Greetings, faithful film fans of Winchester.

This week stirs up an array of emotions for the religious.

Easter is hopping upon us quickly with its approach this Sunday. The kiddies will be excited as there is much to do with egg hunts and enjoying their Wonkaesque baskets of sugary delights provided by none other than the Easter Bunny after he enters unlawfully into your house late Saturday night to make the drop.

The real reason for Easter, of course, is to acknowledge and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after His crucifixion on Good Friday,.

With the emotions of joy and sorrow are ever present this Easter weekend, an extra element of sadness and spiritual reflection has been added as Lent draws to a close with the shocking fire of the gothic Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) Cathedral.

Completed in 1345, Our Lady is home to many priceless relics such as fragments of Christ’s cross and the crown of thorns worn at the time of his crucifixion. Each were noted as being unscathed in the fire.

Looked at as a miracle, let’s also look at in what films Notre-Dame de Paris was featured.

“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1923) is the 15th-Century tale of Paris focusing on a peasant revolt and the infamous Notre Dame bellringing hunchback, Quasimodo, played by Lon “Phantom of the Opera” Chaney, as he falls madly in love with a gypsy queen.

Adapted from Victor Hugo’s 1831 French gothic novel, “Hunchback” has been adapted for the silver screen with releases in 1939, 1956, and Disney’s take on the source material in 1996, now a popular animated classic.

Notre Dame is also in the background of Disney’s popular “Ratatouille” (2007) about a Parisian rat who longs to be a top chef at a famous restaurant in Paris.

Gene “Singing in the Rain” Kelly’s “An American in Paris” (1951) is the romantic musical about three friends struggling to find work in Paris and their friendship being tested when two of the three fall head over heels for the same beautiful woman.

A similar title with a completely different premise, 1997’s lukewarm “An American Werewolf in Paris” tells of an American man falling in with a pack of Parisian werewolves.

Nowhere close to quality and humor of its predecessor “An American Werewolf in London” (1981), its still an OK viewing for the curious.

Cary “Arsenic and Old Lace” Grant’s “Charade” (1963) is the romantic thriller set in Paris as a woman is pursued by several cons who are after a stolen fortune involving her late murdered husband.

If you are in the mood for a romantic fantasy, Woody “Manhattan” Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (2011) tells the tale of a restless, love-torn and nostalgic screenwriter time warping to 1920s Paris every night at midnight while on vacation with his fiancée’s family.

If you are a thrill seeker and love heights, “Amélie” (2001), “Van Helsing” (2004), “The Three Musketeers” (2011), and “The Walk” (2015) all feature activities and action on the roof of Notre-Dame.

As the fire investigation is still ongoing at the time this article is released, there is much talk the cathedral will once again be restored.

Like Christ rose again in divine glory, with time, patience, and great faith, Notre Dame shall be resurrected to its original state of splendor serving as holy sanctuary for our weary souls as we try to get closer to God.

Have a glorious Easter and have a film-tastic day.

Rick Baldwin is a writer, filmmaker and film/music historian. He is president of the Winchester-Clark County Film Society. Find more from Rick on Facebook. He is on Twitter @rickbaldwin79  and can be reached by email at rickbaldwiniii@hotmail.com.