EASTER WEEK: THE RETURN OF RELIGIOUS EPIC

Religious epics, out of favor in Hollywood since the mid-’60s, are popular rentals during Easter week. Here’s a guide to some of the more prominent ones:

--Set in the Holy Land, MGM/UA’s “Ben Hur” (1959) is arguably the best religious epic ever made. Directed by William Wyler, the focus is on the conflict between two former friends, played by Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd. Heston’s performance as Ben Hur--a bit too high-toned at times--won him an Oscar, one of 11 that the film received, including best picture. The famed chariot race still ranks among the best action sequences ever filmed.

--MGM/UA’s “King of Kings” (1961), directed by Nicholas Ray, may be the best movie version of the life of Christ. Jeffrey Hunter, one of the most handsome leading men of that era, gives the best performance of his career. The film is overly solemn at times but includes some genuinely touching moments.

--Some critics still consider Franco Zeffirelli’s eight-hour, 1976 TV miniseries, “Jesus of Nazareth,” the best of the life-of-Christ movies. The beauty of this version, which aired on NBC-TV this week, is that it’s relatively low-key and unspectacular, relying on the inherent drama of Christ’s life. Robert Powell, terrific as Christ, heads a spectacular cast that includes Laurence Olivier, Anne Bancroft, Anthony Quinn, James Mason, Stacy Keach and Peter Ustinov. Available from CBS-Fox on three cassettes.

--In CBS-Fox’s “The Greatest Story Every Told” (1965), the accent is on spectacle, almost making Christ seem like a secondary figure in his own story. But it’s the big, showy scenes that make this one worth seeing. Max Von Sydow isn’t particularly charismatic as Christ. The usual all-star cast includes John Wayne, Charlton Heston, Sidney Poitier, Van Heflin and Shelley Winters.

--Paramount’s “The Ten Commandments” (1956), an account of the life of Moses, seems very dated now. Director Cecil B. DeMille, the granddaddy of spectacle, goes all-out in this movie, which varies from moving to awful. Charlton Heston, often laughably solemn as Moses, stars with Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter and Edward G. Robinson, who’s too associated with urban gangster movies to be convincing in a biblical movie.

--CBS-Fox’s “The Robe” (1953) was the first CinemaScope movie. Directed by Henry Koster, this story of Christ’s crucifixion is only a fair religious epic. There’s an overemphasis on scenes geared to the wide screen. Richard Burton is excellent as the Roman soldier who put Christ on the cross. Victor Mature and Jean Simmons co-star.

--If you’re in the mood for a laugh, you might try CBS-Fox’s “The Bible” (1966), which may be director John Huston’s worst movie. With ponderous, unintentionally comic solemnity, it covers the first 22 chapters of Genesis. The cast includes Ava Gardner, George C. Scott, Peter O’Toole, Richard Harris and Huston as Noah. The only one who fares well is Huston.

NEW RELEASES: Writer-director John Hughes, uncannily in tune with teens, alienated a lot of grown-ups with Paramount’s “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Ferris (Matthew Broderick) feigns illness and takes a holiday, joy-riding around Chicago with his girlfriend and his best buddy in a vintage Ferrari borrowed illegally from the buddy’s dad.

The teen-dream day also includes a baseball game, lunch at a fancy restaurant, poolside shenanigans and a romp in a parade. Teen audiences hailed Ferris as a hip hero but apparently many adults considered him a spoiled, insufferably smug smart-aleck who was a bad example to teen America.

Most teen-agers can easily identify with Ferris, who is living out their fantasies. Ferris easily outwits the adults, who are either not too smart or, like the high school principal (leeringly portrayed by Jeffrey Jones), just plain nasty.

Thanks to the teen-age renters, this movie, a big box-office hit, is certain to be a rental smash. Reaching No. 1 on the Billboard magazine rental chart is a good possibility, but a spot in the Top Five is a cinch.

Warner’s “True Stories,” directed and co-written by Talking Heads’ David Byrne, was acclaimed for its insight, humor and originality. Most critics said Byrne was a very promising director.

This is a fictionalized, somewhat surrealistic “documentary” that’s sprinkled with intriguing Talking Heads tunes. Byrne pokes fun at the simple-minded, tasteless citizens of tiny Virgil, Tex. They’re easy targets for Byrne, who both narrates the action and interacts with the eccentric hicks. Rather than being cruel, his satire is tinged with poignancy. The art-house crowd and Talking Heads’ fans will appreciate this the most.

OLD MOVIES: “Easter Parade” (MGM/UA, $29.95) is one of the best ‘40s musicals, featuring a great cast--Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Ann Miller--and some nifty, sing-along Irvin Berlin songs, including, of course, the title song. It’s about an entertainer (Astaire) who’s dumped by one partner (Miller) and then hires a new one (Garland), who falls for him. This 1948 musical is famous for the lilting Astaire-Garland number, “A Couple of Swells,” and the rousing title-song finale, one of the great moments in movie musicals.

Not much happens in “The Sundowners” (Warner Video, $24.98), director Fred Zinnemann’s 1960 comedy/drama about a wandering family of sheepherders in Australia. But it’s not the plot that’s engaging--it’s the likable characters and the cast: Robert Mitchum, Deborah Kerr and Peter Ustinov. Mitchum plays a drifter at odds with his wife (Kerr), who wants to settle down. It’s sort of a subdued version of a John Ford movie about lovable Irish roughnecks. As in all Zinnemann movies, the cinematography is stunning.

“Wagonmaster,” (Nostalgia Merchant, $19.95) is a 1950 John Ford Western that just misses being exceptional because Ben Johnson is in the title role. He lacks the charisma to carry a movie. John Wayne would have been perfect for the role. Still, it’s a fairly absorbing account of a Mormon wagon train facing assorted obstacles, such as Indians and outlaws, on the way to Utah. The hallmarks of Ford’s Westerns--action, humor and sentiment--are all here. Ward Bond and Joanne Dru co-star.

CHARTS (Complied by Billboard magazine).

TOP VIDEOCASSETTES, RENTALS 1--”Top Gun” (Paramount).

2--”Aliens” (CBS-Fox).

3--”Stand by Me” (RCA/Columbia).

4--”Ruthless People” (Touchstone).

5--”The Fly” (CBS-Fox).

6--”About Last Night . . .” (RCA/Columbia).

7--”Back to School” (HBO/Cannon).

8--”Running Scared” (MGM/UA).

TOP VIDEOCASSETTES, SALES 1--”Top Gun” (Paramount).

2--”Jane Fonda’s Low Impact Aerobic Workout” (Karl-Lorimar).

3--”Jane Fonda’s New Workout” (Karl-Lorimar).

4--”Callentics” (MCA).

5--”Sleeping Beauty” (Disney).

6--”Star Wars” (CBS-Fox).

7--”The Sound of Music” (CBS-Fox).

8--”Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” (Paramount).