever show it on TV again). I’ve also got a copy of the Nobel prize winning novel on which the movie was based, which I’ll be starting in the next few days.
EDIT : Well Channel 9 loses marks. I got home from church and switched on their only offering Easter Glory which I was disappointed to discover was a series of antiquated hymns from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They only put one Easter show on and it’s not even Christian! (0.5/10 for them)
Categories : Christianity, DVD, Television | 2 Comments
