The Nativity Story

"Nativity" DVD Releases 3/20/07

2007-03-20T15:13:00.000-05:00

Christianity Today's Mark Moring takes a look at "The Nativity Story" three months after its theatrical debut, as it releases on DVD (click here to purchase a copy):

Nativity Comes Home

Just three months after an unimpressive theatrical run, The Nativity Story is now out on DVD, looking for a second "life" at video stores and in home libraries.

By Mark Moring posted 03/20/07

Related:• Nativity Story special section

After a disappointing theatrical run in December and early January, The Nativity Story releases to DVD today—a tale of the birth of Jesus just weeks before Christians worldwide observe his death and resurrection at Easter.

"I think it's good timing," director Catherine Hardwicke told CT Movies. "And I'm excited that a lot of people are going to be seeing it for the first time. So many people have told me they missed it in the theater, and that they can't wait to see it."

The "can't wait to see it" part of that observation is good news for New Line Cinema, which spent about $65 million making and marketing the film, but only earning about $46 million ($38 million domestically) in its theatrical run. The studio will likely more than recoup its losses in DVD sales, especially as they plan to release a two-disc special edition just before Christmas.

But it's the first part of Hardwicke's observation—that so many people "missed it" in theaters—that had New Line execs (and other Hollywood bigwigs who were watching closely) wondering, "Where are all the Christians?" They weren't expecting the monster numbers of The Passion of the Christ ($371 million domestically, $612 million worldwide), but they certainly hoped to do better at the cineplex.

Said Hardwicke, "We hoped that more people would see it, of course."

A January story in The Los Angeles Times explored possible reasons why the film didn't do very well. Laurie Foos, a student a Fuller Theological Seminary, told The Times she tried to see The Nativity Story on Christmas Day, but the local theater had already dropped it. Foos said she might have tried to see it sooner (it opened Dec. 1), but hadn't heard anything about the film in the Christian community: "I wish there had been more awareness," she said. "It was lacking that kind of 'Oh my gosh, you have to go see that movie' factor."

Hardwicke said she wished there had been more time to promote that "oh my gosh" factor. But New Line execs green-lighted a rush job, opting to push it into theaters less than a year after writer Mike Rich finished his script. Hardwicke and her team barely had eight months to make the movie, leaving very little time for marketing and publicity—especially to the Christian market and through churches.

Small 'publicity window'
Hardwicke noted that director Mel Gibson had finished The Passion at least six months before its release, and thus had time to fly around the world promoting it to—and screening it for—church leaders. They didn't have that kind of "publicity window" for The Nativity Story.

"Mel put in a beautiful effort going to so many churches and getting people excited," Hardwicke said. "But he had at least six months, and we had something like 25 days. New Line knew that would be an issue in January [2006] when they decided to release the film in December. I think they were trying to find ways to overcome that short amount of time [for publicity], and I guess they didn't quite do it."

When asked if she wished they had slated the release for December 2007 instead of 2006, thus giving her twice as long to make the movie—and giving the studio much more time to promote it—Hardwicke laughed and said, "I was the prime advocate of that two-year plan! I was like, 'Can't we do it next Christmas?' I think it would have been nicer to have maybe a little bit more relaxed schedule, you know?"

Co-producer Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill Productions (New Line contracted with him to produce Nativity) agreed.

"From a marketing standpoint, we didn't get to the audience in an aggressive enough way to build an urgency to see the film," Godfrey said. "The box office tells you that."

Like Hardwicke, Godfrey noted the difference in the lead time for The Passion as opposed to Nativity. "Mel was screening The Passion for six months, we were screening ours for one," Godfrey said.

"That certainly has a big effect on people knowing about the movie—just plain awareness. There were definitely a lot of church leaders I spoke to after the fact who said, 'We hadn't been reached.' So, we didn't get to everybody."

Asked if he was surprised to hear that from church leaders, Godfrey said, "I was and I wasn't. I mean, the truth is that about a month in advance of the film's release, you know that you can't catch up; you realize you're not getting to everybody. And by that point, there's only so many people to reach. You can't save the movie a week ahead of it opening. You really need to have been ahead of it by two or three months."

But Godfrey said he has no regrets about how it was handled.

"By about December 20th, I quit thinking about it," he said. "You can kill yourself obsessing about how it could have done better, but you just need to move forward. And the truth is, we remain very proud of the movie, and we think those who saw it—and will see it on DVD—will find something special.

"We don't have any regrets. We really feel like the movie works. And you can't exclusively make movies for commercial reasons. You really do need to make them from the heart, and because you're passionate about them."

Godfrey said the good news is that he and co-producer Marty Bowen—both Christians—feel like the table has been set for more faith-based films from major studios (New Line produced the Lord of the Rings films), and any lessons they've learned from The Nativity Story can be applied to future projects.

"I think we've built a strong foundation," Godfrey said. "I feel like this will bear more fruit down the line for more faith-based films. And I feel confident that we've made relationships around the country with church leaders, and next time we'll be better prepared with our marketing plan.

"We feel like there's enough of an audience that does want these movies. Not necessarily Bible stories, but inspirational movies. Our instinct right now is that the next one we do might be more of a contemporary faith-based movie."

Godfrey said he's had "numerous conversations" with New Line CEO Bob Shaye about The Nativity Story's performance. "His evaluation was kind of like a shrug of the shoulders," said Godfrey, "and that you never know exactly why a movie didn't become a huge hit or not. But he's very proud of the movie, and said they want to make more movies for the faith-based audience. It's not like The Nativity Story made them say, 'All right, we gave it a shot, and we're done with that.' They actually came out of it more emboldened by it."

Joining the holiday favoritesHardwicke said she's excited about the DVD because it grants the film a "new life" after its theatrical release. And she hopes that life will endure for generations, as families pull it out year after year along with the likes of It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, A Christmas Story, and other holiday favorites.

She also thinks it'll translate well from the big screen to the small.

"In a way, our film has a big quality in some of those beautiful, amazing shots in Morocco and the desert," she said. "But we do think people will be able to enjoy it in a more personal way at home, because it's an intimate story of two people [Joseph and Mary] and their struggle with their faith and their hope and that they're doing the right thing."

BeliefNet Nominates "Nativity" for Best Spiritual Film of 2006

2007-02-15T17:36:00.000-05:00

'The Nativity Story'
Nominee: Best Spiritual Film of 2006

THE CASE FOR:

"The Nativity" is the most authentic and real movie yet made about the birth of the One who is the source of all spirituality. Further, it brings to life a mostly-Biblical picture of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and many of the other characters who have (for many, especially young people) yet to jump off the pages of the Bible or the flannel board.

"The Nativity" is neither the over-the-top depiction of holier-than-thou caricatures nor the cheesy over-evangelism of Christian media. Much of the film is more understated and muted than the typical church Christmas celebration and may challenge some of the pedestal-ized notions we have of the Biblical characters. It makes the drama of the day real, and the miracle of Jesus' humanity and deity come to light. Where "The Passion of the Christ" focused on Jesus' character, "The Nativity" focuses us on his identity.

In our day of respect for different spiritual paths, it's still important to remember that almost all of them circle back to the search for who God is, how He is relevant in our lives and what our response can be to experience spiritual power in our lives. "The Nativity" takes us there, without telling us where (or if) to go to church.

-- Douglas Howe

THE CASE AGAINST:

The story of birth of Christ is at once both a sweeping historical epic and a tender, divinely appointed love story, which is exactly what makes the tale such a challenge to bring to the big screen. It's an almost unrealistic task to try to fit years of religious persecution, wise men, shepherds, prophetic angels, and an virgin birth into a coherent two-hour film, which is exactly why "The Nativity Story" fails as a spiritual cinematic tour-de-force. Instead, is simply a messy, mostly accurate, hodge-podge retelling of a miraculous moment in time.

While I agree with other critics that by far the best moments of the movie are the touching moments between Mary and Joseph on the road to Bethlehem, there were certainly far more times in this arranged marriage that could have been deeply and beautifully explored beyond the bits and pieces we witness on the screen.

On the other hand, the historical perspective of this film fails as well. I wasn't looking for the blood and guts of "The Passion of the Christ," and the movie certainly never made me believe that Herod's murderous search for the Messiah ever put Mary and Joseph in any grave danger. Maybe that's partly because the wise men were portrayed something like the Three Stooges and Herod was a one-dimensional cartoon style villain.

In the end, I realize that "The Nativity" may be a family friendly, Christmas-pageant kind of treatment of the Christ's birth, which some Christians find comforting. However, I think declaring this movie to be one of the most inspirational of the year would be another example of telling Hollywood that, as an audience, Christians will continue to settle for mediocre, safe storytelling instead of demanding deeper, richer stories that shed new light on our humanity and our faith.

-- Kris Rasmussen

FURTHERMORE...

Historical Authenticity & Deep Spirituality
More than most, this movie must address the widely varying expectations of its audience. Some will come to it hoping to see their own very precisely imagined versions of the Nativity story brought to life. Some will come to it as worship; others will come for drama, or history, or curiosity.

I came to the movie open to, or at least respectful of, all of these expectations, but with few of my own as well. I was twice removed from becoming very involved in the story, first because of my obligation to be objective as a journalist and a critic, and second because I am not very knowledgeable about the Nativity story and do not believe in the divinity of Jesus because I am Jewish. Even so, I was very moved by the deeply spiritual nature of the film and by the story, which is, after all, the story of a very young Jewish couple who must respond to the most extraordinary set of events imaginable.

I liked the authentic feel of the historical detail. Oscar Isaacs, who plays Joseph, told me in an interview that there were two keys to playing Joseph. First were the hands. Isaacs said he spent a month using Biblical-era tools to build the house that Joseph builds for Mary. He wanted to look at his hands and see Joseph's calluses. Second was the sole word the New Testament uses to describe Joseph, "righteous." "Being righteous in that case does not mean following the law," he told me, "It means love and humility and faith. He's in love with Mary ,and he believes in her. Where does it come from, that selfless, humble, love? The most amazing act of humility is the essence of the story, how God made himself flesh in the most humble of ways with the most humble people. Jesus was not born to kings or to wealthy people but to Mary and Joseph, poor but righteous." This is the part of the story I found very touching and powerful.

-- Nell Minow

Faithful, but Failing to Challenge
New Line Cinema offered viewers something unseen since the fifties. "The Nativity Story" echoes the biblical epics that once ruled the big screen. It includes beautiful vistas and a stirring soundtrack. "The Nativity Story" faithfully recounts the first Christmas, from Mary's encounter with an angel through the arduous journey to a stable in Bethlehem. Director Catherine Hardwicke demonstrates her mastery of production design, via lavish recreations of Mary's village and first century Jewish life. The international cast, led by New Zealand's Keisha Castle-Hughes keeps "The Nativity Story" from falling into white washed depictions of a Middle Eastern setting.

Yet, audiences responded with comparative indifference. Perhaps the filmmakers' commitment to a respectful story drained both controversy and enthusiasm from "The Nativity Story." We go to movies to experience far away places and unimagined dangers. But the edges of "The Nativity Story" were so softened that it resembled a greeting card rather than genuine human drama. Sainthood can only be portrayed in contrast to real threats and considerable evil. The baby Jesus never felt endangered. The Virgin Mary came across as more resigned than troubled.

Cecil B. DeMille always gave filmgoers a taste of sin and salvation. His epics titillated before they inspired. "The Nativity Story" takes the high road, never falling for the cheap thrill. While religious filmgoers claim they want their faith respected, the box office disappointment accompanying "The Nativity Story" suggests they'd rather have their faith challenged, then affirmed.

"The Nativity Story" offers a glimpse of Joseph's dilemma. It suggests how much confusion may have blinded Zechariah or Joseph prior to the birth of their sons. But lest the pioneers of the faith come off as all too human, "The Nativity Story" stops short of putting flesh and blood choices upon the founders of the Christian faith. Yet, isn't that what the Incarnation is all about: God with us, even in our brokenness?

-- Craig Detweiler

Infuze interviews Mychael Danna (composer)

2007-01-12T08:54:00.000-05:00

Mychael Danna has been scoring films since 1987, most recently working on such titles as The Nativity Story, Little Miss Sunshine and Capote. Having worked with phenomenal directors such as Denzel Washington, Ang Lee and Joel Schumacher, Danna is one of the top of his field. In this Infuze exclusive, Danna speaks about his process as a composer and what it's like to work on such a film as The Nativity Story.

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Robin: Tell us about your process as a composer and what that typically looks like.

Mychael: The general way that it works is that the composer often is brought in at the script phase, and the production will want to get your ideas of what you're thinking of, musically. Generally, at the same time that they're shooting the film, they're already editing it as well. Then the composer starts looking at footage pretty early on.

The musical process really runs parallel to the editing process, especially on bigger films, and certainly on The Nativity Story, because it was a pretty compact schedule. We literally wrapped shooting in early August, and the film is in theaters as of early December, so that's a very short [post-production] schedule. They started the real editing in early August and ran until the end of September, and that's exactly when I began recording -- the end of September. So I'm unable to wait until they're finished cutting the picture. I have to write as they're shaping the film.

It's a real challenge; it's kind of a moving target. A very dynamic situation where the composer is writing music for a film that's changing every day. You can write a piece of music for a scene that's a minute and a half long, and then the next day it's two minutes long, twenty seconds long, or it's gone, or it used to be at the beginning of the film and now it's at the end. All of those things happen. That's one of the greatest challenges of writing music for film. To add to all the other challenges, a film is very often a very unstable thing. You're just trying to get an idea of what the film is, and you've got to be writing music for it at the same time.

That was the case on Nativity, where there's something like eighty-five minutes of music in the final film.

And how long is the movie?

About... ninety minutes. (Laughs.)

(Laughs.)

You really have to start early for this kind of a film, because there's only so much you can write a day. Two or three minutes, I'd say you can write in a day, which is actually a lot. So it's certainly a challenging process. As far as my process itself, let's talk about Nativity. This film was largely an orchestral score, and what I do on those is mock-up what the final score is going to sound like with fake instruments with synthesizers on a computer. Obviously, I can't have an orchestra sitting in the next room, playing my sketches so I can hear what it's going to be like.

So we have an electronic version of an oboe, a clarinet, a string section. I write the piece for those fake instruments, and we watch it with the picture to get an idea of how it's working. It's enough to give the director a sense of what I'm trying to do. And then once it's all approved and we hit our deadline -- I won't say "when we're finished" because you're never finished, you just work until they pull a rug out from under your feet and it's time to record -- you print up all those parts, the players play them, you record it, and they bring it all to life.

It sounds really stressful.

Yes it is! (Laughs.) It's a very collaborative art. It's certainly something that a composer who is unwilling or unable to work with other opinions would never be able to succeed at. You need to [be able to] work with people with all different kinds of personalities. You'll have to work with people who may not know anything about music, but they're the filmmakers so you obviously have to be able to work with them, and understand what they're trying to create. To be honest with you, writing the music is often the easiest part of the process. And of course, when you go to school and study composition, they don't spend any time in the classes on how to deal with directors and heads of studios and whatnot.

Sounds very political. So would you say the writing is your favorite part of the process?

It's really fun when you first get the job and you can tell all your friends. (Laughs.) That's really fun. Then you have to actually start working, and that part's really not that fun.

