The Nativity Story

As a Catholic/Christian publisher I did not expect the integrity that the movie The Nativity Story presents. The story is produced with good taste and careful thought. At times the Scripture may be bent but it is never broken. The bends are simply to aid in the visual telling of the story and are not offensive.

I found it to be very good family viewing with minimal violence and the scenes were not graphic in nature. The lesson in family love alone is worth the price of a ticket. The bonus is the lesson in faith and trust in God. I would encourage you to take children of all ages.

The theology should be acceptable to all Christians. However, I did talk to one priest that had a problem with the childbirth scene. He subscribes to the theology that Mary's childbirth was not painful. I understand his theology but I disagree with it on the grounds of Jesus and Mary's humanity. Also the arrival of the Wise Men at the time of the birth though not correct does not hurt the story. Still I feel that these small problems would be a poor and unjust reason not to see, or tell others not to see this movie.

Of all the versions of this story that have been done I found it to be the most inspiring and visually the most tastefully done. At last we have a great family movie that puts Christ back into Christmas.

Executive Director Contemplation Corner Press

The Nativity Story is by no means a commercial portrayal of the Biblical story. I'll admit this. The power of the film and what, in my view, makes it far and away the best thing to happen to Christmas films in a long time is that it is indeed a realistic portrayal of human emotions.

When I say the previews for the release I knew that this was going to be something interesting. Since the movie is based on the lovable retelling of Jesus' birth, I knew that I wouldn't be disappointed. And after leaving the theaters, to say the least, I was pleased.

The acting was phenomenal. To say that I completely fell in love with the character of Mary, whom was brilliantly played by Keisha Castle-Hughes, would be a complete understatement. Someone who was so pure, obedient, and virtuous is in my mind what all of us should attempt to become. As Mary stated "I have broken no vow." It is clear that Castle-Huhghes has acquired the maturity and intellect that was essential in playing such a prestigious role.I loved how the film acknowledges that Mary was only a child when she became the mother of Jesus, and the movie shows the emotional transformation of Mary. During her pregnancy Mary had experienced the power of bravery, the depth of kindness, the miracle of life and the profoundness of love. As a result she had grown from a frightened and unaccepted child to a woman.

I appreciated the portrayal of Joseph in the film. In the Catholic Church Joseph is rarely though of however in this film he was incredibly realistic and acted exactly as I have always imagined Joseph. Though Joseph was frightened he was humble. As Mary stated, "he is a man that puts others needs before his." He protected, cared and loved Mary, despite what others thought of her. Congrats to Oscar Isaac for doing an amazing job as portraying Josephs character.

What I find to be the most brilliant about the film is that it is as nonreligious as possible. The movie is in many ways a gritty love story about a couple and their growing relationship through times of tragedy. Catherine Hardwicke has a reputation for directing films that portray the gritty teenage essence, and she takes her talent of amazing depictions of the teenage nature to the story of the beloved Virgin Mary. This is an excellent Christmas film and I encourage everyone to see it!

Recently, Hollywood has put out a number of movies ("Noah" & "Exodus: Gods and Kings") that essentially remove the presence of God from religious stories. This, obviously, causes those films to fail on both a religious and storytelling front. "The Nativity Story" is not an incredible movie, by any stretch of the imagination (nowhere near, say, "The Passion of the Christ"). Yet, after witnessing those previously mentioned failures, there is something to be said for a simple film telling the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.

"The Nativity Story" recounts the events leading up to the birth of Jesus. Mary (Keisha Castle- Hughes) is given as wife to Joseph (Oscar Isaac), after which she becomes pregnant with the Lord's child. This doesn't go over so well in the community, for obvious reasons. But, the two commit to each other and must travel to Bethlehem for a census proclaimed by King Herod (Ciaran Hinds). The rest, as they say, is history!

This is a very simple film. It's only about an hour and a half long, so it "gets to the point" in short order. I wish some of the acting performances would have had a bit more "oomph" behind them, but this was clearly a film where the tone was going to be somber and serious all the way through. Hence, a lot of far away stares and wide eyes. The parts with Herod seem a bit rushed and out of place, while there really isn't any high drama until the very end. Like I said, simple.

If I had to guess (and I honestly do not know this for sure whatsoever), I would bet that "The Nativity Story" was made (just two years after "Passion of the Christ") to capitalize on the popularity of Mel Gibson's smashing success. I remember it being a big deal when this came to theaters, hailed as the first true-to-form, serious re-telling of the Christmas Story (which it actually pretty much is). Over the years, that "hype" has obviously died down, but this is still a film that can be thoroughly enjoyed during its season because it made the decision to stick to what it did best: just tell the story.

This is a fine portrayal based on early existence of Mary (Keisha Castle Hughes), and Joseph (Oscar Isaac). A story well known and sacred that starts when birth of Jesus is announced to Mary by Angel Gabriel (Alexander Siddig). Meanwhile is also announced future birth of John the Baptist from the old couple Elizabeth (Shoreh) and Zechariah (Townsend). Mary learns from the angel Gabriel that she will conceive and bear a child called Jesus. When she asks how this can be, since she is a virgin, he tells her that the Holy Spirit would "come upon her" and that "nothing will be impossible with God". She responds: "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word".At the beginning Joseph is suspicious when Mary announces the blessed news but later is informed by an Angel.At the time that Mary is due to give birth, she and her husband Joseph travel from their home in Nazareth about 150 kilometres (90 miles) south to Joseph's ancestral home in Bethlehem to register in the census ordered by Herodes the Great (Ciaran Hinds). Meanwhile three Magician Kings Melchior(Nadim), Gaspar (Kalipha) and Bathasar (Eriq) are looking for Jesus, Son of God. Having found no place for themselves in the inn, Joseph and Mary meet a man who gives the couple a place in his stable. Mary gives birth to Jesus she places the newborn in a manger .Meantime an angel of the Lord visits the shepherds guarding their flocks in nearby fields and brings them "good news of great joy": "to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord." The angel tells them they will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. The angel is joined by a "heavenly host" who say "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!".The shepherds hurry to the manger in Bethlehem where they find Jesus with Mary and Joseph. They repeat what they have been told by the angel, and then return to their flocks.

This agreeable film focuses the Nativity story in a realist style , but also accompanied with beautiful images, as there are shafts of lights , wonderful clouds and extraordinary landscapes. It packs marvelous cinematography by Elliot Davis who reflects splendidly the ancient scenarios filmed at Italy and Morocco. Atmospheric and emotive musical score adding oriental sounds by Mychael Danna. The motion picture was well directed Catherine Hardwicke who formerly directed 'Thirteen' and 'Lords of Dogtown' and subsequently would achieved a lot of success with 'Twilight'.

When it comes to biblical movies, I always look for accurate biblical and theological rendering first and foremost. But accuracy is not necessarily enjoyable. You can easily tell if a movie is low-budget or not. You can easily tell if the acting is superficial or not.

This movie is different. It combines biblical accuracy with excellent acting. Each character was portrayed very correctly. I have studied the biblical characters immensely; and from what we have in the synoptic gospels, the actors brought to live those beloved characters of the bible.

This is a Christian movie filled with biblical themes and messages. If you are looking for different interpretation than the biblical one, you might not like it. But if you are looking for good acting or accurate biblical rendering, you will not be disappointed.

Treat yourself this Christmas to one of the most beautiful movies.