Posted on 12/01/2006 5:42:28 AM PST by Dr. Scarpetta
Are you ready for “The Passion of the Christ: The Prequel”?
The self-explanatory “The Nativity Story” arrives at local theaters in time for the holidays, and it’s a sweet, live-action version of an elementary-school Christmas pageant.
The big story behind the scenes is that Australian Keisha Castle-Hughes, this film’s Blessed Virgin, is pregnant in real life at age 16, which is the kind of publicity money can’t buy. As Mary, she is young, strong and vulnerable, but her performance is a bit of a blank slate.
The action begins with a paranoid Herod ordering the murder of all Hebrew first-born male children to thwart a prophecy that a king will be born to take his place.
In flashbacks, Mary’s Aunt Elizabeth conceives a child at an advanced age, a child who will become Christ’s forerunner, John the Baptist, and Mary is visited by the semitransparent, wingless angel Gabriel Joseph, the industrious and handsome young carpenter, lives conveniently across the way from Mary.
Meanwhile, back in Persia, the three Magi - Melchior, Balthasar, and Shemp, I mean, Gaspar) - seem more like the THREE STOOGES than WISE MEN. They’re watching three heavenly bodies align and bickering over whether to mount a camel-borne expedition to the East.
The film, directed by Catherine Hardwicke has less in common with Pier Paolo Pasolini’s neorealistic landmark “The Gospel According to St. Matthew” (1964), Martin Scorsese’s controversial “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988) and Mel Gibson’s gore-splattered “The Passion of the Christ” (2004) than with the blandly earnest Hollywood biblical epics of the 1950s and ’60s. Screenwriter Mike Rich followed the leads provided in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
For her part, Hardwicke - who shot in southern Italy, where both Pasolini and Gibson preceded her - brings a refreshingly enlightened view of women’s roles and details the lives of her biblical characters. Mary’s mother, Anna, for example, makes and sells designer goat cheese, which she rolls in thyme, in the village.
The dialogue is in English and Hebrew and advances the plot, but does not reveal much about characters’ inner selves. The film’s climax relies too heavily on canned, choral music. The first of the expected offspring of “The Passion,” “The Nativity Story” is an after-Sunday-school special.
Liberal reviewers can't help but write their deep, down negative thoughts about the Christmas story, which is probably boring to them. They're not looking for peace in their hearts, and the bottom line is that they all probably like 'Borat' much better. Hopefully the public will turn out this weekend before the numbers get published Mon.
AMEN!
Like The Ten Commandments? Oh yeah, that was a terrible flick.(sarc)
That said, I especially enjoyed the movie not for its cinematic excellence but for its portrayal of innocence in the face of evil. At the time of the miracle of Jesus' birth, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph were just regular folks without 2,000 years of veneration on their shoulders. Just plain old Joseph and Mary, faced with a spiritual dilemma, to obey dreams and visions and suffer as outcasts in their community, or toe the worldly line and deny God's calling for them. As the movie unfolds, they support each other in their convictions, and do what must be done even though they are essentially the only ones aware of their "mission" (aside from Elizabeth).
The movie brought realism to the story. God uses ostensibly ordinary people to set in motion His grand plan. They become extraordinary only after they have accomplished God's task for them. What is more normal than a girl of 13 torn between the desire to frolic with friends and obedience to her parents. Or a new father-to-be panicing to get his wife to the birthing place?
The Nativity Story doesn't need to be a blockbuster to get my attention. Jesus was quietly born in a barn, attended only by His parents and farm animals, and soon thereafter by a small group of the highest and lowest in society. For me the movie is a beautiful Christmas card to be placed on my mantelpiece - I don't give a care if the card was made by Hallmark.
It appeals to me because it tells the human story of the birth of Jesus, how all of our souls hung in the balance. How the faithful obedience of two humble people overcame the grasping and murderous intent of Herod.
My family was extremely pleased with this movie. I urge you all to place your worldly cynicism aside and go see this movie through innocent eyes. You will love it.
Probably a bore Because it is holy.
This is a telling of the traditional story. He wants another movie rather than the one he is looking at.
LoL......
I agree with Ol' Sox who wrote the above. I also did not regard the movie as a blockbuster, just a simple and beautiful story of the birth of Jesus. And what a birth it was. The sheer stunning exhilaration of seeing the baby Jesus being born brought tears to my eyes. I was also especially impressed with the actor who played Joseph.
After the movie, I couldn't help thinking that because of the birth of Jesus and his message of love and forgiveness, the world became civilized. I hope Christians around the world will go to see it. The theater where I saw it was not crowded.
That's too bad (the theatre wasn't very crowded). I was hoping they would have large crowds and show Hollywood there really is a market for uplifting movies instead of all the cra# that is out there.
I'm waiting to see if my pastor mentions the movie in church tomorrow morning.
I am so happy to know that the wonderous event is an actual in theaters film!
That is also a miraculous happining these days.
I hope to go see it in the theater as a show of faith;thankfulness & support of the subject & subject matter (Jesus.)
Yea for proper prority & focus & reason!
Thanks for the ping Dr.S.!
You're very welcome!
Ping!
Thank you for the ping and recommendation!
You're welcome!
I saw it with my mother and daughter, and they both enjoyed it.
It could also be that families may be waiting until closer to Christmas to go see the film. I just hope it stays in the theaters long enough!
Thanks for the ping...I don't usually go to theaters...maybe I will for this one.
Thank you both for agreeable postings!
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