(Laughs.)

Maybe it's just me, but writing is not fun. It's kind of torturous most of the time. I mean, you're creating something out of nothing. The composer is one of the few people, other than the screenwriter, who does create something entirely out of nothing. There's nothing there, and then when you're done, there's something there. That's a challenging thing to have to do -- to pull stuff out of nothing.

But what a sense of accomplishment when it's done!

Yeah. The other part of the process that's really thrilling and indescribably satisfying is when people bring your score to life. When musicians play it, there's just nothing like the feeling of hearing it for the first time. For example, on this film, I had a seventy-piece orchestra and a big choir singing. I had been hearing my sketches in my head, and then hearing them on this pathetic synthesizer mock-up. But to hear real bodies playing and singing it, it's indescribable. It's really a thrill. It's almost worth what you go through.

Regarding the music itself, would you say The Nativity was distinctly than anything else you've done? Or was it in line with what you always do?

You know, there is no typical way that I work. The thing I love about writing music for film is that every project is a completely new challenge. It's a completely new circumstance, with completely new elements, like the story, the people you work with. You really have to wipe the blackboard clean and come to every project with an open mind. Because my job is to try to figure out what it is the filmmaker is trying to say, what it is that they have on the screen, and what the music can do to help tell the story.

You've got to be really open minded. There's different solutions for every film. It's not always just an orchestra playing late 19th Century style, which is what a lot of film scores are. And it's not just the solution that the last guy who did a Bible-era movie came up with either. I think you need to start at the ground level and figure out what will work for each movie individually. I always try to come up with some kind of concept -- an idea, a way of approaching the music for a film that will help tell the story and do something kind of interesting and maybe unexpected, but that helps enlighten the story.

For The Nativity Story, I think lately the trend for Bible-era movies has been to do a World Music mishmash, and have all kinds of influences from Indian to Arabic to African instruments all playing together. That goes back to Peter Gabriel's score in the 1980s for The Last Temptation for Christ, which kicked off the use of World Music in film scores. It's a very effective thing, but I wanted to do something a little different. I also feel like, on screen, the director, Catherine Hardwicke, captured so beautifully the feeling of being in Judea in the year 0. It's all there on the screen; we don't really need the music repeating that we're not in Kansas, you know.

I felt like the music for this one needed to do two things: it needed to build a bridge between the audience and the characters on the screen; and I also felt it would be very interesting to build a time bridge. This story is two thousand years old. How did it come down to us today? Well, it came down to us through the passing of this story for two thousand years, including two thousand years of music. There's a whole culture and civilization in the Medieval and Renaissance period based on this story, and there's so much powerful music and art that came from that period. I wanted to honor that bridge, so I used some Medieval instruments and choir techniques, to touch on that world.

All the singing in the film is in Latin, which was the language of the Christian church for almost fifteen hundred years. I also touched on some of the melodies of the past, some of the gregorian chant melodies and various early carols. I didn't want to make it a "Christmas carol potpourri," so we had to be careful about how far we went with that, and which carols we used. But I did want to bring up that history of music and remind people that they're watching a story that's been carried to us for two thousand years.

I'll give you one example. King Herod's declaration of the slaughter of the innocents, where he orders his men to go kill all children under two years old. In the 1400s, there was a pageant in Coventry, where they put on the Nativity play, and they portrayed this scene about King Herod by writing a carol for it called "The Coventry Carol." It has this beautiful melody, so I wove it into the film. I think it's a beautiful thing to be able to use this melody that was written in the 1400s to tell the same story that we're telling in the 21st Century. To be able to use that same melody in a modern pageant -- I find that really powerful and evocative.

I'm glad you brought that up, because I'm fascinated by how you used those ancient melodies in the score. Because if that same idea had been born in the wrong hands, it could have ended up with Home Alone or something like that. But it comes across so very hallowed in the score, without going too far, without being super-pious. It strikes just the right balance, and I'm impressed with how you pulled that off.

Oh, thank you. That's a great compliment. I tried to walk that line, and it's a bit overwhelming to write music for this story that every great composer since year 0 has written for. I wanted to honor some of what came before, but I didn't want to distract from the story by bursting into Christmas carols all over the place. Just to have that wafting in the air -- even if you don't quite recognize what the melody is -- just the sound and sense that it's an ancient melody.

Okay, here's the question I'm really dying to ask you. You're known for doing all of these very ethnic scores utilizing sounds and instruments from all over the world, and you've done a lot of different kinds of sounds in different movies. And I can't help but wonder: how do you decide what sound to use for any particular movie? Does the movie speak to you in some way, or does the director come to you with an idea of what they want?

Usually when I talk to a director, it's not about what they want, musically. Occasionally they'll have that in mind already. But ideally, what I'd like to hear from them is what they'd like to say with their film. Why did they make this movie? What is it that they're trying to say? What's their message? What's their theme? Once you decipher that, then you try and figure out what the music can say to help tell that story.

An example off the top of my head... I did a film with Ang Lee called The Ice Storm. That film is about the fragmentation of a family, based on the stresses placed upon families in the 1970s. Well, it's obvious we're in the 1970s with this movie, so you could easily just play 70s pop music. But it's plainly on the screen that we're in the 70s, so I like to use the music to do other things. What I settled on was to use what, on the surface, may have seemed like some unusual choices. I used a Native American flute and I used an Indonesian gamelan, which is a group of percussion instruments that's kind of soft and chime-like. It may seem a little strange at first, you know -- "Why am I hearing a Native American flute when I'm looking at Connecticut in the 1970s?" But the film also has this theme of nature, and how nature is more powerful than societal trends. The undercurrent of nature is going to win out in the end. That was something that the Native American flute is so in tune with. It came from a people who were probably more connected to their environment, more connected with nature. The gamelan is something that's in every village in Indonesia. It's a societal thing, a unifying thing, with people playing together. Meanwhile, on screen, we see all of these people breaking apart.

So that's the kind of powerful thing that music can do in a film score. It can say things that are thematically linked to the movie, but it's not always the most obvious thing. It's something subconscious and underneath what you're actually seeing.

Do you prefer doing music that's thematic or atmospheric?

Every film is different, and the question is not, "What do I want to do?" It's, "What is the best thing for the film?" I've worked where atmospheric, non-thematic music, is certainly the way to go. Then there's films like Nativity, where it's best to have more orchestral and melodic elements working in it. Like I said, I really wanted to build a time bridge, using Medieval and Renaissance instruments and themes. But I also thought it was very important to have an emotional connection between us and the characters on screeen. And there's nothing that does that better than a warm, modern string section. That was the right thing to do for this film -- a standard string/orchestral sound.

But there's films where that's not the right thing to do. I don't think that sound would have worked on Ice Storm. You just really have to get to the essence of what the film is before you write a single note or select your instruments. A lot of times, people will send me a script and they'll want to know how much it's going to cost. How many musicians will we need? How long will it take to record? And the answer is always, "I don't know yet." We won't know what our instrument group is before we know our concept. Another thing you have to work with is that you often have a set budget. And all of thsoe things -- how many musicians you can have, how long you can spend recording -- are often determined by how much money you have to work with. But I think that the concept is the first and most important thing in film music. You figure that out, and then you go from there.

That's a tremendous gift -- to be able to figure out or know instinctively what a film needs. I'm not sure there are a lot of composers that can do it that way, particularly with the range of diversity that you utilize.

Honestly, I think most composers simply don't bother with that conceptual stage. They just start writing music. They figure out what it is as they're doing it. I spend a lot of time talking to the director and watching film and just trying to come up with some solution, some concept. Then you can go from there. And the whole world of music is available to you: if the answer is a [scintar] and north African drums, then you can do that. There's no reason to cut off any music from any time or any place, as a possibility. It's all available, and it all has specific uses. It's like casting a film -- every actor brings an aura and a set of personality traits to a role. A duduk from Armenia or a [shohm] from Medieval France, it can all be used to say different things. So at the beginning of a project, I find myself casting kinds of music and kinds of instruments, the way a director might cast actors.

What are you working on right now?

I'm just starting on a film called Surf's Up, which is an animated project. It's something very different for me; I've never done animation before. I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm familiar with Surf's Up, and it's a very different kind of animated movie than what we're used to. They're playing it more like a documentary.

Yeah, exactly. It's a very smart film, and it's really beautiful to look at, as well, and it's funny. I think it's going to be a really nice piece.

"Nativity" Box Office

2007-01-05T09:49:00.000-05:00

December 1-7, 2006:
Domestic: $10,194,000

December 8-14, 2006:
Domestic: $8,164,000

December 15-21, 2006:
Domestic: $8,328,000

December 22-28, 2006:
Domestic: $8,085,000

December 29-31, 2006:
Domestic: $1,506,000

January 1-4, 2007:
Domestic: $979,967

Total Domestic: $37,256,967
Total International: $6,629,889

Grand Total: $43,886,856

Passion is lacking for this 'Nativity'

2007-01-01T22:31:00.000-05:00

By Lorenza Muñoz, Times Staff Writer
January 1, 2007

Laurie Foos, a student at Pasadena's Fuller Theological Seminary, figured that she didn't need to rush out to see New Line Cinema's "The Nativity Story" in its first week. She waited until her kids came home from college, venturing to the theater on Christmas Day, nearly a month after the movie opened. But by then, "Nativity" was out of her local multiplex in Ventura.

"It was the perfect day to see it but they had pulled it from the theater," said Foos, adding that if she had heard more about the film from within the Christian community, she would have seen it opening day, Dec. 1. "I wish there had been more awareness. It was lacking that kind of 'Oh my gosh, you have to go see that movie' factor."

In the movie business, the first weekend is a crucial gauge in determining whether a movie lives or dies. The soft $8-million opening for "The Nativity Story" wounded its chances of becoming a big holiday hit and could damp Hollywood's enthusiasm for big-budget faith-based movies.

Competition later in the month forced many exhibitors to push "Nativity" off the marquee to make room for such family films as "Night at the Museum," "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Charlotte's Web."

Even so, "Nativity" held on strong for several weeks, performing particularly well the week before Christmas. Ticket sales for the film, which tells the story of Mary and Joseph on their journey before the birth of Jesus, went up 52% the Wednesday before Christmas and 96% the Thursday before the holiday. The movie has grossed about $37 million through Sunday — a solid showing, considering its weak opening.

"Sampling with this audience takes time," said Russell Schwartz, head of marketing for New Line. "This was never about a huge opening weekend."

"The Nativity Story" comes after the huge success of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," which opened to $84 million in February 2004 and went on to gross more than $612 million worldwide, with $241 million coming from abroad.

"The Nativity Story" did not perform well in predominately Christian countries such as Italy or Spain or in Latin America. Domestically, however, "Nativity" is now among the top 10 highest-grossing faith-based or religious-themed films in recent times, according to Media by Numbers, a box-office tracking firm.

"It's one of those movies that people put unrealistic expectations on because of 'The Passion of the Christ,' but it's a solid performer," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media by Numbers.

" 'The Passion' was a cultural phenomenon that went beyond the faith-based audience," he added. "The Christian audience is out there but, like any specifically targeted audience, you can't expect blockbusters to come just from that audience. But if you keep your budgets in line, you can make some solid returns on these movies."

New Line spent about $65 million making and marketing "The Nativity Story" and probably will make its money back on home video.

But Wyck Godfrey, producer of "The Nativity Story," fears that his movie's slow momentum at the box office will discourage others from making large-budget, overtly Christian entertainment.

"We were relieved by how it held up. But it has struck a blow to bigger-budget epic biblical stories," Godfrey said. "I'm not running out to do the [life of the] Apostle Paul, and I was thinking about doing it before."

Other studios, such as 20th Century Fox's FoxFaith division, are distributing low-budget Christian films, but most of them will skip theaters and go directly to video.

Most studios probably will stick to making mainstream fare and reaching out to the Christian audience when marketing movies with family-friendly themes such as "Charlotte's Web" or "The Pursuit of Happyness."

Courting many Christians, especially those who rarely go to the theater, takes time in part because of their distrust of Hollywood entertainment as violent, sex-laden and often disrespectful of their religious values.

"Moviegoing is a habit," Dergarabedian said. "Christian audiences are not in the habit of supporting Hollywood movies, because mainstream Hollywood movies don't reflect their values. To get them out to theaters is a little tougher."

Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission, said grass-roots marketing to build audience awareness needed to reach deep into the community.

"The key to marketing to the church is not as simple as just putting the word out by e-mail lists," Baehr said. "There is a whole nature of understanding the church."

Gibson and his team spent months courting church leaders, holding many screenings of "The Passion" before its release. Because a final print of "The Nativity Story" was not completed in time, the movie had only a few weeks of prescreening.

"If they want to market to the Christian community, they have to understand the value of prescreening to leaders," said Michael Catt, senior pastor at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga. "The church leaders control what is promoted from the pulpit."

Catt, who could not find a prescreening of "The Nativity Story" anywhere near his area, is the executive producer of the low-budget inspirational football film "Facing the Giants," which grossed nearly $10 million and was produced using $100,000 in church donations.

Some Christians were disappointed that "Nativity," directed by Catherine Hardwicke, did not push the envelope.

In an essay in the monthly magazine Christianity Today, editor David Neff gave the movie a generally good review but criticized it for shying away from depicting the true hardship of Mary and Joseph's era. He wrote that "Nativity" was done with "Christmas-card sentimentality" and glossed over the violence of the time, such as Herod's slaughter of the innocents.

The movie, Neff wrote, "is not boldly realistic like 'The Passion of the Christ.' "

Godfrey said it was a sign of the times that a film needed controversy or an edge to gain an audience.

"We unfairly get compared to 'The Passion' because it was so shocking," he said. "If I was going for box office, I would have been better off putting something sacrilegious and reinterpretive, like, was Mary really a virgin? But I didn't want to do that."

New Line was hoping to attract African American and Latino moviegoers in addition to white evangelicals. But according to the studio's research, mainly white women showed up that first weekend. By its third week, the movie benefited from large group attendance such as 600 schoolchildren from St. Monica's elementary school in Santa Monica and 1,200 from Dallas Trinity Church.

Foos, the Fuller Theological student, is hopeful that studios will continue to make biblically inspired films.

"They have to win over this audience," she said. "If they look at this as a failure, then that's too bad. This was their initiation and a way to gain credibility. They could put the movie out next Christmas. It comes around every year, you know."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lorenza.munoz@latimes.com

Blogger disappointed "Nativity" not ranked among Top 10 Family Films

2006-12-27T12:40:00.000-05:00

Um, About That Missing Family Movie?!

Like a lot of people, I love lists, and I love the Beliefnet team of gifted bloggers, writers, and editors, but I have to say it's a glaring oversight that "The Nativity Story" doesn't make the list of Top Ten Family Films of 2006, which Sharon Linnea--Beliefnet's Reel Inspirational columnist--compiled.

For years, young people have not had a definitive version of the Christmas story to watch, rent, buy, or give. The closest we've had is the Peanuts special, which at least recites the story. The makers of "The Nativity Story" may not have made an Oscar winner or even an all-time classic, but they made the best we have so far, bringing the drama of the story to life on a screen much bigger and with a sound much broader than the classic Sunday School flannel board lesson. And in our media culture, kids deserve this.

