The Nativity Story [DVD]

When you're talking about film adaptations of the story of Christ's birth, the old rubric "if you've seen one, you've seen them all" just does not apply. That is especially the case with The Nativity Story, a truly wonderful film that conveys great spiritual power, even as it brings home the humanity of Mary and Joseph to a degree few of its predecessors ever even attempted. Keisha Castle-Hughes is wonderful as young Mary, but I tend to look upon this film as Joseph's story, and Oscar Isaac is more than up to the task of bringing this humble carpenter to vivid life.

The Nativity Story basically tells the story of Mary and Joseph from the time Mary is betrothed and then finds out she is to give birth to God's Son up through the time of Jesus' birth and the family's evacuation to Egypt. It does an exceptional job of humanizing Mary and Joseph. At 14, Mary is on the brink of womanhood, and early on we are treated with several moments showing us a glimpse of the normal child she was. Her sudden betrothal to Joseph is not something she welcomes, but we see it as a reality of family survival in those troubled times under the double domination of Herod and Rome. When the angel appears to her, she accepts the good news he brings - yet she doesn't completely believe it until she finds her much older cousin Elizabeth carrying the child who would be Jesus' messenger. Her most trying time comes when she returns home. A lot of adaptations tend to gloss over this part. Put yourself in her place, though - she's a 14-year-old girl, betrothed to a good man, who returns home with a child she claims to have been miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit. Her story was even less plausible back then than it would be today. Suddenly, she is a pariah of sorts, looked down upon by all who know her, her very future very much in doubt.

The thing I loved most about this film is the depth of its portrayal of Joseph. All too often, Joseph gets short shrift in the story of Christ's birth, but this film has one of the best characterizations of Joseph I've ever seen. Obviously mortified by Mary's pregnancy, he refuses to accuse her (thus very probably saving her life). Even after he is visited by an angel and told that Mary is indeed carrying the Son of God, it takes a lot of courage for him to take Mary as his wife and to claim a child that is not his. On the long and hard road to Bethlehem, we see many small yet all-encompassing examples of his sacrifice for Mary and the Child. After their arrival and frantic effort to find a room, it is Joseph who delivers the child himself. The bond that grows between he and Mary is one of this film's many great strengths.

The portrayal of the three Wise Men from the East is especially interesting, as they sometimes serve up a few bits of comic relief. One of them, for example, is less than enthused about actually traveling to Judea to find the child whose birth they have predicted based upon their study of the stars (with the star of Bethlehem being attributed to the rare convergence of three heavenly bodies). It really was a hard journey, requiring several months of travel across deserts and mountains. By conveying their journey basically in its entirety, this film produced in me a new level of respect for these men and their significance in the story of Jesus' birth.

The final half hour of the film pretty much blew me away. The light of the Star shining down on the manger, the depiction of the shepherds, the arrival of the Magi - it all really brings home the significance of this newborn baby. As if that isn't enough, the story also features some subtle and profound foreshadowing of later events in Jesus' life. For Christians, the film is truly a blessing, but even nonbelievers should appreciate the poignancy of the story, the fine acting, and the excellent cinematography - and everyone should welcome the opportunity to glance into the rearview mirror of time and get a sense of life as it was just over two thousand years ago.

In the village of Nazareth, the young woman Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is a daughter in a struggling family. They barely make enough to eat and pay the taxes when the Roman soldiers come through town. That's why when Joseph the carpenter (Oscar Isaac) proposes a marriage with Mary, her father quickly accepts. While she is not happy with the arranged marriage, her life gets much more complicated when the Angel Gabriel (Alexander Siddig) appears and tells her she will bear the Messiah.

Meanwhile, three Magi are studying the night sky. As they see three stars coming together, they conclude that prophecy is being fulfilled and a great king is being born. They set out to find this child. And King Herod (Ciaran Hinds) continues his paranoia over his thrown. The same prophecies worry him. Is there a new threat to his throne?

When a movie tells a familiar story, it faces an uphill battle. It must find a way to draw the viewer into the events even though they know the outcome. This movie almost succeeded for me. I was pulled in most of the time watching these characters from the Biblical story brought to life. The friends I saw it with loved it and were deeply moved by it. At times, however, I found the low budget a bit of a distraction.

The producers of the film try to present the story with as little flash as possible. Since the story is set 2000 years ago, it mostly works. I did spot the occasional matte painting in the background, but was willing to forgive this "low tech" approach. What did bother me were scenes at the end that needed extras like the empty town of Bethlehem and the missing Angel chorus.

There was much to enjoy about the movie, however. The costumes and sets were wonderful. Also accurate was the depiction of the times in which the story takes place. We often forget the harsh treatment from the Romans and the consequences for both Mary and Joseph because of her pregnancy.

The performances are also great. Herod's mental illness comes through, yet he is very menacing. The Magi are lots of fun and provide some light moments. Absolutely perfect are Keisha Castle-Hughes and Oscar Isaac as Mary and Joseph. They are likable, have good chemistry, and expertly show their characters' struggles.

The ending of the movie is very moving as the shepherds and Magi arrive to pay tribute to Jesus. And I'll grant the producers artistic license on this. I doubt they were there at the same time, but it makes for a better movie.

A bigger budget could have made this a better movie. Still, it is good because it shows the human elements and consequences we tend to gloss over in our annual Christmas celebrations.

It's the best film I've ever seen about the nativity, before I saw it I had read a review that said the film lacked drama, it's true there are no epic battle scenes or anything of that kind but what you will find is a warm and moving film about the lives of two ordinary people caught up in something extraordinary. The casting is excellent and the standard of acting superb. The film fills in the gaps of the story without really straying from the biblical account. It makes you realise the implications of an unmarried young woman being pregnant in those times and how Joseph and their friends and family would have reacted. The film firmly puts the story in the context of the times and the Roman occupation by showing the hardships and difficulties they would have to face. It is very easy to empathise with the characters of Mary and Joseph and I like the sensitive way they were portrayed. The whole film has a really good sense of realism, the costumes and the locations are excellent. It may not be a big budget film but there is no sense that the movie suffered because of this. Only one small criticism, I did miss was the "multitude" of angels appearing to the shepherds.