The Nativity Story (2006)

Although the Nativity seems like it happened a long time ago, 2000 years is only one sixth of recorded history, and one fiftieth of the time that homo sapiens has existed. The physical features of Palestine, Isreal, and Egypt are for all intents and purpose identical to what they are now. The people, while shorter and thinner, are indistinguishable from ourselves. Although there is certainly differences of opinion as to all religious elements of Christianity as it relates to Christ, Mary, and Joseph, it is somewhat well established that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph did exist, as did King Herod, the astrological phenomenon of the Star, the census, etc. In that light, "The Nativity Story" is a reverend and authentic attempt to successfully convey the words, actions, and general physical and political environment of that time. It is also an attempt to convey the physical hardships of the time, the economy of thought and word, the limited aspirations of people 2000 years ago, and the simple faith that has a good deal to do with the success of Western culture to this day. The acting is totally appropriate, while many have commented that Keisha Castle Hughes is emotionless, and Joseph simple of thought and action, it reflects the attitude of a world where 50% of children died, and an above average life was to be married at 14 and dead at 40. The supporting actors are totally believable, even the wise men who offer limited comic relief are appropriately reverend and humble. The scenery and cinematography are magnificent. All in all a must see for everyone old enough to understand the story- probably 8 and up.

With the materialistic, sarcastic garbage out there about Christmas light wars, drunken Santas, etc this is an ideal way for a whole family to spend a night at Christmas and reflect afterwords as to what they saw.

Fmovies: 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!

The Nativity Story fmovies. As I write this I am aware that the vote is averaging 6.3. If you could see my voting record you would know that I do not give a high vote easily. So why do I see this so differently than many of you. Is it because I am a devout Christian? I did not give the PAssion of the Christ a very high rating. So i feel that I can be even handed in seeing this as what it is.

1. I think that Ciaran Hinds played Herod as well as I have ever seen. The paranoia, and menace came through so well.

2. I think Elliot Davis' cinematography was beautiful. It made me feel that I was in a renaissance painting.

3. I was moved emotionally - which is not true of the Passion of the Christ movie.

4. The parts of the movie that were based on the Biblw were accurate - although I wished they had shown a choir of the heavenly host.

5. The parts of the movie that were based on conjecture or Catholic traditions were well thought out. I enjoyed the use of the Wise Men as comic relief.

I believe this movie so far is highly underrated.

Adny Smith

While in Hawaii recently, I had a chance to preview The Nativity Story, in its complete form, which, surprisingly, turned out to be quite a good film. I guess as a Christian, I am going to be seen as biased. And that's fair, however as a filmmaker as well, I will say that the majority of Christian or Christian based films I have seen are quite simply lower grade movies. That's why, this one in particular was very refreshing.

The story itself of course I was familiar with having grown up hearing it every Christmas time. And, surprisingly, I think it translates very well onto the screen. I was surprised at the humour they were able to bring out (mainly with the Three Kings storyline) and I was actually quite impressed with the movie in general. It was nice to see actors of the correct age and race. Jesus was not white, despite what some may say.

The movie was not perfect, few are. It was obviously PG friendly as there were a few things that were toned down (I guess babies in that day didn't have umbilical cords), but do we really need to see that? No, not really. All in all it was a very enjoyable film that hopefully makes its way as a holiday classic for years to come.

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.