I thought I had seen the events surrounding the birth of Jesus presented in a realistic way, but so much about this was new to me. While the actors spoke few words, mostly letting the narrator do the talking, a lot of effort went into realistic costumes, sets and customs. I know those who made this movie did a lot of research because of the behind the scenes special that followed one version.
I had never thought about what the lives of Joseph and Mary were like before they married, but they were shown in Nazareth playing as children and then courting as Joseph learned his trade, with the people and activities one might expect. Both of them looked like teenagers on The CW, and they had friends and had to deal with the controversy surrounding Mary's pregnancy, with Joseph and his friends disagreeing on how to handle it. Again, if they spoke words, we weren't intended to hear most of them. But I think they did a good job showing us what they went through without actually speaking a lot of words.
And then there was the depiction of the requirement of all to register to be taxed. This included a Roman soldier in his colorful uniform delivering the message on a horse, and even protests. Mary and Joseph had to make the journey, and others were shown with them. Once they arrived in Bethlehem, their difficulty in finding a place was shown in a different way than one might expect, including a helpful character invented just for this version. Yes, one of the people who had apparently offered shelter was mean, but too many people were trying to get in. And merchants were in the streets selling their goods. It all seemed realistic, with buildings and walls resembling what some Middle Eastern locations still look like.
The shepherds were effectively portrayed as rejects from society, though one who appeared to be disabled showed a lot of determination in fulfilling his mission.
As for the three other visitors, a lot of effort went into showing them as if they came from three different parts of the world. And each one was depicted as part of a large group. The ones from what may have been China had such colorful costumes, and the world they came from was similarly colorful. Middle Easterners were mostly shown in the desert and were not quite as colorful. Africans also had colorful costumes and came from a wonderful place. The entrance into Bethlehem of the three groups was quite a dramatic moment. And the three representatives clearly wanted to worship. A little boy played Jesus, who could and did walk and play.
There were two versions of this, but I only saw one in its entirety, and that was because I record the 6:00 news on the station that aired it, and because I was early getting to watch the recording and managed to extend the recording to see all of the movie. The second version started during the normal time slot of the 10:00 news which I record, and finished up during the normal time slot of "MacGyver", which I record just in case there was one I missed. The longer version had a few more scenes, mostly of a troubled King Herod, and the behind the scenes look.
Dr. Jeremiah came on screen several times and he clearly wanted people to see the real meaning of Christmas. That is the main purpose of this movie, and it accomplishes its goal in a new way.
If you know the story, there is plenty here to add to it. If you don't, it is a good introduction.
