The Nativity Story - A Review
Posted On: December 04th, 2006 at 1:05 am
The Nativity Story actually begins in the liturgical
season of Christmas, with the Slaughter of the Innocents. Roman soldiers
descending upon a small town in the middle of the night, breaking down doors and
yanking sleeping baby boys out of their screaming mothers' arms to slaughter
them in the streets makes for a great dramatic lead-in which can't help but to
draw the average viewer into the story.
Just as the soldiers leave town
with a trail of small, dead bodies behind them and the heartbreaking wails set
in, the viewer is taken a year back in time, to watch the unfolding the story
leading up to that event - to Jerusalem, to the Temple,
where Zachariah is carrying out his priestly duties in the Holy of Holies and,
there, is given the promise of his son's birth. John will be the Prophet
who heralds the arrival of the Messiah.
As promised, the location, sets, and costuming are breathtaking
in detail. The score incorporates historic Advent and Christmas tunes,
opening with a men's choir singing Veni Emmanuel and closing with Mary
saying the words of the Magnificat as she and Joseph escape to Egypt with
Stille Nacht being sung in the background.
The characters
reveal depth and authenticity. Mary is thoughtful and humble, Joseph is a quiet
and honorable man, Elizabeth overflows with joyful faithfulness, Herod is cruel
and paranoid, and the Magi are wealthy intellectuals who provide light comic
relief. Gabriel's appearance wasn't quite as masculine as one might
expect, and it was disappointing not to see the heavenly host or hear their
singing Gloria in Excelsis Deo at the announcement to the
shepherds. But if that's all there is to really critique in this
potentially controversial movie, that's not a big deal at all.
When the media started saying that this movie would have a Christian message
that unites rather than divides like The Passion of
the Christ, many
Christians began to worry that their faith would once again be perverted as in
the recent DaVinci Code. That sort of
favorable commentary from reporters is
usually a sign that the script has been stripped of any distinctly Christian
message of the Gospel and instead substitutes pop-spirituality in the place of
historic theology for mass-appeal. The Nativity Story did none of
that. Fortunately, most of the theological commentary has been relegated
to the supplementary materials that are available for groups and churches to
deepen the audience's experience.
The movie stayed true to the Biblical
accounts of Christ's advent and birth. There were even hints of the Gospel
revealed in the movie - stating quite plainly that the Child would save His people from their sins, and
that He is God made into flesh.
That's not the sort of message you hear at the movies today. Go see The
Nativity Story, it's well worth the price of admission.
Edited on: December 04th, 2006 1:21 am
Comments:
Re: The Nativity Story - A Review
Posted On: December 04th, 2006 at 3:38 pm by Dan at Necessary Roughness
I want to see this too.
I don't remember where, but I had read an article where the director said he wanted to leave controversial elements out of the story. I didn't know what "controversial" meant: did they leave out Mary's virginity?
Re: The Nativity Story - A Review
Posted On: December 04th, 2006 at 3:49 pm by Madre
No, they didn't leave that out.
In the movie, Mary is bethrothed to Joseph and soon after the ceremony is when Gabriel comes to her and she is made pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Not long after that, Mary asks to go visit Elizabeth and promises to be home by the harvest. Upon her arrival, before she even announces she is present, Elizabeth grabs her belly and turns around in joyful expectation and speaks the traditional words of greeting. Mary is presumably only a couple of weeks pregnant. But she returns to Nazareth months later visibly pregnant and everyone is shocked and disappointed. Her father first asks Joseph if he's done it, then asks Mary if it was one of Herod's soldiers. Mary's mother reminds her that women have been stoned in the street for this. Mary firmly and very calmly insists that she has broken no vow and they can believe what they want because she knows the truth.
Re: The Nativity Story - A Review
Posted On: December 05th, 2006 at 10:59 pm by Nathan Fischer
That's good to hear that the movie is worth seeing... I actually have to admit, when I saw the trailer, I groaned, because my first thought was, "Oh no, they tried to dramatize the Nativity Story."
I know they added a few elements (such as the river scene where she's screaming out for Joseph), but if the overall story, message, and portrayal is true to scripture, that is wonderful news!
Katie and I will have to go see this one, I think...
Re: The Nativity Story - A Review
Posted On: December 07th, 2006 at 7:32 pm by Craig
Thank you for this review, I am now more determined to go before my church gets a group together.
Blessings! Craig
Re: The Nativity Story - A Review
Posted On: December 09th, 2006 at 1:10 pm by luvable lutheran
Nice review!
Members of our congregation went to see The Nativity Story, for "Faith goes to the Movies," where we watch a movie together and then discuss it afterwards with our pastor. I find this most helpful to determine what is true to Scripture and what has been added by Hollywood to make the movie flow.
It's a great movie. I think I like it better than Passion of the Christ since it has less violence and really shows the great faith people had in God. I found the music, costumes, set locations, etc all well done as they contibute to the "authenticity" of the movie. It really gives you an idea of what life and the culture was like at that time. I can only imagine when I read the Bible what life was like. Seeing how much of a toil the journey to Bethlehem was and how much of an influence the King had on the people was a bit eye-opening. There were many things that tested people's faith, especially that of Mary and Joseph. Yet they did not run away, but they bore the cross. Many peple today would not have stayed faithful to God under what Mary and Joseph endured. I can't imagine delivering a baby without pain medication (I'm a wimp when it comes to pain.) Yet we also see how God protects Mary, Joseph and others in order for His Will to be done. Both Mary and Elizabeth are kept healthy and deliver healthy babies. Difficult to imagine without modern medicine and the prenatal care we have today.
There were a few aspects that drifted from Scripture, more for movie-making sake I think. The Magi's decision not to return through Jerusalem was portrayed as their own instead of from God. As Sandra noted the Gloria in Excelsis wasn't sung when the angel appeared to the shepherds. The movie really didn't have any slow parts, except as my pastor noted the arduous journey to Bethlehem was a bit long. However, the time in Bethlehem was not accurate, again to keep the movie flowing.
The movie also shows God's immense love for us in providing His Son as the Messiah. If an unmarried virgin became pregnant today, not many would take notice. However, God protects Mary from stoning in the movie and danger by His means, whether the use of angels as messengers or His use of Joseph as her loving husband. Joseph provides for Mary and later Jesus, building them a home, and even sacrificing his own needs as they journey to Bethlehem. He also uses Joseph to deliver Mary and Jesus from the danger of Herod's soldiers.
This movie is well done and I encourage all of you to see it. It would also be very good for children as it emphasizes what the Bible tells us is true. It also showed how the children in the movie learned and knew Scripture. Having a pastor with you to address questions also makes it easier to grasp the full breadth of what is portrayed from Scripture.
Re: The Nativity Story - A Review
Posted On: December 13th, 2006 at 12:19 pm by Retreats
It wasn't bad, but what was up with the wise men mess ups. Being there the night of th birth? And all the commercial mess ups.
Re: The Nativity Story - A Review
Posted On: December 13th, 2006 at 12:26 pm by Madre
99% of churches doing Christmas pageants have the Magi showing up at the same time as the shepherds. Most nativity scenes have them there too. Sure, they came later, but that hasn't stopped Christianity from mashing everything into one amazing night for quite some time. I thought they played it out well, explaining why and how they got there, and providing a little light comic relief.
What other commercial mess-ups did you mean?