When some people think of classic love stories, they think of Romeo and Juliet, or perhaps something they saw with their first boyfriend. But I think the Christmas story is the greatest love story of all time. Jesus left heaven, became one of us to show us a visible image of an invisible God, lived among us for awhile to know us and to be known, died to make a relationship with God possible and rose from the dead to prove it was all true.

I'd love it if future Christmas seasons brought us sequels that focused on each area of his life, death, and resurrection. Movies have an ability to transcend denominations and sectarian biases and just tell a story, and families are well-served to have something so meaningful to then discuss together.

"The Nativity" may not have some of the accoutrements of the typical feel-good holiday flick, but it's content alone makes it an essential for the spiritual seeker.

posted by Douglas Howe @ 2:06 PM Permalink Comments

What was the Star of Bethlehem?

2006-12-25T23:22:00.000-05:00

"Nativity" uses the astronomical conjunction of Jupiter, Venus, and the star Regulus to explain the Star divinely leading the Magi to Bethlehem; here are other theories as to what the Star may have been.

What was the Star of Bethlehem?
Was it a comet? A supernova? Or something else?
MSNBC

The Star of Bethlehem has left its mark on the gospels as well as a constellation of holiday songs. Was it purely a divine sign, created miraculously to mark Jesus’ birth? Or was it an astronomical event in its own right? John Mosley, program supervisor for the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, says there are several scientific scenarios for the “Star of Wonder.”

Through the years, astronomers and others have proposed a variety of objects for the Christmas star — comets, an exploding star or a grouping of planets. Some suggest that the star was a miracle created especially by God. Such a suggestion cannot be proved or disproved, and it is entirely outside the realm of science. But there’s no need to resort to miracles, given the actual astronomical events of the time.

The first thing is to determine the approximate date of Jesus’ birth. Then we look into the sky of that period and try to identify the star. It doesn’t work the other way around: Since virtually any year can boast at least one reasonably interesting sky event, the astronomy must follow the history.

Ruling out prime suspects
Let’s assume, as many historians have, that the most likely time frame for the birth of Jesus was between 3 B.C. and A.D. 1. Let’s also assume that the Star of Bethlehem could be observed by skywatchers elsewhere in the world, and not just by the Magi — who are known as “wise men” or “kings” but were actually priests who relied on astrology.

These assumptions would rule out some of the prime suspects in the mystery: comets, brightening stars known as novae, and exploding stars known as supernovae. The Chinese, who did a particularly good job of cataloging astronomical phenomena, recorded no such phenomena during the years in question.

Beyond the timing issue, there’s another consideration: A comet or supernova big enough to attract the wise men’s attention would have been widely noticed by royalty and commoners as well. But King Herod and his advisers seemed not to know or care about the star until the astrologers from the east came to visit.

However, if we suppose that the “star” actually referred to the planets, the situation is less problematic. The movements and groupings of planets in the night sky were of exceeding interest to astrologers and were closely tracked around the world. Historical records and modern-day computer simulations indicate that there was a rare series of planetary groupings, also known as conjunctions, during the years 3 B.C. and 2 B.C.

The show started on the morning of June 12 in 3 B.C., when Venus could be sighted very close to Saturn in the eastern sky. Then there was a spectacular pairing of Venus and Jupiter on Aug. 12 in the constellation Leo, which ancient astrologers associated with the destiny of the Jews.

Between September of 3 B.C. and June of 2 B.C., Jupiter passed by the star Regulus in Leo, reversed itself and passed it again, then turned back and passed the star a third time. This was another remarkable event, since astrologers considered Jupiter the kingly planet and regarded Regulus as the “king star.”

The crowning touch came on June 17, when Jupiter seemed to approach so close to Venus that, without binoculars, they would have looked like a single star.

Rewarding search
The whole sequence of events could have been enough for at least three astrologers to go to Jerusalem and ask Herod: “Where is he that is born King of the Jews, for we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him.”

Now, this doesn’t mean that astrology works. We haven’t ruled out other possibilities for the Star of Bethlehem. And the mere existence of interesting celestial events does nothing to prove that the birth of Jesus was accompanied by a star, that the Magi existed, or even that the Nativity took place as described in the Bible.

But it does make our search more rewarding to find a truly interesting astronomical event that happened during the most likely time for the Nativity.

This article is based on John Mosley’s 1987 book, “The Christmas Star,” which is available from the Griffith Observatory. “The Christmas Star” addresses many other questions about the season, such as: When was Christ born? Who were the Magi? Why is Christmas observed on Dec. 25?

© 2006 MSNBC Interactive

Infuze interviews Catherine Hardwicke

2006-12-22T00:19:00.000-05:00

After directing the gritty, arthouse films Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown, director Catherine Hardwicke has transformed the birth of Christ into a feature film with The Nativity Story. In this exclusive interview, she discusses the movie with Robin Parrish telling us the premiere at the Vatican, the intense scouting processes involved and what she's working on next.

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Robin: I wanted to ask you a little bit about your process. What does your process as a director look like for a film like The Nativity Story?

Catherine: I got the script in the middle of January of this year. It was sent to me in a stack of scripts from my agency. I read it, and started getting really excited. So I did some research and found out that Mary really was only thirteen or fourteen years old, according to all of the scholars. I started downloading pictures, and I researched the stars. What could have made the Star of Bethlehem shine so brightly? I got a lot of images and photos together, even before I went to the interview.

Then I went in to the meeting with the studio saying, "These are some of the ideas that I have, this is what I think we could do to make the script better and richer. Here's visually how it could look. Here's where we could film it..." I went in to my initial job interview with a lot of ideas, a lot of pictures and books and things to get them excited. So they picked me to do it.

Next I had to make a schedule explaining how I would get the movie done in time to come out this Christmas. I realized I needed to get on a plane and get to Jerusalem to do some research in two days. I needed to understand what the Holy Land was like. So I was on a plane two or three days later. I took my camera and I took a zillion photographs of everything, tried to talk to everyone I could. I was even researching on the plane ride. I had to know what was life like? I needed details of that life, I needed to absorb it so that I understood it all the best I could.

I also worked with the writer, Mike Rich, who was in Seattle. Any notes I would come up with, things I would learn, I would email to him. "Oh, this would be a great detail!" Basically, during the prep time, you're just using everything you can to learn about the subject, to absorb it, and to make the script better, richer, and deeper.

Also, you're trying to figure out who should be in the movie. You're meeting with casting directors. In our case, we were meeting with casting directors in six different cities: Rome, Tel Aviv, London, Paris, New York, and L.A. It was a worldwide search to find really great actors that looked believable to be from the Middle East. So every night I would come back from location scouting, and I would go to a secure website we had and look at the girls that had auditioned in Tel Aviv earlier that day, for example. I watched their auditions, and then I would say something like, "These three seem to be the most powerful or the most interesting. When I get to Tel Aviv, I'd like to meet these three."

At the same time, you're scouting locations. We had to decide very quickly, where we were going to shoot this movie. I took my little digital camera everywhere, to the locations that I thought would work. The locations we went with were in southern Italy and Morocco. But I would photograph everything, and then scan it all into my computer at night and try to organize it into which scenes each location would be useful for. Then I would go back to the map and try to figure out how to make all this make sense from a realistic point of view. How could we do it without having to move to new locations every five minutes, what could we consolidate to help with finances and resources... It's all about making a real plan for shooting the movie.

Then I met with the actors. You do auditions, and they read through scenes for you, and I try to get a sense of who would be great for each role. In the meantime, I'm sending emails and phone calls back to the studio, and try to talk them into things like, "But I think this guy would be great for Joseph!" Then you hire all of the crew people that are going to make it all happen. You need a few different choices for costume designer and production designer and the composer and all those things. And they'll come to their interview the same way I did, with lots of ideas of their own based on their own research. Each craftperson brings their own level of expertise, so you try to pick the right person for that job.

Then you start actually working! (Laughs.)

(Laughs.)

Once you hire your lead actor and actress, the costume designer can start making drawings of costumes and making actual clothes. I told the costume designer that I wanted the people's clothing in Nazareth to match the color of the sheep. Because that's where they got all their wool. The stones at the location are what their houses would have been made of, so the houses had to match the color of the land. You have to make it come alive and be organic and real. The shooting process, which is two months or more. On our movie, it was only two months. Some movies spend almost a year filming; it depends on how much money you have in the budget.

So you're filming every day, trying to get the shots, moving to different locations. Once that's done, you go into an editing process, which is another two or three or maybe many more months, where you get all of the footage back and you start cutting the scenes together, trying to get the story to come alive. You put pieces of music to it as that comes in from the composer, or you re-record some sound where it was too windy that day on set and you couldn't understand the actor's dialogue. So you have to get them back in the studio to lip-synch over their action on film.

It's very detailed work. Many, many sounds often have to be replaced. We might have to come up with a perfect horse sound, if we didn't get it that day on the set. Maybe we didn't have a microphone on the horse, because we had a microphone on Keisha [Castle-Hughes]... There are all of these different layers to it, and after you've worked through them all, then finally, hopefully, you get your movie done.

So you've got to be really good at multitasking to be a director.

Oh, completely. A good example: I would be riding around in the back of a four-wheel drive out in the desert in Morocco, looking at locations. At the same time, I would have a jack plugged into the vehicle's cigarette lighter so my computer could be powered up and I could be working on the script. And I'd have one of those wireless cards plugged in so I could be emailing my thoughts on the script back to Mike Rich. It's just wild! (Laughs.)

I understand you had an accelerated schedule on this one, as well.

I had nine months and two weeks. That's why I was definitely multitasking.

How do you view that side of the work? Is it something to dread, or do you take it in stride?

Very up and down. (Laughs.) Some days you feel like things are just going so well, and then the next day nothing works out and it feels like a big disaster. It's very much a rollercoaster. Which is kind of cool, I guess. It's just like life.

So looking back, now that it's all done, what are you most pleased with about this project?

I really loved meeting all of these actors from around the world, and finding each person had a connection to the story. Even if it wasn't their religion. Filming in a Muslim country, it made me realize that there are more similarities between most religions than differences. People were moved by the emotional elements of the story, by the spirituality of the story, by the messages and the themes, regardless of their religion. That was very inspiring to me.

I also felt like the actors really gave their hearts and souls to the project. They worked really hard to get inside the skin of Mary and Joseph and help you feel what it could have been like to be a real person going through this noble, difficult experience.

We've never seen this perspective of the nativity on film before -- that very human aspect of Mary and Joseph and what they went through.

I went to sunday school and church my whole life, and I always assumed that Mary and Joseph were happy and everything was great. They had these visions and everybody applauded and brought them gifts.

(Laughs.)

(Laughs.) But if you study the culture at the time, or even if you just study the book of Matthew -- you'll read a line that says Joseph was planning to divorce Mary, privately. That one sentence has a lot of anguish in it. This is a woman he loved. He was a strictly religious man, and for him to decide he might need to divorce her because she came home pregnant... He knows he's not the father. That's a huge deal, even now, in our time. There's a very visceral reaction to seeing the person you love pregnant with someone else's child. How do you struggle with that moral dilemma? How do you trust her? How do you believe her? Those moments were what really drew me in to the idea of making this film and making the story come alive for people.

It's interesting to see the story put in the proper historical and cultural context. I'm not sure that's something we've ever delved into before, this deeply.

I was fascinated by all of that. These people were living hand-to-mouth, planting seeds, saving every bit of grain they had. On top of that, Herod came in and taxed them, taking half of what they had. Living under that kind of pressure, with those economic realities, that kind of connection to the land where you knew where your food came from... It's so foreign to us now.

What was the premier at the Vatican like for you?

A very surreal experience. (Laughs.) I thought they must have been exaggerating when they said there were going to be seven thousand people there, but you walk into this space, there were seven thousand people there. It was several rows of people in their beautiful black robes and cardinal's hats, and of course I was about to faint!

(Laughs.)

(Laughs.) It was a "what am I doing here?!" moment. So they're watching the movie, and I'm getting so nervous wondering what everybody is going to think. "What if this detail isn't right, or what if that scene doesn't look good?" But then at the moment the baby was born, it started to rain outside. I heard rain pattering on the roof. I said to the person next to me, "It's raining." And they said, "No, that's applause." It came from the back of the theater along this kind of curved roof, and it traveled over the whole audience. People just burst into applause when Jesus was born. It was really neat.

Then people stood up and tried to take photographs of the moment on the screen when Jesus was born.

(Laughs.)

It was amazing!

If it wasn't at the Vatican, they'd get arrested for that sort of thing.

I know! Usually you get patted-down before you go into a premier, but I guess they didn't worry about the nuns taking pictures. But really, it was an amazing, beautiful experience. And the best thing about it is that the whole thing was done as a benefit for this school in Israel that's in a war-torn area. The school will help kids from all different races and faiths -- Muslims, Jews, and Christians. I love that.

So what's next for you?

Working on The Nativity has reinforced in my mind what I was planning to do before. It's a movie about the environment. As we tried to find locations that hadn't changed in two thousand years, we found that that's pretty difficult in this world, because we haven't taken very good care of it. Even in the middle of the desert in Morocco, there would be trash heaps. Plastic bags would blow at you. It was crazy the things that we saw, just scouting for locations.

So that's what I'm working on next. It's called The Monkey Wrench Gang, and it's based on a novel about four people in the Southwest, who were idealists in the seventies, trying to save the land around the Grand Canyon. It's a comedy. It's going to be really fun.

"Nazareth Village" used as inspiration in "Nativity"

2006-12-21T00:51:00.000-05:00

Nazarenes live and act as Jesus did
POSTED: 4:21 p.m. EST, December 21, 2006
By Michael McKinley and David Gibson
CNN

NAZARETH VILLAGE, Israel (CNN) -- Two thousand years after Jesus walked the hills of the Galilee, a group of American and Israeli scholars have created Nazareth Village, the kind of first-century Hebrew town where Jesus grew up, in the very city where he was raised.

That makes Nazareth Village a treasure not only to archaeologists and Christian pilgrims, but also to filmmakers.

Because in spite of the religious significance and nostalgia surrounding the biblical town of Nazareth, today's sprawling, modern-day version of the city would have been unrecognizable to Jesus.

Then, a decade ago Dr. Stephen Pfann, president of the University of the Holy Land, spotted remnants of an ancient wine press while visiting nearby Nazareth Hospital.

Encouraged by the hospital administration, Pfann worked with fellow biblical scholars, including his wife, Claire -- one of the on-camera experts in the CNN Presents documentary "After Jesus" -- to painstakingly rebuild this modern-day archaeological marvel on a 20-acre patch of hillside in the midst of a bustling city of 70,000 people -- Muslim, Jewish and Christian.

Nazareth Village is no dry museum piece or shallow tourist trap, but a working village that recreates a Jewish community at the time of the first century.

Today, Nazarene men, women and children from the surrounding neighborhood dress in authentic first-century costumes to plow fields, bake bread and press olives.

They also are rebuilding the village using the ancient materials and methods that Jesus and his family would have used. There are houses, a carpenter's shop, a synagogue and a stable.

Nazareth Village is not only a popular destination for schools and tourists, but it is also a key location for television and film productions that deal with Jesus and his time.

Recently, re-enactors from Nazareth Village were taken to a southern Italian town to appear in the recent Christmas film, "The Nativity," which tells in historical detail the story of the birth of Jesus.

