“The Nativity Story” (New Line Cinema)
Simple and Sincere
“The Nativity Story” tells the story of the birth of Christ with sincerity and simplicity. The scriptures of the Bible have clearly been used as the basis for the events told in the film and the facts as they have been related over the ages are kept intact. Christian groups should welcome this version of the beloved event and support it with their attendance.
The film starts poorly with the attack of Herod’s forces on the families of Bethlehem. In a violent but not graphic scene the male children under the age of two who live in the village are slaughtered. This is because Herod (Ciaran Hinds) fears the uprising of the Messiah.
The film then flashes back to the time when Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) was living with her parents. They tell her she has been promised to Joseph (Oscar Isaac) in marriage. She at first is unhappy with this arrangement as she barely knows Joseph but later accepts him as a kind and loving man.
While waiting to become Joseph’s wife, Mary is visited by the Angel; Gabriel (Alexander Siddig) who tells her she will bear a child that will be the Son of God. He also tells her that her cousin Elizabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo) will have a child even though she is too old to conceive. Mary goes to visit her cousin and the two women celebrate the fact of their pregnancies.
The angel Gabriel also visits Joseph in a dream and tells him that Mary is bearing the child of God. Joseph accepts this and later takes Mary and makes his way to Bethlehem because Herod has declared all men must go to the land of their ancestors to register for taxes. While there Mary gives birth to Jesus and shepherds and wise men come to worship at the time of His birth.
All of this is told simply and beautifully with the actors offering sincerity in their performances. Castle-Hughes makes a radiant but believable Mary while Isaac is a gentle and supportive Joseph.
The film is rated PG for some violence but should be suitable for families with a little explanation of what the circumstances of the day were.
It is a shame so much has been made of the fact that Castle-Hughes is unmarried and pregnant in real life. Allegedly many Christian groups have decided not to see the film because of this fact. If this is the case they will be missing out on a truly beautiful and moving depiction of the birth of Christ.
I scored “The Nativity Story” a blessed 7 out of 10.
