He Ain’t Harvey…He’s My Br’er…

"Wake Up"

 I think the Christian Easter story has been pretty well covered…so I decided to explore the bunny angle.  The Easter Bunny ( or as it used to be called the “Easter Hare”) was associated with the Pagan celebration of the goddess Eostre, hence the term “Easter.”  Eostre was associated with fertility and therefore closely tied into both the hare and the egg aspect of the celebration.  Outside of Greco-Roman mythology, rabbits are “trickster” figures – gods, goddesses, mortals, or spirits who play tricks on others and don’t play by conventional rules, blah, blah, blah.  So enough with the academic bullshit…let’s bwing on the wabbits. 

“Donnie Darko” is one of my favorite movies of all time.  And features what is doubtless Harvey’s creepy, creepy cousin “Frank.”  Or as my son and I fondly call him “the evil silver bunny.”  I won’t spoil the movie for those of you who NEED TO WATCH IT, but Frank actually isn’t evil at all.  Wabbits and wesuwection themes abound.  From the “Watership Down” reference to a double feature of “Last Temptation of Christ” on the same billing with “Dawn of the Dead.”  (Not to mention Frank’s very Easter-appropriate command “Wake up.”)  Too many interesting ideas  to count and explore in this one post.  I give it five…carrots.  Out of thwee.  (And yes, I will do the Elmer Fudd thing whenever the mood strikes…just go with it.)  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPplDPm2m4Y

Anya’s Bunny Freakout 

I know…this doesn’t exactly fit…but if a five hundred (or so) year old vengeance demon like Anya is freaked out by bunnies…it’s just too good to pass up.  (This is a clip from “Buffy” where all the characters are under a weird spell that makes them sing everything.  They’re all exploring their theories about what is causing the involuntary singing.) Speaking of bunny freakouts, does anyone remember President Carter’s swamp rabbit encounter from the seventies? 

   

In 1979 President Carter was quietly fishing when a very aggressive “Swamp Rabbit” swam up to his boat, hissing and apparently intent on boarding. (A Wepublican Wabbit, no doubt.)  The President manfully defended himself with his canoe paddle. 

  

   

It looks vicious, doesn’t it?  Almost as dastardly as the rabbit in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and NO…we’re not going there.  You’ve all seen the movie.  And where is that Holy Hand Grenade when you need it?  (Almost forgot – for you conspiracy/coincidence/crap theorists – the President’s initials are “J.C.”   Just like that other guy in that other Easter story.  Spoooooooky.) 

And now for a weal celebwity…(Elmer Fudd again.  Tiresome, isn’t it?)

   

     

This, of course, is the classic character Br’er Rabbit.  A trickster to be sure.  Immortalized by Joel Chandler Harris (whose first two initials are J.C. for all you tinfoil helmet people…ooh…aah…egad!)  And then there’s his wascally cousin… 

   

whose mission in life is to drive Elmer Fudd 

absolutely cwazy.   

 And let’s not forget this most beloved pooka (look it up!)   

If you haven’t seen this film…it’s pretty swell.   So just what the hell does all this stuff have to do with Easter?  Maybe nothing.  Maybe everything.  Maybe it’s all very “Da Vinci Code.”  Maybe it’s a little trip down the rabbit hole that only happens at midnight on Easter Eve when Lyta is hopped up on Peeps and Cadbury eggs.