Much of that historical precision was provided by the folks from Nazareth Village.

Indeed, the town works with producers to give us what we need by way of events and characters to tell our Jesus stories.

When we were filming segments for "After Jesus," the re-enactors helped us cast our scenes.

One tour guide had played the Apostle Peter before, and slid into his role with genial ease; another played the mercurial Apostle Paul, and worked with us to reveal the character of this complex man, who is often seen as second only to Jesus in the foundation of Christianity.

And then there were the children, full of energy and fun, but mindful of their elders and their role in this accomplishment.

It is one that is all the more extraordinary given the troubles brought upon Nazareth by the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Nazareth is in the heart of the Galilee, the northern province of Israel, just as in biblical times.

And today, just as then, it is often caught up in the violence that afflicts the area.

Most recently, rockets from Hezbollah militias, situated just a few miles to the north across the border in Lebanon, struck the city during the conflict with Israel.

While Nazareth Village wasn't directly hit, the conflict recalled the daily violence of the Roman occupation during the time of Jesus and his contemporaries.

For today's Nazarenes, any outbreak of violence generally leads to a drastic drop-off in tourism, mainly by Christian pilgrims from North America.

The industry provides an economic lifeline for the poor city and especially for Nazareth Village, which scrapes by largely on donations.

More than ever, the message of peace at the heart of Christianity is something embraced by both the "citizens" of the village and those who do visit.

The village is keen to show how the rhythm of rural life in this rocky, hilly country would have influenced Jesus, a carpenter now called the Prince of Peace.

And while our show deals with how the teachings of this humble Galilean became a global religion after he died, Nazareth Village is a powerful reminder of how he lived.

"Nativity's" poor showing a "major setback"

2006-12-21T00:43:00.000-05:00

Seen as bad news for people of faith who want more values-based, family fare
Posted: December 21, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

The poor showing of "The Nativity Story" this Christmas season is bad news for people of faith who hope Hollywood will make more feature films their families can enjoy, according to Christian movie reviewer Ted Baehr.

"It's a very serious setback," said Baehr, founder and publisher of Movieguide and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission.

The disappointing performance is all the more significant, Baehr told WND, because, unlike blockbusters "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Nativity" was produced by a major studio, New Line Cinema.

Baehr explained Hollywood takes about a dozen years to make a movie, so making changes in a good direction is like "turning the Titanic around."

"If one or two movies do well, the ship will continue on a positive course, otherwise it will turn back to whatever makes money," he said.

Right now, Baehr noted, the easy money is made on "extremely bigoted, anti-Christian movies" such as "Borat" and "Jackass 2."

Baehr said the performance of "Nativity" is especially disappointing because it's an exceptionally good film that adheres closely to the Bible.

"It's very entertaining, very authentic and has captured all ranges of the church, from James Dobson to Charles Colson to the Vatican," he said. "It should be doing great business."

But as of Tuesday, "Nativity," with a production budget of $35 million, has an estimated gross box office of just $24.6 million in the U.S. since opening Dec. 1. Another "values" film, Walden Media's "Charlotte's Web," finished a distant third in its opening this past weekend, grossing $11.6 million, while the leader, "The Pursuit of Happyness," grossed $26.5 million. "Nativity finished ninth over the weekend, at just under $4.7 million.

Getting the word out

Baehr believes a major problem for "Nativity" was that marketers didn't get the word out early to their vital partner, the churches.

Mel Gibson, he pointed out, was promoting "Passion" in churches nine months before its release. With "Narnia," study guides were distributed to nearly every church – an effort that requires marketers to be "one year ahead of the game." "Passion," released in 2004, had a worldwide box office of $604 million.

In the end, the estimated 149 million Americans who regularly attend church services need to show up in order for movies such as "The Nativity Story" to be successful, Baehr said.

"The most powerful person in Hollywood is not a Michael Eisner," Baehr said. "It's the person who goes to the movie and votes at the box office."

Baehr said "Nativity" has one of the best scripts ever for a biblical story.

"What makes a movie compelling is a sense of jeopardy, and that sense of jeopardy is present throughout this movie," he said in a WND interview last month. "The dialogue, the plot development, the turning points are refreshingly dramatic, so good in fact that they will elicit tears at certain points."

Oscar Isaac plays Joseph and Keisha Castle-Hughes is Mary in the movie, which opens with the prophecy in Jeremiah 23:5-6: "'The days are coming,'" declares the Lord, 'when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.'"

Whither the "Nativity" Crowd?

2006-12-08T22:50:00.000-05:00

The Nativity Story came into theaters worldwide last weekend in much the same way that Christ himself came into the world—quietly, without much fanfare, and with only a small crowd witnessing the event.

The film, a $35 million project from New Line Cinema, finished just fourth at the box office with a paltry $7.8 million in ticket sales. A New Line spokesman said a huge snowstorm across the heartland kept some of the crowds away from the cineplex, but they seemed to be able to get out to see Happy Feet, Casino Royale, and Déjà Vu, all of which finished ahead of Nativity.

I was a bit disappointed—and a little embarrassed; more on that in a moment—by the turnout. I think The Nativity Story is a beautiful film about the birth of our Savior, and I think it'll be a Christmas classic in home DVD libraries for years to come. Reviews have been mixed; we gave it three (out of four) stars, and other reviewers are all over the map—everything from high praise to outright slams.

I might disagree with critics who aren't impressed with the film, but I wouldn't call their opinions "outrageous, disingenuous lies," as one outspoken pundit recently bellowed. Outrageous lies? Because they didn't like the movie? My goodness. Aren't people entitled to their opinions without being called liars?

Of course they are; I certainly am, and I don't mind sharing mine—including some opinions that may ruffle a few feathers. Like this one:

With the low turnout for The Nativity Story, compared to the relatively high turnout for other recent Christian movies like Facing the Giants and One Night with the King, I'm afraid Christian moviegoers are sending a message to Hollywood that isn't very pretty:

"We want more lame movies about our faith!"

The major studios are asking, "What films make money, and which ones don't?" If gory slasher flicks make money, they'll make gory slasher flicks. If gratuitous violence, steamy sex and raunchy humor sells, they'll make more movies with gratuitous violence, steamy sex and raunchy humor.

And now they must be thinking something like this: If Christians will settle for mediocre—or worse—films of faith, especially if they're made on a shoestring budget, then we'll deliver the goods! (Here's hoping that won't happen with The Weinstein Company, which just announced its own Christian film division.)

The Passion of The Christ earned a whopping $83.8 million in its first weekend. New Line Cinema didn't expect that kind of windfall, but they certainly hoped for a better debut for Nativity, which cost $35 million to make. (The Passion cost $30 million.)

But forget the comparisons to the incomparable Passion. Compared to the fast start of Facing the Giants and One Night with the King, Nativity was practically stuck at the starting gate on opening weekend.Nativity opened in a whopping 3,183 theaters, averaging $2,466 per theater. Giants opened in just 441 theaters, but averaged $3,046 per theater, while King, which opened in 909 theaters, averaged $4,533.

Had Giants opened in 3,183 theaters like Nativity, it would have earned $9.7 million on opening weekend—$2 million more than Nativity. Similarly, King would have earned $14.4 million—almost twice Nativity's first-weekend take.

While it's nice to see any Christian film successful at the box office, I'm concerned that Hollywood might be getting this message (whether Christian moviegoers are intending to send it or not): Cheaply made, cheesy films with poor acting and storytelling (Giants) and a bit more expensive but not much better movies (King) will satisfy the Christian audience. And well-made, artistic, thoughtful movies like The Nativity Story just aren't worth the bang for buck; why should a studio lose money on a movie?

At least that's the message after opening weekend for The Nativity Story. But there are still a few weeks left till Christmas. Perhaps Nativity will pick up some momentum and gain some "legs" in the weeks ahead, and Hollywood will get the message that making excellent Christian movies is money well spent. It'll never come near The Passion's worldwide take of more than $600 million, but here's one observer who hopes that Nativity picks up enough financial steam in the next few weeks that Hollywood gets the right message.

Speaking of The Passion, Mel Gibson is back in the news, not for drunken anti-Semitic remarks, thank goodness, but back in the director's chair with Apocalypto, his first film since Passion. Some say it's the most violent movie they've ever seen; our reviewer, Peter T. Chattaway, describes Gibson as "a sadist who rubs our faces in cinematic violence," but finds enough worthwhile material to give it 2½ stars.Two more new reviews this week: Blood Diamond, an action-packed drama starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a mercenary who trades diamonds for weapons in Sierra Leone's civil war, and The Holiday, a Kate Winslet/Camerin Diaz/Jude Law/Jack Black treat that our reviewer says is one of the better romantic comedies out of Hollywood in quite a while.

Also, you'll soon be reaching for It's a Wonderful Life, if you haven't already. But how much do you know about its director, Frank Capra? Learn more about him in our latest edition of Filmmakers of Faith, as writer Frank Smith explores the famed director's history.

Finally, who will direct The Hobbit? Will it be Peter Jackson, who directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Or someone else? Get the scoop in Reel News.

See you at the movies,

Mark Moring
Online Managing Editor/Music & Film

"Nativity" Bible Studies

2006-12-08T02:49:00.000-05:00

Christianity Today has created two Bible studies just for "Nativity," a family guide and a regular guide. They are provided as a Word file and can be purchased for $5.95 each. They cover such topics including the following:

Discussion Guide

• Movie Summary

• Discussing the Scenes
—Belief vs. Unbelief (Luke 1:5–22, 26–45)
—The Journey of Faith (Psalm 56:3–4; 121:1–8; Proverbs 14:12, 31; 19:21; Hebrews 11:1)
—God’s Faithfulness (1 Kings 19:1–13; Luke 1:46–55)

• As the Credits Roll

Even though the studies must be purchased to download, they give permission for up to 1000 copies to be made for distribution in churches.

Queen Spoo's Review

2006-12-07T23:07:00.000-05:00

“The Nativity Story” begins with an opening reminiscent of a combination of “The Passion of the Christ” and “Star Wars,” with the text scrolling across the night sky, informing the viewer of the time and place in which the story begins, along with a prophetic Messianic Scripture of Jeremiah 23:5-6:

5 "The days are coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The LORD Our Righteousness.

Interestingly, it treats the whole story leading up to the Nativity as a large flashback, happening a year earlier than the opening to Herod’s massacre of the infants in Bethlehem. As it opens with Zechariah’s turn to burn the incense in the Temple, as his wife, Elizabeth, waits outside, the treatment of that scene worked well, showing with accuracy the priestly duties and the Temple architecture. The presentation of Gabriel’s appearance to Zechariah only by the moving of the smoke as he spoke was a creative approach, even though we do actually see Gabriel in bodily form later in the movie.

As we see the village of Nazareth and the everyday life of Mary and her family, the rusticness and poverty is well-conveyed. She helps in the fields, makes and sells cheese with her family, and assists neighbors with tasks. Despite the poor circumstances, largely due to the overtaxing and occupation by the Romans, it appears that the villagers get along and make as much of their community together as possible. However, this tightknit community also is quite judgmental—as was typical of Jewish society—later on when Mary comes back pregnant from her visit with Elizabeth. Before all of this, when Mary is betrothed to Joseph—likely because he is attracted to her, and also because her father is financially unstable—we meet a very winsome man as portrayed by Oscar Isaac. We see Joseph as nervous around the girl he’s in love with, unsure of how to deal with her walking out of the house after she is betrothed. We also get glimpses of the type of man Joseph is, honorable and considerate, when he recovers Mary’s father’s donkey that the Romans took for tax payment. However, Mary’s response, as portrayed by Castle-Hughes, I found to be less than inspiring—her expression hardly seemed grateful, and she nearly inaudibly thanked Joseph as she walks off with the donkey.

The visitation by Gabriel to Mary occurs in broad daylight while she is resting in the groves from working. Initially, she senses something is different because of the wind—reminiscent of the story recurring in the Jewish scripture-telling from I Kings 19:11-12 that God was not in the wind (or the earthquake or the fire), but in the still small voice. His appearance to her appears both human and angelic at the same time, as we see him here in bodily form, though transparent near the ground. After this appearance, Mary decided to visit Elizabeth to see if what Gabriel said was true about her miraculous pregnancy, and going with her parents’ reluctant permission, she finds out it is indeed true. The “girl time” they shared was a good segment of the film, sharing their miraculous pregnancies and helping confirm to Mary that her pregnancy was indeed from God and she wasn’t just dreaming things. Even Elizabeth’s childbirth scene brought some reality to the situation, as Mary looked on with a little dismay that this was something she would be looking forward to.

The film provides an insightful look into what Mary would have faced with her “illegitimate” pregnancy with her family and her neighbors. Joseph shows well-deserved concern, yet shows mercy in his decision not to accuse her so that she won’t be tried and possibly stoned. One of the best scenes of the movie was when Joseph is dreaming about the situation with Mary’s pregnancy, seeing the crowd gathering to stone her, and as he is handed a stone and he nearly throws it at her, Gabriel steps in the way and delivers his message to Joseph to take Mary as his wife and confirms that her child was miraculously conceived.

As they have to leave to Bethlehem for the census, we see some beautiful and rugged landscape, giving the viewers some idea of the arduous journey it would have taken to get there. Again, we see some of the traditional Jewish customs, such as Joseph’s blessing the bread in Hebrew. Furthermore, the good-naturedness of Joseph continues to be shown, particularly when he feeds their donkey some of his bread so that it won’t become too weak for the traveling. Interestingly, as they are walking through Jerusalem on the way on to Bethlehem, as they are walking through the outer courts of the Temple and get sacrificial birds shoved at them for purchase, Joseph makes a striking comment echoing Jesus’ later, saying “I thought this was supposed to be a holy place.”

They finally arrive in Bethlehem, where there is no room as Mary goes into labor. They find an animal cave/stable and Joseph has to deliver Jesus on his own. As they try to get comfortable with the new Baby, shepherds appear from nowhere—including an old one they had previously met on the road—soon followed by the Magi, as Joseph and Mary look on in amazement. Here again, Joseph appears to be mystified, but Mary just looks on without much expression, rather than appearing that she is “pondering all these things and treasured them up in her heart.” Perhaps she is too exhausted from traveling and giving birth.

The film then comes full circle, as Herod gives the order to kill all boys under 2, while Joseph simultaneously gets a message in another dream to hurry and get out of town towards Egypt, narrowly missing the soldiers’ arrival. It ends by showing the family arriving at the pyramids of Egypt, awaiting the next saga to chronicle the next stage in Jesus’ life.

Oscar Isaac turns in a solid performance all around, showing a range of emotions and giving depth to the much-ignored character of Joseph. Keisha Castle-Hughes, on the other hand, provides a disappointing performance, especially after the high standards she performed as the lead Paikea in “Whale Rider.” She may have been trying to portray Mary as serious or pious, but she largely came across as unemotional and bored. Shaun Toub and Hiam Abbass (who actually was born in Nazareth—how cool!) played believable parents to Mary. Shohreh Aghdashloo portrayed a wonderful image of Elizabeth, a kind, compassionate, and righteous woman who helped Mary through her difficult predicament. Ciaran Hinds pulled off a decent balance for the mentally unstable and paranoid King Herod (the Great), showing his vanity, arrogance, and paranoia that his throne would be toppled, even by members of his own family. The Magi were a nice counter to the rest of the film, providing some mild comedy, but without being over the top or being unrealistic. Gaspar’s skepticism was an interesting twist, and made his belief at the end all the more meaningful.

