What are some classic movies that are set at Easter? Scroll down to discover our Cineworld blog list – some of the films that we've included may well surprise you...
1. Easter Parade (1948)
Here's a Judy Garland classic to rank alongside The Wizard Of Oz and Meet Me In St Louis. Set to the timeless songs of Irving Berlin, Easter Parade pairs Garland with the revered Fred Astaire.
They play a nightclub dancer and his new partner, respectively, a duo formed so the former can spite his former colleague who has gone solo. But, of course, love blossoms, set to timeless, foot-tapping hits like 'Steppin' Out With My Baby' and the title track. In fact, the movie begins with a pair of Easter-themed songs, 'Happy Easter' and 'Drum Crazy', both of which you might want to put on your Bank Holiday music playlist.
2. Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
James Dean practically invented the brooding teenage archetype in this classic story of alienation and anguish. Prior to Dean's arrival, the concept of the adolescent movie character was an exotic, even outlandish, idea, one rarely tapped into. But Dean's intuitive abilities reached a whole new audience of filmgoers, which makes one lament his untimely death in a car accident.
The landmark drama Rebel Without A Cause centres on Dean's character Jim, who rages that his warring parents are "tearing him apart". The movie actually begins on Easter Sunday evening, with Jim brought into the local drunk tank and encountering a host of other important characters in the process, including Sal Mineo's equally troubled Plato.
3. Steel Magnolias (1989)
Who can watch this drama of friendship without getting a tear in their eye? A huge hit on its release in the eighties, Steel Magnolias unites the impressive cast of Daryl Hannah, Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts, exploring the lives of a group of women in a small town in America's Deep South.
The ultimate fate of Roberts' character is the tear-jerking scene that everyone tends to remember. However, there's an Easter theme, too: the movie culminates with Hannah's beauty parlour owner Annelle going into labour during the town's Easter Egg hunt.
4. Mallrats (1995)
Kevin Smith and Easter don't usually go hand in hand. But the caustic, acerbic creator of Clerks and Chasing Amy did set his mid-nineties movie Mallrats around this important time of the year.
The movie occupies Smith's fictional 'View Askewniverse' – a series of vaguely interconnected, ribald movies filled with eye-watering language and massive laughs. (Eat that, Marvel). Mallrats (which features a Stan Lee cameo) is famous for a scene in which Smith's creations Jay and Silent Bob (played by the director and Jason Mews) assault the Easter Bunny. Yeah, this one's not for the kiddies.
5. Chocolat (2000)
Based on Joanne Harris' novel, Chocolat presents an idealized view of life in a chocolate box French provincial town. Juliette Binoche plays the artisanal chocolatier who arrives on the scene and promptly causes controversy among the pious locals, most notably Alfred Molina's mayor.
However, who can resist the lure of chocolate? While Binoche's character Vianne prepares a feast for the Easter festival, Molina's steadfast Comte de Reynaud prepares to destroy all that she's created. But on the Saturday before the big day, he accidentally tastes a morsel and his life is turned upside down.
6. Hop (2011)
Russell Brand voices the Easter Bunny in this live-action/CGI animation hybrid from Illumination Entertainment, the makers of Despicable Me and Minions.
Brand voices E.B., a mischievous cotton-tail who is in fact the teenage son of the actual Easter Bunny. (Don't ask.) E.B. is destined to take over his dad's mantle, but when he heads to Hollywood and is hit by a car driven by James Marsden (seriously, don't ask), the future of Easter is put at stake.
7. Rise Of The Guardians (2012)
In truth, this is more a seasonal compilation movie than a strict Easter film. But it does feature the Easter Bunny in a prominent role, and voiced by Hugh Jackman, no less, so we're including it.
In this family animation, Jackman's sprightly hero must team with Alec Baldwin's Santa, Chris Pine's Jack Frost and Isla Fisher's Tooth Fairy to take down Jude Law's evil boogeyman Pitch Black. The film may not be up to much, but Jackman brings some spark to his role as the Aussie-accented Easter mascot.
What are your favourite Easter-themed movies? Let us know @Cineworld.
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