• |
  • |
  • |
  • |
Go

The Nativity Story, 2006

The Nativity Story

English

USA

Rating:6.5
jinni

Profile of The Nativity Story

The mood of The Nativity Story is atmospheric and touching. The plot centers around a miraculous event, religions or cults, and hopes. It is a drama movie. In approach, The Nativity Story is serious and realistic. The setting is the Holy Land. It happens in ancient times. The Nativity Story is known for being an award winner. Note that it includes violent content.

Summary of The Nativity Story

Following her depiction of youthful rebellion in the independent features THIRTEEN and LORDS OF DOGTOWN, Catherine Hardwicke takes an anomalous detour with THE NATIVITY STORY. A simple depiction of the Biblical tale told from Mary's perspective, the film lends realism and humanity to a story that is mythical in its proportions, with 16-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes (WHALE RIDER) delivering a performance indicative of her star potential. The scene is set in ancient Nazareth, where the people live in poverty, oppressed by the heavy taxes and iron hand of King Herod. Herod himself lives in fear of a prophecy that foretells the coming of a great king, and is constantly tightening his grip on an already terrorized land. Mary is a young, virtuous, fun-loving girl whose family arranges her marriage to Joseph, a man she hardly knows but who promises to provide for her. Mary is unwilling, but her rebellion is soon eclipsed by a greater fear when the angel Gabriel appears to her and informs her of her destiny as the mother of Jesus. Having taken a vow to remain pure for a year, Mary is afraid of what the townspeople will do to her when they hear of her pregnancy. She goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who also carries a child given to her by God, and who offers her support and comfort. When Mary returns to Nazareth heavily pregnant, Joseph is consumed with jealousy and anger, and only when he receives word from God in a dream does he agree to claim the child for his own. Eventually, Herod decides to take a census in order to find the Messiah foretold in the prophecy, and Joseph and Mary set off on the difficult journey to Bethlehem. The way the couple's relationship progresses lends heart to the tale, and comic relief is provided by the three wise men (Nadim Sawalha, Eriq Ebouaney, and Stefan Kalipha), making this an effective, inspiring, and joyful rendition of the well-known tale.

Details

Language: English
Country: USA
Release date: 1 December 2006
Runtime: 101 min

Cast and Crew

Shohreh Aghdashloo as Elizabeth in The Nativity Story
Shohreh Aghdashloo

as Elizabeth

Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary in The Nativity Story
Keisha Castle-Hughes

as Mary

Photos

The Nativity Story (2006)
The Nativity Story (2006)

Clips

The Nativity Story
The Nativity Story: Theatrical
The Nativity Story
The Nativity Story: Theatrical
The Nativity Story
The Nativity Story: Theatrical
The Nativity Story
The Nativity Story: Theatrical

Critics Reviews

The New York Times
At its best, The Nativity Story shares with "Hail Mary" an interest in finding a kernel of realism in the old story of a pregnant teenager in hard times. Buried in the pageantry, in other words, is an interesting movie.
TV Guide
Slow, solemn going, despite its best efforts at thundering soldiers and comic-relief kings.

Users Reviews

Dreadfully boring, hard to follow, visually numbing film. Was obviously pushed through the studio system too fast, to try to capitalize on the success of 'Passion of the Christ'. Three stars for some good acting, however.
Likely to see
Not for me

Jinni is best for now in Firefox, Internet Explorer 7 and 8, and Chrome

Part of the page Copyright © Muze | New Releases by Tribune Media Services.

Copyright 2012 Jinni Inc.
jinni message message message
jinni
jinni

smart offbeat funny

In: movies

Copy and paste this link into an email or instant message:

Send this page by email