The movie attempts to stay reverent and authentic at the same time. Jewish customs are represented accurately and respectfully, even small ones. One nice touch was the inclusion of a dove whenever an angel departed or the presence of God was indicated, particularly as one flew over Mary after she tells Gabriel that she would accept God’s plan for her to carry Jesus as a particularly representational moment of the Holy Spirit’s presence coming over her as it flew by. Even the use of the cave—rather than a wood stable—showed the greater degree of accuracy than most Christmas films. Theologically, the story was compressed, particularly with the arrival of the Magi with the shepherds, to allow for time as well as the traditional images of the Nativity often seen in crèches. The cinematography was spectacular, keeping it soft and earthy, while maintaining the moments of the divine when needed. The only thing that seemed incongruent was the nitty-grittiness of the whole film until the end for the actual Nativity scene, where it suddenly becomes the picturesque Christmas card. The imagery is beautifully shot, but it seems to insert the quintessential Nativity scene—which I suppose is appropriate for a movie called “The Nativity Story”—perhaps to represent this holy moment differently around the bookends of more realistic renditions of their everyday life.

Grade: B+

"Nativity" elicits different responses

2006-12-07T13:13:00.000-05:00

Nativity Story Delights Some, Disappoints Others
Christian film critics have mixed feelings about Catherine Hardwicke's The Nativity Story.
by Jeffrey Overstreet posted 12/07/2006

For Christians, Christmas is a time to think about Chapter One of the Greatest Story Ever Told. But at the movies, the holiday is usually celebrated with forgettable, frivolous features like the latest episode in the Santa Clause series and heavy-hitting, Oscar-contending dramas like Babel and the upcoming Dreamgirls.

This year, however, thanks to New Line Cinema, director Catherine Hardwicke, and screenwriter Mike Rich, The Nativity Story is surprising holiday moviegoers with a substantial Christmas message. The film takes its subject seriously, adhering closely to the details of the scriptural text and with a remarkable attention to period detail. The film feels authentic in its dusty, simple design, and in the complexion of its cast.

And the biggest surprise of all? This version of The Nativity Story brings the character of Joseph to life. Through a nuanced performance by Oscar Isaac, we're blessed with a detailed portrait of a virtuous man stepping up to accept enormous responsibility. We see his pride shaken as his fiancée becomes pregnant by a mystery. We see him fearful and dismayed as the community becomes suspicious. We feel his angst as he wonders if he can teach the Son of God anything. And then we sense his fears as he travels with Mary back to his crowded hometown where nobody is willing to help them, and they end up in a stable.

But The Nativity Story is also surprising some Christian critics by just how far short it falls from what it might have been.

I was excited to see a chapter of Christ's story shared without apology or dismaying distortions, and yet I've rarely encountered a version of the story that failed to inspire wonder, excitement, and awe the way this one fails. It all seems so dutiful and responsible and safe that the film never really came to life, never lit up with passion. Despite the attention to detail, almost every scene in The Nativity Story feels rushed. We might have had scenes, but instead we have hurried exchanges. Hardwicke seems to have forgotten that the big screen can be a canvas for visual poetry, for inspiring awe with light and color. She seems to merely document what the actors are doing, without any interest in metaphor or beauty.

When Mike Rich's screenplay shifts from the Bible's language to his own embellishments are abrupt and distracting. Events that should feel momentous and thought-provoking—like the restoration of Zechariah's speech, Elizabeth's rejoicing with Mary, Gabriel's announcement, and the central nativity event in the stable—all arrive and pass so quickly, we hardly have a chance to apprehend the gravity of what is happening.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment is Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary. The actress, so alive and engaging in Whale Rider, seems trapped in two or three facial expressions here, and her line readings are flat and automatic. When Gabriel arrives, her face fails to communicate anything like fear or fascination. Only Oscar Isaac, as Joseph, manages to communicate more than the screenplay gives him to say. Only he gains a powerful hold on our sympathies. Why these three wise men are called "wise" is anybody's guess. And when we arrive at the nativity itself, it looks far too much like a Hallmark Christmas card; the stable seems to be missing a roof, allowing the Christmas star to spotlight the Christ child.

My full review is at Looking Closer.

Here's what other Christian press film critics are saying:

Peter T. Chattaway (Christianity Today Movies) says the movie's "real hero" is Joseph, who "may be the most attractive embodiment of goodness and self-giving devotion that we have seen in a movie since Sean Astin played Sam in The Lord of the Rings."

He also adds that there's "a tension of sorts in Mike Rich's screenplay, which oscillates between the need to be faithful to the biblical text, on the one hand, and the freedom to create dramatically compelling characters and scenes, on the other. While Rich trims out some of the dialogue that appears in the Bible, the parts that he keeps are presented almost exactly as written, yet these sections of the film—especially the Annunciation and the restoration of speech to Zechariah—feel rushed and anticlimactic, and are never quite woven into the rest of the drama."

He concludes, "For all the talk of 'realism' and 'authenticity' that has surrounded this film, it is still very much a family-friendly Christmas pageant, a Christmas crèche brought to theatrical life."

Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) is impressed with scenes that develop "the human dimension of what the terse biblical narratives merely imply … . The tender relationship between young Mary and the older Elizabeth … is touchingly drawn, and the public shame and scandal faced by Mary returning to Nazareth, and by Joseph if he stands by her, is vividly portrayed. … Further enhancing the realism is doubtless the most non-Caucasian cast in Hollywood Bible movie history."

Greydanus is especially impressed with Oscar Isaac's performance as Joseph, saying his "sensitive, compelling performance gives depth and humanity to the relatively obscure figure St. Matthew describes simply as 'a righteous man.'" He says the film's faults "tend to be of omission rather than commission," but predicts it will be a family favorite for years to come.

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) says "Hollywood finally gets it right with The Nativity Story. It's an] artful, reverent and deeply affecting retelling. … The film's hopeful message should resonate beyond Christian audiences to a world still groaning for peace and good will."

Frederica Matthewes-Green (Frederica.com, originally at Beliefnet), says, "If you thought Hollywood was incapable of approaching Christians without a cattle prod, you'll be shocked at how circumspect this movie is. … There is nothing in this film to offend devout Christians (parents note, however, a PG rating for some glimpses of crucifixion)—but solemnity rolls through it all like molasses."

Matthewes-Green is especially disappointed in Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary. "[S]he just seems disengaged. Some astounding and even terrifying things are happening to Mary, but Castle-Hughes looks like her mind is somewhere else." But she has higher praise for Oscar Isaac as Joseph and Terry Russof as an insightful shepherd.

Steven Isaac (Plugged In) says, "Straightforward. That's perhaps the best word to describe The Nativity Story. Sweet and respectful work, too. But never grand or ambitious, as fans of biblical epics might wish for. A few too many British-leaning accents, a few too few visual effects and a script that serves its purpose well but doesn't burst into color onscreen all conspire to push the film into that 'just another Bible movie' category. … They almost succeed. But not quite."

Matt Page (Bible Films), calling the film "more good than bad," says, "[D]espite its uniqueness, it can't quite decide what kind of bible film it wants to be. The title suggests a mythic retelling, perhaps aimed at the family, yet the early scenes have a gritty, realistic feel to them. Later on though the film morphs into a sort of road movie. … Then it changes gear yet again once the holy couple reaches Bethlehem. The last remaining vestiges of realism are swiftly ditched and out comes a touch of the Christmas magic. … It's not that there is anything particularly wrong with any of these different styles; it just leads to a very uneven film."

Lisa Rice (Crosswalk) says it's "a movie with everything:drama, action, romance, history, and miracles—a sure bet to edge out the shallow, same old 'pretend-Christmas' offerings."

Michael Brunk (Past the Popcorn) says, "[I]t's not actually a bad movie. It's just not as good as it could have, or perhaps should have, been."

Sister Rose Pacatte, F.S.P. (St. Anthony Messenger) says Mike Rich's script "reaches inside the minds and hearts of the characters and makes them real for us. The Magi provide some comic relief. The story of Jesus' birth is layered with meaning so that the youngest child to the wisest of adults can experience Christmas anew. … This film is certain to be a classic for all Christians, even though the nativity scene … looks as if it was lifted off a Christmas card. A little more subtlety would have been my preference."

Cliff Vaughn (Ethics Daily) says, "[T]he movie's best scenes involve [Mary] and Joseph trying to make sense of their circumstances." He also raves about Isaac's performance as Joseph: "Isaac owns the movie. Saying very little, the Juilliard graduate brilliantly expresses what must surely have been Joseph's doubt, anger and fear. [He] provides Christ-like traits before, during and after the film's manger climax."

Mainstream critics are turning in mixed reviews. At Rotten Tomatoes, an average of 107 reviews comes up with a "rotten" rating of 41 percent (anything less than 60 percent is deemed rotten). But the "Cream of the Crop" reviews—notable critics from North America's top media outlets—are at 58 percent, just shy of the "fresh" rating.

A.O. Scott of The New York Times says the film "sticks to the familiar details of the narrative and dramatizes them with sincerity and good taste. There are no flights of actorly or cinematic bravura—though all of the performances are credible, and some better than that—and very few big, showy, epic gestures. Rather than trying to reinterpret or modernize a well-known, cherished story, the filmmakers have rendered it with a quiet, unassuming professionalism."

But Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly says, "The movie industry is eager to beckon and serve Christian viewers, yet as long as it thinks of those viewers as another market slice, a demo, it may end up pandering to them with cautious and stultifying reverence. The Nativity Story is a film of tame picture-book sincerity, but that's not the same thing as devotion. The movie is too tepid to feel, or see, the light."

Movieguide's Ted Baehr Reviews "Nativity"

2006-12-04T09:39:00.000-05:00

THE NATIVITY STORY is one of those very rare movies that brings the Gospel alive in a compelling, captivating, entertaining, and inspiring manner that shatters expectations. It is a sacred movie and a divine revelation in the best sense of these words. It is a human story with depth and breadth and height and all the right elements to capture the audience.

The movie opens with Jeremiah 23:5-6: "'The days are coming,'" declares the LORD, 'when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.'" The rest of the movie references and quotes Scripture throughout.

The intensely paranoid King Herod sends out the troops to kill all the innocents in Bethlehem and stop the prophecy that there will be born a King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Herod is intensely superstitious and played brilliantly. Thus, this movie starts, as it should, with a bang. It then flashes back to a year earlier in the town of Nazareth, showing a brief moment of tranquility in the life of Mary and Joseph.

Suddenly, the Roman troops are upon the village demanding tribute for Caesar. Mary's father loses part of his land and his donkey. Joseph the carpenter buys the donkey back from the greedy soldier and gives it back to the father, asking for Mary's hand in marriage. Mary protests a little, but she is betrothed and must spend a year before they consummate the marriage.

Soon, an angel of God comes to Mary to tell her that she is with God's child, born by the Holy Spirit. She goes to see her cousin Elizabeth, who in her older age is also with child. (A previous scene shows Elizabeth’s husband, the priest Zechariah, entering the temple and being struck mute when he doubts the word of the angel that Elizabeth had become pregnant.) When Mary returns to Nazareth, it is clear that Mary is pregnant. Joseph is devastated but decides to continue with the marriage after an angel appears to him in a dream. At the same time, the magi in Babylon are preparing to follow a unique astrological sign, which forms a brief new star, to find the King of Kings.

Joseph and Mary have to journey to Bethlehem to register for the Roman census, and the prophecies of God are fulfilled.

THE NATIVITY STORY has one of the best scripts ever for a biblical story. What makes a movie compelling is a sense of jeopardy, and that sense of jeopardy is present throughout this movie. The dialogue, the plot development, the turning points are refreshingly dramatic, so good in fact that they will elicit tears at certain points. THE NATIVITY STORY is compelling drama that carefully avoids gruesome, graphic violence. Even the slaughtering of the ox at the temple does not show the blade entering the animal, yet it causes the audience to wince.

Catherine Hardwicke's direction is superb. Joseph and Mary are very human and very Jewish and very much in love. Each character has a terrific character arc. Probably the best part of the movie is the costuming and the settings. Having spent some time in Israel researching other movies, I can attest to the authenticity of even the smallest details of life in Israel in the first century. The crucifixions, the agriculture, the ephods, everything is done exquisitely. There is one moment where Mary has an attitude, but it is very brief and natural. A later statement, however, declares that Mary is always trustworthy, that she keeps her promises and therefore she is honored by God. Her complexities add depth to her character and make the story of Mary and Joseph more profound.

THE NATIVITY STORY is a nearly perfect movie. It should be a movie that every Christian would want to see. It is certainly a movie that every Non-Christian should see. It testifies in every way to Jesus the Messiah and is clearly and consciously evangelistic. Such statements that this baby is the “greatest King” and “God made flesh,” that the gold is for the King of the world, that the frankincense is for the greatest priest of all, and that the myrrh is to honor the sacrifice, and many, many more pointedly proclaim the story of the Christ and the great news that there is salvation in none other.

Use Movieguide's Secular Teacher's Guide or Christian Teacher's Guide.

Find the Movieguide Faith Guide here and download free "Nativity" sermons here.

ScoreNotes interviews Mychael Danna (composer)

2006-12-03T23:12:00.000-05:00

Here, ScoreNotes.com interviews Mychael Danna, the composer of "Nativity." Much of what he says echoes my interview with him, but he elaborates on the scoring process for the movie. Listen to the intriguing interview below:

"Nativity" debuts at 4th opening weekend

2006-12-03T22:13:00.000-05:00

Dancing penguin beats up 007 at the box office
POSTED: 5:18 p.m. EST, December 3, 2006

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A dancing penguin and the world's deadliest spy have settled in for a long stay at the top of the box office. [...]

A weak crop of newcomers were unable to bump off the holdovers. Despite the holiday season, movie-goers generally were not in the mood for New Line's "The Nativity Story," a tale of Christ's humble birth that debuted modestly with $8 million to come at No. 4.

Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes as the Virgin Mary, "The Nativity Story" received mixed reviews, with many critics finding it a skillfully crafted but tame and unimaginative retelling of the first Christmas.

Snow in the Midwest kept many movie-goers at home, undermining the film's opening, said David Tuckerman, New Line's head of distribution.

"The storms in the middle of the country couldn't have hurt us more," Tuckerman said. "It's a movie made for the heartland, and it killed us in the heartland."

"Nativity" TV commercials

2006-12-02T22:14:00.000-05:00

Christianity Today Reviews "Nativity"

2006-12-02T21:20:00.000-05:00

The Nativity Story
Review by Peter T. Chattaway posted 12/01/06

The Passion of The Christ was an independent movie, paid for entirely out of Mel Gibson's pocket. The Prince of Egypt was an animated film that emphasized the common ground between Jews, Christians and Muslims. The Last Temptation of Christ was a low-budget art-house flick based on a heretical novel.

You would have to go back at least as far as King David, the mid-1980s box-office flop starring Richard Gere, to find another live-action movie produced by a major Hollywood studio and based directly on the Bible. And you would have to go back even further—to the bathrobe epics of the 1960s, at least—to find a mainstream biblical movie that was as blatantly Christian as The Nativity Story.

