La nativité

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 ,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.

If you believe that Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus and everyone else in the actual events were white, Anglo-Saxon Europeans living in Central Park in New York or in California, you will be disappointed with this movie. If you want to see how people really appeared, lived and responded to the actual culture in Israel at the time of the birth of Christ, this is a work of art.

"The Nativity" is an excellent depiction of the actual events as we know them from the Bible. While it has very minor "flaws", these are buried under the number of things that make this film accurate and authentic.

Mary does not wear her piety on her sleeve and get hysterical and dramatic at every turn in the story. Instead she is accurately portrayed and played as a simple peasant girl in a very traditional culture with strict rules of behavior. She responds hesitantly but with faith to the events that focus on her.

Joseph is equally realistic as a young peasant just beginning life, and any man who has ever faced marriage for the first time will appreciate the dilemmas facing Joseph and his reactions to them.

Herod is an historically-accurate and ruthless jerk, but the movie does not overdo his part. The balance is just right; he's on camera enough to convey his wickedness and his part in the plot, but not enough to distract from the message.

The wise men are great! Instead of being simple plastic figures in a nativity scene on your mantle, they really come to life, add a lot of context to the movie, and provide a lot of information about how and why things happened as they did. The timing of the wise men's arrival may be off - but no one is 100% certain when they did arrive so this is not a big deal.

When the shepherds are visited by an angel to announce the birth of Christ, the angel is not followed visibly by "a heavenly host praising God" - but you can hear them.

I could go on and on and on, but the point is that this is an excellent depiction of events that occurred in Israel 2,000 years ago. If you want to learn about and marvel at what life was really like at that time, see the movie. It will bolster your faith. If you want to see Adam Sandler playing a Jewish Santa Claus to celebrate Christimas, this is probably not the movie for you.

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.

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!