Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit...

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.

The nativity story ,told by a woman with taste and sensitivity.Faithful to the gospels,while avoiding most of the Hollywood traps (except for the light that comes down from the sky,in the "Ben Hur" tradition) Much time is given over to the Magi ,but they were scientists after all,and their huge knowledge of astronomy makes sense.

All the well-known episodes are featured: the angel telling Mary she would conceive the son of God,the way the Jews used to treat their supposedly unfaithful women,the visit to Mary's cousin Elizabeth who's expecting a baby too (Jesus ' cousin,John The Baptist ;Herode Antipas,featured in the movie ,will have him behead),and the crib.Traditionnaly,however, the Magi did not arrive before the Twelfth Night.

It could be the first movie dealing with just the birth of Christ,the many others telling the whole story.You do not have to be a believer to appreciate it.

This is no low budget made for TV, direct to DVD, or "preaching to the choir" type film. Quite the contrary. Like Mel Gibson's The Passion, The Nativity Story delivers the quality acting, cinematography, musical score, special effects, direction, sound, production, etc. we've grown accustomed to receiving from the most skillful members of the Motion Picture industry.

I was particularly appreciative of the way phrases in the Bible which can often be overlooked like, "Joseph...not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly." came to life on film. We see just how they would have very likely played out in the very personal lives and communities this all took place in. I found the scene riveting when Joseph labors to come up with that initial plan to send her away, and then announces it to Mary and her parents who are there with him. Also, the courage and faith needed by Joseph and Mary to believe God took on a whole new understanding when seeing how the culture they likely lived in brought intense pressures which would have very well been cause to shrink away in fear in the face of had not they obeyed the angel's charges to "do not be afraid."

A real strength of the film, I believe, was in how scenes that were straight from the Bible either used the words of the Bible practically verbatim, or at least there was just unspoken acting out the heart of the scene, with little to no unnecessary additions to the Biblical account. This, I believe, let's the Bible speak for itself for the most part and for that I send a big thank you to Mike Rich as the screenplay writer in getting to the heart of the personal lives of those involved in Jesus' conception and birth while seeking to be true to the text's original meaning. And to Catherine Hardwicke and all others involved in getting the Biblical account onto this media with all their professional skills, I say thanks as well. I'd love to see many more "Accounts" (the connotation of the word "Story" weakens the impact in my mind...but that's just me) from the Bible put to film by this great team assembled to produce The Nativity (Story).

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.