The film begins by quoting a prophecy, from the Book of Jeremiah, that is said to be troubling King Herod the Great (Ciarán Hinds). We then see Herod and his son Antipas (Alessandro Giuggioli) as they preside over the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem. By this point, Mychael Danna's score has invoked the medieval hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," and scenes like these lay out the messianic hope by reminding us that Israel was indeed a "captive" in need of "ransoming."

The movie then jumps back a year and then some to the beginning of the story, as the angel Gabriel (Alexander Siddig) appears to the priest Zechariah (Stanley Townsend) to tell him that his wife Elizabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo) will have a son despite being well past the age of childbearing. Actually, Gabriel does not "appear" to Zechariah, as such; in one of the film's several minor deviations from the Bible, Gabriel reveals only his voice to Zechariah—although, in a nifty special effect, the angel's breath does seem to part the smoke that rises from the altar.

After this, we meet Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes), a young girl who likes to play and laugh with her friends, but, like the teens of today, she has to cope with oh-so-serious parents—Joaquim (Shaun Toub) and Anna (Hiam Abbass, who really was born in Nazareth!)—who interrupt her fun to remind her to do her chores. (The film imagines that the ancestors of Christ made and sold cheese, which kind of gives a new spin to that old Monty Python line, "Blessed are the cheesemakers!")

Here is where the tension between the film's ancient and modern sensibilities is at its most obvious. Director Catherine Hardwicke spent years as a production designer before she got behind the camera, and her quest for authenticity is all over The Nativity Story's set design, especially when she throws in brief educational cutaway shots of peasants treading grapes or milking goats. But the film also gives Mary and her parents a taste of the intergenerational friction that was a major theme in Hardwicke's previous directorial efforts, Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown—and at times, the interactions within Mary's family feel a tad anachronistic.

There is also a tension of sorts in Mike Rich's screenplay, which oscillates between the need to be faithful to the biblical text, on the one hand, and the freedom to create dramatically compelling characters and scenes, on the other. While Rich trims out some of the dialogue that appears in the Bible, the parts that he keeps are presented almost exactly as written, yet these sections of the film—especially the Annunciation and the restoration of speech to Zechariah—feel rushed and anticlimactic, and are never quite woven into the rest of the drama. Compare the first scene between Mary and Elizabeth, which is straight out of the Gospel of Luke (minus the Magnificat), with their later conversations; it's a little like watching Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, in which the heroes use modern English until they wander into a scene from Hamlet and start talking all Shakespearean.

Of course, there isn't all that much information about the Nativity in the Bible to begin with, so the filmmakers have plenty of room in which to create a thematic and dramatic arc for their story—and many of their ideas are quite interesting.

As Mary, Castle-Hughes is a bit of a blank, but there is still something compelling about her portrait of a child who finds herself thrust into a supremely adult role, first when her parents push her into an arranged marriage with Joseph (Oscar Isaac), and then when Gabriel tells her that she will bear the Son of God. The film even brings certain aspects of Terrence Malick's The New World to mind, as Mary expresses her thoughts in voice-over and comes to appreciate her husband's love for her.

But the real hero of this movie is Joseph, who, as played by Isaac, may be the most attractive embodiment of goodness and self-giving devotion that we have seen in a movie since Sean Astin played Sam in The Lord of the Rings. The trick to Isaac's performance is that he lets us see Joseph's darker side, even as he shows Joseph bravely keeping it under control. When a total stranger meets Joseph and the pregnant Mary, and remarks that there is nothing like seeing your own face in the face of your child, the pained look on Joseph's face speaks volumes: he knows that with this child, at least, this is one aspect of fatherhood that he will never enjoy.

The depth and roundedness of Joseph's character is also evident in the way he handles the crisis that emerges when Mary's pregnancy becomes obvious to their neighbors, who shun Mary and her family as a result. Joseph sheds tears and wrestles with his own feelings of betrayal, but he also uses humor to buoy Mary's spirits, particularly when the two of them leave Nazareth for Bethlehem.

The film also makes some interesting allusions to people and events from the future ministry of Jesus. As Mary and Joseph make the arduous journey to Bethlehem for the census, they buy one of their meals from a Galilean fisherman—might his name be Jonah (father of Peter and Andrew) or Zebedee (father of James and John)?—and as they pass by the Temple in Jerusalem, Joseph expresses his disgust with the hucksters there, the same hucksters that Jesus will chase out one day. Even better, when Herod's troops attack the babies in Bethlehem, one soldier looks inside the cave where Jesus was born, and finds an empty manger—an image that brings to mind the empty clothes that Jesus' disciples will one day find in his tomb.

For all the talk of "realism" and "authenticity" that has surrounded this film, it is still very much a family-friendly Christmas pageant, a Christmas crèche brought to theatrical life. While Mary does experience labor pains, the birth of Jesus is remarkably clean, with no placenta or umbilical cord in sight. The Magi, who trek for months, are the comic relief—more like the Three Amigos than the Three Wise Men—and they show up at the cave on the night of Jesus' birth, instead of months or even years later, as many interpreters would insist. (For one thing, if they arrived on the night of the birth itself, with Herod's soldiers only a few days behind them, it wouldn't leave much time for Joseph and Mary to dedicate Jesus or to meet Simeon and Anna at the Temple in Jerusalem—an episode that is missing from this film.)

But it's perfectly okay to take those kinds of liberties with a story like this, especially if it allows the filmmakers to express spiritual truths that go beyond mere historical facts. As Gaspar (Stefan Kalipha), one of the Magi, says when he sees the Christ child, the baby in Mary's arms is "God made into flesh." It is unlikely that a pagan astrologer would have thought in such clearly incarnational terms, so many years before any actual Christians did, but it is still kind of neat to hear him express that belief. I mean, when was the last time you heard that in a mainstream movie?

Talk About It/Discussion starters
1. A recurring theme in this film is the story of Elijah hearing God's "still small voice" (1 Kings 19). Why does the film refer to this story? In what way is Mary, or Joseph, or Jesus, a "still small voice"? What "still small voices" have you heard in your own spiritual walk?

2. What does this film reveal about love? What kind of love does Joseph have for Mary? Is it romantic, or something else? What about Elizabeth's love for Zechariah, or for Mary? What examples of fatherly love does the film show? Does Mary come to love Joseph, and if so, what sort of love does she have for him?

3. Consider how the people of Nazareth treat Mary, her parents, and Joseph after they learn that she is pregnant. When have you judged people without knowing their story? When have you stood by people who were being judged by others?

4. The film underscores the political oppression suffered by the Jews under King Herod, and it ends with Mary reciting the Magnificat in a voiceover ("He has brought down rulers from their thronesbut has lifted up the humble," etc.). How is the birth of Jesus an answer to this oppression? Does the film make this point clear?

The Family Corner/For parents to consider
The Nativity Story is rated PG for some violent content (Herod's soldiers kill the babies in Bethlehem, though most of the violence is kept out of frame and no blood is shown; Jewish rebels are pursued by soldiers and later seen crucified, though the act of crucifixion itself is kept offscreen). There are also two scenes of childbirth and one scene in which a baby boy is circumcised, and parents may need to explain to very young children why the people of Nazareth ostracize Mary and her family for her pregnancy. The film is probably too mature for preschoolers and young elementary age, but should be suitable for ages 8 or 9 and up.

© 2006, Peter T. Chattaway subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

Crosswalk interviews Oscar Isaac (Joseph)

2006-12-02T20:31:00.000-05:00

Finding Joseph in "The Nativity Story"
Annabelle Robertson
Entertainment Critic

When Oscar Isaac took on the role of Joseph in the upcoming Bible epic, “The Nativity Story,” the 26-year-old actor had no idea what he would soon be facing.

It wasn’t merely the thought of his first major film role, only a year after leaving Julliard. Isaac had played opposite Rosario Dawson in the Shakespeare in the Park production of “Two Gentlemen in Verona” right after graduation. He had also done an episode of TV’s “Law and Order” and shot two other movies, including next year’s “Guerrilla,” directed by Steven Soderbergh, where he worked with Benicio Del Toro.

Not bad for a Guatemalan-born kid raised in Miami – even if he does look like Antonio Banderas, a few years younger.

Nor was it the weather in Matera, Italy, where “The Nativity Story” was shot – which reached a startling 115 degrees one day – that challenged Isaac. It was, he says, the thought of playing the earthly father of God’s son.

“When I was reading and working on the script, I remember thinking, ‘How do I play this? How do I play that I’m going to have the son of God?’” Isaac said. “It’s such an abstract idea.”

The film, which is directed by Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen,” “Lords of Dogtown”), focuses on Mary and Joseph’s betrothal and their treacherous four-day journey to Bethlehem. Written by Mike Rich (“Finding Forrester,” “The Rookie”), the drama boasts a poignant screenplay, historically-accurate sets, and a cast of top-notch actors that include Oscar-nominated Keisha Castle-Hughes (“Whale Rider”) as Mary, Shoreh Agdashloo (“24”) as Elizabeth and Alexander Siddig ( “Syriana” ) as the angel Gabriel.

I recently sat down with Isaac in Los Angeles, where he discussed this momentous role and how the part impacted his own faith. Here’s what he had to say. ...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You look much younger without the beard.
Yeah, without the beard and the first century brow – you know? It’s a little easier nowadays. (laughs)

Mike [Rich, the screenwriter] said this isn’t a typical love story. Would you agree?
I think the fact that there’s a man who loves God so fully and loves this woman so fully and has to share his love with God is pretty untraditional, yeah! (laughs) It’s an interesting character study as well. He has to share his wife with God. He wanted to have a family with this woman. He wanted to have a nice, normal life in his little house that he’s building and suddenly he forced to….kind of, ‘Why her?’ you know? ‘I love her so much, I love you so much, but why couldn’t you have picked anybody else?’

It was so nice to see the character of Joseph fleshed out. Generally, in these types of films, he’s the one character who is off in the background.
Yeah, if you look at all the paintings, he’s the creepy looking guy in the back with all the sheep, just trying to get a space in the picture! (laughs)

And old.
Yeah, old! Very old. But that’s something that Mike tried to sprinkle throughout the film – where maybe Jesus learned some of the things Joseph teaches, like the comment [Joseph makes in the temple], “This is supposed to be a holy place!” Some of those values that are maybe instilled, perhaps from his father. And really, the fact that this is a man whose whole being is one of humility. And I think that was one of Christ’s major teachings.

In “Fiddler on the Roof,” you hear the refrain, “Oh, he’s a good man.” That’s also a refrain in this film, isn’t it?
Right. The Bible describes him as “righteous” – and that’s it. So how do you, as an actor, play “righteous?” What does that mean? Do you stand up straighter? (laughs) So I had to figure that out, and I realized that it’s actions. And for me, or for Joseph, righteous meant love. He looks at Mary. He doesn’t stone her. He doesn’t humiliate her publicly – because he’s righteous. And when I did the scenes, even though I had the anger and the rage and the fear and the doubt, I just loved her so much that suddenly I realized that righteousness means just unselfish, humble love.

Wow.
And that’s what took me throughout the rest of the film.

One of the most poignant moments in the film is when you and Mary look at each other and you say, “How will I ever teach him anything?” What went through your mind with that thought? How do you teach the son of God?
That was definitely one of the challenges. When I was reading and working on the script, I remember thinking, ‘How do I play this? How do I play that I’m going to have the son of God?’ It’s such an abstract idea. I just didn’t know what to think about it. Then I realized that that was exactly what Joseph was thinking. He has no clue what that means. He doesn’t know if he’s going to come out a full man, if there are going to be millions of angels – or what. He has no idea what to expect. So that gave me some freedom to think about those things.

Can you talk about some of the resources and experience you drew upon to go into these deep emotions, especially as someone who is very young and, I presume, does not have children.

It’s funny. When we were in Italy rehearsing the film, before I really had my “righteousness equals love” revelation, every time we rehearsed that scene where she told me she was pregnant, I would leave. I couldn’t stay in the room. I’d want to walk out and hit something. I couldn’t figure out how to do the scene. I even said, ‘Maybe we should just change it, because I just can’t get there.’ I called my professor from Julliard and he said, ‘Well, you need to find a reason to stay.’ It’s such a simple thing to say but… It’s not saying that you’re not feeling all those things, or that you’re not wanting to choke her or do something, but why do you stay? I think that helped me figure it out, to think about how you can attack a scene in the deepest way possible.

Why does he stay?
Because he’s completely in love with her. And you can say that love comes from God, but there’s a depth of love that he had.

How much theological discussion was there on set, from changes in script to theology to history?
A lot. For me, that was incredibly important – that this was a young, Jewish man in the first century – and what does that mean? Also, little things. When I do the prayer for the bread, I was told not to say “Adonai” but “Adoshem,” because apparently you don’t say the name of God unless you are in certain circumstances.

How did you get the accent down so well?
That’s also from Julliard. They’re really good at teaching you how to manipulate the muscles in your mouth to do different accents pretty quickly.

Was there any kind of spiritual experience for you, making this film? Was it just work or were there moments where you were alone, and maybe thought about things that you wouldn’t have thought about had you not made this movie?
Absolutely. I did read a lot in the Bible. When I picked up that thing about love, I had started to read about love – what’s biblical love. I was reading about that, and the power of humility. It had never really hit me before. When I saw the film, I said, ‘Oh, my gosh. This is the greatest act of humility.’ This is how God decides to come to Earth. That’s a really powerful message.

So you have had a bit of a faith walk yourself? Can you tell us a bit like what that was like, both before and after the film?
Yeah, definitely. I definitely grew up in a very devout Christian home. Then, as Joseph, you know, you kind of go through this journey of asking yourself questions, wondering if you’re listening to God in the right way. You rebel in some ways against what your parents teach you, and it’s definitely been a revolution of how I think. During the film, I didn’t want to get into it in my own head, you know, but doing the film forced me to think about those things – my own spirituality. Having to play a pious Jewish man and not knowing what that was like. Because I think the Jews in Israel during the first century, there was no separation between them and God. God was integral to their lives, and to have to play somebody who was that devout, you have to put yourself in that place.

During a part of the journey, Mary prays, ‘Lord, help us.’ Did you ever find yourself praying in the midst of filming, even for a scene to be over, or an animal to cooperate?
Well, even the most non-religious people, the dire circumstances, I think, say, ‘God, help!’ But I would. I did. In almost every scene, I would pray for some kind of illumination. For instance, the Gabriel scene was a hard, hard scene. How do you play seeing an angel? So I prayed. Then I literally just opened the Bible and it opened to Jeremiah, where it talks about this guy and how he reacted when he saw the angel. I thought that was kind of funny.

I loved the scene where you paid off the Roman soldiers for the donkey that belonged to Mary’s father. It was so touching, and so humble.
Right, yeah. And it’s not like this guy was loaded.

It was also brave. There was a risk. These were armed soldiers who could have just as easily killed you for asking.
Yeah, exactly.

Then again, maybe he just wanted an excuse to talk to Mary!
Yes, but all those things are happening simultaneously. He does want to just talk to her. He wants to be in a room with her, even if he doesn’t have anything to say, even if it’s awkward. But that’s what is really special about “The Nativity Story.” It treats them as real people, but yet you’re still able to get all the power of the story.

I understand that you actually made the staff that you use in the film. Why did you decide to do that?
Well, first of all, [Joseph’s] hands were key – physically. After figuring out what he was going through emotionally, I had to figure what he was like. I had little dainty actor hands, so it was important for me to have the carpenter, first-century, person-of-the-land hands. So, for a month, with technical advisors, we worked. I worked with first century tools. And every day I’d go and I’d make something. I’d do masonry work. So by the time shooting came, those hands were calloused and swollen and scratched. It gave me something less to think about – to be self-conscious about.

Do you still have the staff?
(Nods) I take it with me on the subway! (laughs)

Rated PG for some violent content, “The Nativity Story" opens Friday, December 1 in more than 8,000 theaters worldwide.

Crosswalk Reviews "Nativity"

2006-12-02T20:22:00.000-05:00

"Nativity Story" Brings Real Meaning of Christmas to Life
Lisa Rice
Contributing Writer

Release Date: December 1, 2006
Rating: PG (for some violent content)
Genre: Drama/History
Run Time: 101 minutes
Director: Katherine Hardwicke
Actors: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Ciaran Hinds, and Allessandro Guiggioli

I have a dream. … Imagine if you will, parents pushing aside all the meaningless movies about Santa crises, glowing reindeers, North Pole fiascos, irritating Christmas relatives, greedy Grinches and stingy Scrooges on the rental shelf, and pulling to the forefront a winsome, compelling, well-crafted movie that brings the real story of Christmas to life for the whole family.

As much as such a radical selection might confuse our Santa-indoctrinated children, it could be very worth the risk. Well, it seems that such a movie has arrived! Opening this weekend, “The Nativity Story” is a movie with everything: drama, action, romance, history, and miracles – a sure bet to edge out the shallow, same old “pretend-Christmas” offerings.

“The Nativity Story” is a New Line Cinema production that tells the true story of a very young, engaged Israeli couple, Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Joseph (Oscar Isaac) and the part they play in God’s often covert, masterful plan to redeem the human race. During the reign of Herod (Ciaran Hinds), a paranoid, narcissistic, power-hungry, Rome-serving ruler in Israel, ancient prophecies are being studied intently – not just by the faith-filled Israelites, but also by curious astrologers and fearful rulers. Because all signs seem to be pointing to the imminent arrival of a king for Israel, wise men are taking road trips, prophets are making curious proclamations, and kings are ordering that baby boys be murdered. Amidst such an environment, Mary and Joseph have to make a 100-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be counted in a Rome-ordered census.

Their journey is complicated by the fact that Mary is a pregnant virgin whose accounts of angelic visitations have alienated her from her friends; Joseph has taken a huge risk to believe the angel who encouraged a marriage instead of a stoning; and the couple is hungry, tired, facing dangers on the road and running from the insane Herod and his not-so-adorable son, Antipas (Allessandro Guiggioli). And a crowded Bethlehem with no vacancies is the last straw when the labor pains begin. It will take a miracle from God for the savior of the world to be safely born and hidden from Herod’s jealous reign of terror.

“The Nativity Story” is beautifully filmed, with realistic scenes of ancient Israeli countryside, Herod’s palace, crowded Jerusalem markets, the temple, and little Bethlehem. The characters are very believable and even humorous at times. At one point, when the shunned couple is leaving town as their friends scowl at them, Joseph says to Mary, “They’re going to miss us.” The experienced filmmakers manage to make the supernatural seem natural, as with the angelic visits, and the cinematography is memorable, with little flecks of wheat flying almost magically in the air during the harvest. The soundtrack is terrific, evoking great emotion throughout the film. It would have been nice, however, to see just one kiss between Mary and Joseph, as well as interesting to see Herod’s rage at the end. But otherwise, all the elements for intrigue are there.

The movie also provides plenty of material for great family discussions. For instance, “who remembers what gold, frankincense, and myrrh stand for?” Or, “I wonder why those people saw evidence of the supernatural all the time (angelic visits to Mary and Joseph, Zechariah hearing the audible voice of God and becoming deaf through unbelief, Elizabeth becoming pregnant in her old age, prophecies being foretold and fulfilled, constellations coming together to form a star of such magnificence that astrologers would drop everything to follow it, and of course Mary becoming pregnant through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit). Were these things just for biblical times or certain scattered purposes of God’s plan, or should we be seeing more of the supernatural in our lives? Are these things still out there but just undetected because our brains are full of electronics and media?”

Since “The Passion of the Christ,” it appears that a door has been opened for biblically-based movies to be showcased in mainstream venues, and “The Nativity Story” is a perfect fit for the new wave of receptivity. (Regrettably, however, not everyone is waiting with open arms. A local Christian DJ told our audience that a certain Chicago Film Festival tried to disallow this film from showing, but several members of the community got together and pushed it through.)

“The Nativity Story” is a must-see for families this Christmas season. But beware: The other cinematic imitations in theaters will suddenly seem even more shallow than before!

AUDIENCE: Older children and adults

CAUTIONS:

Drugs/Alcohol: None.
Language: None.
Sex: None.
Violence: Sword fights, Herod’s army thundering into town on horses, kicking in doors, and grabbing babies out of mothers’ arms, etc.

CNN Reviews "Nativity"

2006-12-02T19:18:00.000-05:00

Review: The greatest 'Story' ever dulled
By Tom Charity
Special to CNN

(CNN) -- Low-budget Christian cinema has been quietly racking up small but significant profits over the last few years without troubling the mainstream media, but thanks to "The Passion of the Christ," bigger studios are weighing in.

"The Nativity Story" is a major release (from New Line, like CNN a unit of Time Warner), and boasts the kind of production values only money can buy. Discreetly ecumenical in thrust, it's a reverent, orthodox movie aimed at churchgoers across the spectrum.

A little too reverent, perhaps. It takes the first chapter in the Greatest Story Ever Told and turns it into a mild yarn.

Drawing on the gospels of Matthew and Luke, screenwriter Mike Rich takes no liberties with Scripture, though there are occasional concessions to contemporary sensibilities. Instructed that she is to be married to Joseph, Mary worries that she is not in love with him.

Director Catherine Hardwicke's two previous films, "Thirteen" and "Lords of Dogtown," both centered on troubled teens, and at a pinch you could lump "The Nativity Story" in with them.

Hardwicke angles for historical authenticity, and convincingly reproduces life in Judea 2007 years ago. (The production was largely based in Matera, the same Italian town used in "The Passion of the Christ.") We are treated to scenes of Nazarene farming, food preparation and religious instruction that have the faint mustiness of an old National Geographic about them.

The casting approximates ethnic realities (at least, you won't find Jeffrey Hunter or Max von Sydow here, though Belfast-born Ciaran Hinds is an old-school scheming Herod). Whether by accident or design, most of the Jews are played by actors of Persian or Arabic descent, including Shohreh Aghdashloo, as Mary's cousin Mary, Shaun Toub as Mary's father and Alexander Siddig as Gabriel.

The Virgin Mary herself is played with earnest fortitude by the Maori actress Keisha Castle-Hughes, who seems to have surrendered most of the spontaneity and joy that made her the youngest-ever best actress nominee for "Whale Rider" a few years back. Her performance hits one note, over and over.(Watch when the unwed 16-year-old actress revealed her off-screen pregnancy)

However, Guatemalan-born Oscar Isaac is a real find as Joseph, hinting at pent-up anger, humiliation and doubt beneath the character's fundamental integrity. He's a markedly younger Joseph than we're used to seeing, and his crisis is the meatiest drama in the story (except perhaps for Herod's infamy).

"The Nativity Story" is a shade more sensitive to the dilemmas presented by a virgin pregnancy in a strictly religious society than previous incarnations of the story -- when she returns home Mary is under threat of stoning -- but the film's scrupulous, rather plodding treatment only exacerbates the tale's familiarity. It's a relief whenever the magi are on screen, just for the very mild comic interplay they allow.

Of course there is nothing inherently wrong with preaching to the converted -- secular Hollywood does it all the time. But I confess I wish the movie had some of the passion of "The Passion of the Christ." For all that film's bloody excess, at least it communicated Mel Gibson's absolute need to make it.

Hardwicke and Rich have taken the safer road and played it by the book, but they never once risk putting their audience's beliefs to the test.

"The Nativity Story" is rated PG and runs 101 minutes.

"Nativity" Releases Today!

2006-12-01T12:41:00.000-05:00

Behind the Scenes Promotional!

2006-12-01T11:44:00.000-05:00

TV Guide Reviews "Nativity"

2006-12-01T11:33:00.000-05:00

Full Review - The Nativity Story

Though Catherine Hardwicke made her directing debut with the girls-gone-wild expose THIRTEEN (2003) and might seem a controversial choice for a religious film, this retelling of the familiar tale is as solemnly predictable as a Catholic-school nativity play, and nearly as dull. It begins in a scrum of churning hoofs, as wicked King Herod (Ciaran Hinds, all but twirling his handsome moustache with evil glee), dispatches soldiers to slaughter all of tiny Bethlehem's male children under the age of 2, hoping to derail the prophecy that says the tiny town will spawn a king for all people. Flashback to one year earlier: Elderly priest Zechariah (Stanley Townsend) visits Jerusalem's Great Temple and hears a voice whispering that his equally mature wife, Elizabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo), is pregnant with a prophet. For the sin of doubting, Zechariah is struck dumb. Meanwhile, in hardscrabble Nazareth, Elizabeth's teenage cousin Mary (15-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes), is betrothed by her impoverished parents (Hiam Abbass, Shaun Toub) to a steady, respectable local man, Joseph (Oscar Isaac). But shortly after, Mary is visited by an angel (Alexander Siddig) who says she too will bear a son, though she's never known a man. Joseph soon faces a painful dilemma: If he denounces his pregnant fiancee for adultery she'll be stoned and her family disgraced, but claiming the child will make him a liar and, unless he believes her incredible story of angels and prophecies, a fool. Simultaneously, in Persia, three scholarly kings (Nadim Sawalha, Stefan Kalipha, Eriq Ebouaney) — incongruously played as bickering fools, presumably in an attempt to inject some levity into the mix — deduce that the Messiah's birth is imminent and set out to witness the miraculous event. Screenwriter/executive producer Mike Rich approaches this material conscientiously, attempting to integrate biblical accounts of Jesus' birth, evoke day-to-day life in ancient Judea and reveal the human faces of iconic figures. The cast is generally strong (though veteran Hinds seriously overdoes the nefarious leers), leans heavily toward actors who either come from the Middle East or look as though they could have, and boasts two Oscar nominees: Castle-Hughes and Aghdashloo. The locations, in Southern Italy, Morocco and Israel's re-created "Nazareth Village," feel vividly authentic. But THE NATIVITY STORY is slow, solemn going, despite its best efforts at thundering soldiers and comic-relief kings. THE NATIVITY STORY was the first feature film to premiere at the Vatican, whose Secretary of State, one Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, praised its "respect of the mystery of the nativity" and declared it "a good cinematic event." --Maitland McDonagh

"Nativity" seeks same "Passion" audience

2006-11-30T10:49:00.000-05:00

‘Nativity’ hopes to catch ‘Passion’ crowd
Film about Jesus’ birth brought together an odd cast of actors, filmmakers
The Associated Press
Updated: 5:58 p.m. ET Nov 28, 2006

LOS ANGELES - Mel Gibson showed the world the mercilessly bloody end of Jesus Christ’s mortal life in “The Passion of the Christ.” Now the makers of “The Nativity Story” offer Christ’s sweet, humble beginnings in a stable — which, remarkably, Hollywood has not focused on before.

“It surprised all of us that someone hadn’t beaten us to the punch,” said Marty Bowen, who quit his job as a talent agent to produce the movie with longtime friend Wyck Godfrey.

“I think a lot of times in Hollywood, the right idea comes along at the right time, and it becomes in retrospect, ‘Wow, why didn’t I think of that?”’ Godfrey said.

The story of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem has been depicted many times in film and television, but generally as only the beginning of the saga such as in the miniseries “Jesus of Nazareth,” or as a backdrop for another tale such as the animated Christmas special “The Little Drummer Boy.”

“The Nativity Story,” opening Friday, takes the scant accounts of Christ’s birth in the New Testament and fleshes the story out to a simple but evocative drama.

Screenwriter Mike Rich hit on the idea in December two years ago, when both Time and Newsweek arrived in the mail bearing cover stories on the Nativity.

“It wasn’t like I saw those covers and went, ‘Aha! This is what I need to write,”’ Rich said. “I read both of the articles, and I was kind of struck by the fact that we rarely look at that story from a character standpoint. When we put out our little Nativity sets, they’re kind of inanimate objects.”

Strange bedfellows
An unlikely cast of actors and filmmakers bring “The Nativity Story” to the screen.

Rich’s screenplay credits are highlighted by the sports flicks “The Rookie” and “Radio.”

Australian actress Keisha Castle-Hughes, an Academy Award nominee for “Whale Rider,” had to overcome her thick Kiwi accent to play the Virgin Mary. Guatamalan-American actor Oscar Isaac plays Jesus’ stepdad Joseph, while Iranian-born Shohreh Aghdashloo co-stars as Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist.

Director Catherine Hardwicke previously made “Lords of Dogtown,” about the youths who pioneered extreme skateboarding styles, and the acclaimed independent hit “thirteen,” the story of a teenage girl caught up in a pal’s life of drugs and petty crime.

To Hardwicke, the idea of directing “The Nativity Story” did not seem the right fit — until she read the script and thought about the possibilities of chronicling the world’s most notable birth on a very personal level.

“It is a movie about probably the most famous teenager ever, who’s got her issues and obstacles, too,” Hardwicke said.

“The film is about this young woman’s spiritual journey,” Aghdashloo said. “It’s about Joseph’s pure love for this woman. It’s not an easy thing for a man to share his wife with God.”

“The Nativity Story” has it all: Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, King Herod’s order to slay the first-born over his paranoia about prophecies of a new king, the angel Gabriel’s appearance to shepherds in the field, the trek of the Three Magi from the East.

Capturing ‘The Passion’s’ audience
Though not dreamed up as a bookend to Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” the filmmakers and distributor New Line Cinema hope they can capture a solid chunk of the audience that made that film such an unlikely blockbuster.

With classy production values and straightforward drama, “The Nativity Story” stands apart from a holiday-movie season crowded with lighter Christmas offerings such as the comedies “Deck the Halls” and “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.”

The tale of the first Christmas has a ready-made audience, producer Bowen said.

“There are faith-based movies being made, but usually for micro-budgets, and usually designed to reach a very specific niche market,” Bowen said. “Our argument to New Line was: Well, if 200 million Americans who consider themselves Christians are a niche, then that’s a niche that maybe you should consider working with.”

“The Nativity Story” lacks Gibson’s star power or the religious firestorm that preceded the movie over Jewish leaders’ fears that it could stoke anti-Semitism. But unlike Gibson’s film, whose savage scourging and crucifixion scenes brought a restrictive R rating, the PG-rated “Nativity Story” can play to all audiences, including family crowds.

Director Hardwicke, who started as a production designer, said Gibson set a standard for authenticity and historical detail that she tried to match. Though far softer than the horrors depicted in “The Passion of the Christ,” “The Nativity Story” does carry a tactile sense of the struggles Mary and Joseph underwent on their journey.

“By the end, it does mean something. It’s not just little action figures you put together in your manger scene on nice comfortable hay. It’s real animal crap in there and real sores on their hands and feet that are bleeding,” Isaac said. “It cost them something to travel to Bethlehem.”

The film’s depiction of Christ’s birth in a lowly stable is gentle, inspiring and beatific — just the thing to remind audiences preparing for the Christmas frenzy about where the holiday came from.

“There’s a line in the script, ‘the greatest of kings born in the most humble of places,”’ Hardwicke said. “That’s revolutionary. It’s saying the power is not a physical power. It’s not riches, it’s not money, it’s not control of governments and nations. It’s a deeper power, spirituality. ...

“It’s revolutionary even now. We can’t even grasp that now. We think we need all the trappings and physical things to be happy, but that’s not necessarily the case.”

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Joseph is "Nativity's" real achievement

2006-11-29T16:56:00.000-05:00

Stepping Out of the Wings
The real achievement of 'The Nativity Story' is its portrayal of Joseph.
David Neff posted 11/29/2006 08:50AM

When news about The Nativity Story (opening Dec. 1) first started circulating, the welcomest bit of information was that Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) would play the Virgin Mary. What a stroke of casting genius, I thought. The winsome Castle-Hughes had the right combination of age, appearance, and camera-friendly charisma.

But what is most memorable about The Nativity Story is not its portrayal of Mary (though Castle-Hughes plays her part admirably). The movie's real achievement is its narrative exposition of what Matthew meant when he wrote that Joseph was a "just man" (KJV). My Greek lexicon singles out Matthew 1:19 to suggest that here "good" or "honest" would be preferred translations. In any case, he was a man of virtue.

Mike Rich's (Radio, The Rookie, Finding Forrester) script imagines for us how Joseph might have put his virtue into practice.

Played by Oscar Isaac—a 2005 graduate of the Juilliard School and a hot young actor in both film and theater—Joseph is self-sacrificing. One telling invention of the screenplay occurs when Mary's father Joaquim cannot pay his full tax, and the Roman enforcers take his donkey as partial payment. (This is a tragedy because Joaquim needs the donkey to make a living.) The generous Joseph buys Joaquim's donkey back from a Roman who is going to kill it. (A donkey is no use to a warrior.) Joseph gives the donkey to Mary to return to her father.

Castle-Hughes's Mary is ambivalent, confused. She has nothing against Joseph, but she is hardly excited about the idea of spending her life with the man her parents have decided she will marry. She and her friends have been playfully flirting with another boy, but Joseph is the one her father has chosen for her. Now, in rescuing the donkey, Joseph proves his exceptional kindness.

Later, when Mary becomes pregnant, Joseph chooses to share her shame. At every turn, whether dealing with the disapproving stares of the Nazarenes, the dangers on the road to Bethlehem, or the threat of an impending birth without a birthplace—Joseph is shown to be the watchful protector of his wife and her unborn son. The movie's best moment, and also its most humorous, occurs when the longsuffering Joseph leads Mary and the donkey past disapproving neighbors as they leave Nazareth for Bethlehem. "They're really gong to miss us," he quips, deflecting their censoriousness and lifting Mary's spirits in a single stroke.

In one telling scene along the long trek to Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary eat their daily bread ration. Then we see Joseph slipping part of his share to the famished donkey. This is Joseph as Francis of Assisi, loving people and beasts alike.

Precarious Existence

Life for the people and beasts of The Nativity Story is portrayed realistically, at least in the first leg of the story. Life is precarious. Existence is fragile. One never knows when crops might fail or Roman tax collectors might seize your assets.

The rough texture of the characters' clothing is palpable on the big screen. Mary does not wear the refined veil of the painterly tradition.

The rhythms of agricultural life—treading the winepress, picking olives, harvesting grain—frame the storytelling. Faith and its rituals also play an important role. Prayer, teaching children their prophetic heritage, circumcising and naming newborn males—these things fit naturally into the rhythms of life.

This realism is the result of screenwriter Rich's careful research and the commitment from director Catherine Hardwicke to make the movie as true to first-century life as possible.

Unfortunately, that makes the film's departures from history even more jolting. The magi are portrayed as three kings (rather than simply members of a Persian priestly elite), and their arrival is choreographed to match that of the adoring shepherds. But almost all biblical scholars place the arrival of the magi somewhere between one and two years after Jesus' birth.

Rich told CT Movies' Mark Moring that he wanted to tell the story of the "quintessential Nativity scene." So the movie narrates the story of the magi and their journey in parallel with the events that move Mary and Joseph toward Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. For literary reasons, the two story lines peak at the same point. But Matthew and Luke report these stories separately; the Bible is not bound by romantic literary conventions.

Love Conquers History

Yet it is romantic conventions in which The Nativity Story deals. When does Mary's growing appreciation of Joseph's kindness turn to affection? After Joseph rescues Mary from a water snake, and he is resting by the riverbank, Mary takes Joseph's travel-blistered feet in her hands and bathes them tenderly. At this moment, Mary seems to stop tolerating this man of boundless good intentions and start loving him back.

The Nativity Story is a love story. And a love story demands a happy ending. But neither Matthew nor Luke is recording a love story. For them, the infancy narratives are an important part of authenticating Jesus' messiahship as foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures. The visions of the angelic messengers are correlated to birth announcements made to Sarah and Manoah's wife. Mary and Elizabeth's unexpected pregnancies, each miraculous in its own way, are correlated to the conceptions of Isaac, Samson, and Samuel. The fulfilling of ancient prophecies, the repetition of paradigmatic moments in Hebrew history, and the impenetrable genealogies are integral to the Gospel writers' purposes. The ecstatic utterances of Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon parallel the song of Hannah. The homage of the magi and the escape to Egypt have more prophetic than dramatic significance. All these things are evidence of who Jesus is and is to be.

For the Gospel writers, then, the Jesus story does not climax in the stable. It climaxes in the Cross. Thus, the horrendous slaughter of Bethlehem's children is not out of place in Matthew. Nor is it primarily an atrocity perpetrated by a vain and unstable tyrant. It is, rather, an attack on God's anointed.

But since The Nativity Story of necessity focuses on the birth narratives alone, and because it chooses to explore the personal dynamics of two young adults caught up in the greatest moment in history, it cannot do what the Gospels do. It consequently shies away from giving full weight to Herod's satanic massacre of Bethlehem's babies. Matthew responds to Herod's wickedness by quoting the weeping prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted. …" For the Gospel writer, there is no resolution: "She refused to be comforted, because they are no more." I have no doubt that the historical Joseph and Mary lived with the specter of that bloodshed for the rest of their days. This film, on the other hand, runs from the horror and quickly reverts into "Silent Night"-happy ending mode.The shift from the realism of Mary and Joseph's life in Nazareth to the romantic iconography of the Nativity scene seems to be a surrender to the romantic structure of the plot. The gritty reality of village life in first-century Palestine is abandoned in favor of Christmas-card sentimentality, with wise men, shepherds, animals, and the holy family posing as if they were ceramic figurines on your mantelpiece.

Such departures from realism do not doom The Nativity Story any more than fanciful scenes with the angel Clarence doom It's a Wonderful Life. The Nativity Story is not boldly realistic like The Passion of the Christ. It is, however, a heart-warming reconstruction of the growing and tender relationship of history's most famous couple. And unlike The Passion, it has the promise of a long life on DVD, as it becomes a family favorite to watch Christmas after Christmas.

David Neff is editor of Christianity Today and executive editor of Christian History & Biography. For complete coverage of The Nativity Story, go to christianitytoday.com/go/nativitystory.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

CT Movies interviews Catherine Hardwicke (director)

2006-11-28T13:20:00.000-05:00

Another thorough interview has been posted by Mark Moring of Christianity Today Movies:

'The Human Part of the Story'
Catherine Hardwicke has always loved the Christmas story, but never really considered the human side of those famous icons surrounding the manger—till she was asked to direct The Nativity Story.
by Mark Moring posted 11/28/2006

Before this year, Catherine Hardwicke had directed two films—Thirteen, an intense depiction of a seventh-grade girl rebelling against her single mom and getting into all sorts of trouble, and Lords of Dogtown, an edgy drama about skateboarders in the 1970s. Both films featured sex, drugs, and plenty of profanity.

So, when veteran producer Wyck Godfrey went looking for a director to bring the story of the Virgin Mary and the birth of Christ to the big screen, guess who topped his list?

Hardwicke.

"Catherine has had great success capturing the lives of young people in particular, and the conflict and crisis and pain of being that age and growing up," Godfrey says. "The idea of her bringing that point of view to biblical times is very interesting."

Hardwicke thought so too, and signed on to direct The Nativity Story, which opens worldwide on Friday, Dec. 1. The film covers a little over a year leading up to the birth of Jesus, focusing primarily on Mary (played by Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Joseph (Oscar Isaac), and with concurrent subplots inside Herod's palace and following the journey of the magi.

When CT Movies visited the set in Italy in May, Hardwicke, 51, joked that The Nativity Story sort of completed her "teen trilogy" of movies. When we caught up with her again recently on a media day in Los Angeles, we wanted to explore, among other things, how the making of Thirteen—which she directed and co-wrote—prepared her for directing this assignment.

Thirteen was a very personal film for Hardwicke, based primarily on her friendship with a neighbor's daughter who almost literally changed overnight from a sweet, innocent preteen to an angry, rebellious seventh grader obsessed with beauty and boys. Hardwicke remained friends with that girl, Nikki Reed, trying to steer her to good choices, and the relationship ultimately ended up as a working partnership: Reed co-wrote and co-stars in Thirteen, which received widespread critical acclaim and positioned Hardwicke as a director to watch.

And now she's "befriended" another young teen—while doing her research on the Virgin Mary—and tried to bring the revered icon to life, in a very real and believable way, in The Nativity Story.

The following conversation is primarily drawn from our exclusive interview with Hardwicke, and is supplemented by a few comments she made in a roundtable discussion with several journalists.

How did your friendship with Nikki Reed and making Thirteen—getting into the heads of young teenage girls—prepare you for making this movie?

Catherine Hardwicke: Good question, and nobody's ever asked me that before. Nikki was my friend, and I've known her and both of her parents through the traumatic process of divorce and all kinds of things. I think that is what made me want to make this movie, because when I finished reading the script and started researching Mary, who would have been 13 or 14 at the time, I thought, What if Nikki or one of her friends received this calling? You're trying to figure out so many things in your life at that age. Knowing Nikki really made it real and personal for me, and exciting to try and explore that.

What was it like watching Nikki suddenly change from a sweet little girl to a rebellious 13-year-old?

Hardwicke: I couldn't believe it. I had been out of town for about six months, and when I came back, Nikki was a new person. She literally woke up at 4:30 in the morning, and spent two hours on her hair and make-up till she looked just like J-Lo—in 7th grade. I thought, What's happening to girls, and what pressures are on them that feel they have to look as good as that girl in a magazine to be anybody?

I started hanging out with Nikki's friends, trying to become more involved and understand what's going on with kids. What are the pressures? All of the advertising: 3,000 images a day are hitting kids. And then there's maybe one voice of the mom: You know, honey, you're beautiful on the inside. Well, it's hard to hear that kind of message. I think that's what really compelled me to be interested in teenagers and what they're going through these days, which is really a difficult thing to navigate.

So how'd you bring that knowledge to your portrayal of Mary in this film?

Hardwicke: We wanted her to feel accessible to a young teenager, so she wouldn't seem so far away from their life that it had no meaning for them. I wanted them to see Mary as a girl, as a teenager at first, not perfectly pious from the very first moment. So you see Mary going through stuff with her parents where they say, "You're going to marry this guy, and these are the rules you have to follow." Her father is telling her that she's not to have sex with Joseph for a year—and Joseph is standing right there. That's very personal and startling, and you can imagine how that would make a person feel.

And then Mary sort of stalks out of the house. Was that meant to indicate Mary's rebellion against her parents, or just that she was upset or overwhelmed?

Hardwicke: I think all of it. I think it's something Keisha just felt and went with. It was as if so much information is coming at you, and it all happened so fast.

Joseph is just a background character in other movies, but he's very much in the foreground here. What do you like about that?

Hardwicke: That's the human part of the story, that there was this relationship. The Bible says that Joseph was a righteous man. But go beyond that sentence: What was in his mind? What was in his heart? What soul searching did he do? He loved Mary, and yet that was a hard thing to see this woman pregnant. And he knew he wasn't the father. The Bible also says Joseph considered divorcing Mary quietly. Well, what did that look like? What torment did he go through, struggling with his religion, his beliefs, his love for this woman, his love for God. I mean, so much comes from that sentence. And that's what we tried to show, the best we could to imagine it.

Was it a balancing act for you to try to portray Mary as a real person and yet maintain reverence for Mary the icon?

Hardwicke: It's amazing that somehow Mary's heart and soul provide comfort for so many people, who have such love and reverence for her. Yes, we wanted her to feel like a real person, but of course, you wouldn't want to see her doing something that would make us cringe. In the beginning of the film, you see her playing in the fields with the other kids, and you see another girl flirting with a boy—but I didn't want to have Mary flirting with a boy. That didn't feel right; that would have crossed the line.

Keisha played Mary with a beautiful serenity and an inner peace and strength that even when these problems came upon her and people were doubting her, she still said that line we use in the movie, "There's a will for this child that is greater than what people may say." She said it with such dignity and grace that it made me feel, That's what Mary would be like.

The film does not show the "heavenly host" of angels from Luke 2:13-14. How come?

Hardwicke: We don't portray a visual multitude of angels, but we do have an oral multitude—you hear a whole choir singing. We have one angel appear, and then we have the beautiful choir of heavenly hosts singing.

We had thought of different ways to portray it visually, but visual effects have become almost a convention of sci-fi movies. I didn't want people to start thinking, Oh, I saw that effect in Batman 2 or in Contact or something. I don't want viewers to lose the thread of where we were 2000 years ago. So I think I thought simpler was better—that you can hear the multitude singing, but not see them.

Several people associated with this film have said that in some ways it's been a spiritual experience. What about for you?

Hardwicke: Definitely. I've just seen my little Nativity scene from my childhood come to life. I've always loved this story, but I didn't ever think so deeply about it. I didn't get inside … till now.

Before this, I didn't even think the first little simple thing—that this must have been difficult for Mary. I didn't see her as a human. I didn't even think of what Joseph must have gone through. So taking this story that I've loved my whole life, and really trying to go inside the words of the Bible has meant a lot.

There were moments making the film, especially when the Magi come over the hill and see the Nativity setting, and one of them says, "The greatest of kings, born in the most humble of places." As a director, you ask the actor, "What would you feel at this moment?"

It was so striking; you see these men dressed in their gold and finery, and they were probably expecting a palace with riches, a baby born in an amazing place. But you see the baby right there on the straw. It's so powerful, the idea that God would send his Son to this most humble place, and for all people. It really brought it home for me.

You had to make this movie in record time. How much stress did you feel in these 10 months?

Hardwicke: It was a very ambitious schedule, but somehow we pretty much stuck with it. There were many days where I had to find the strength beyond what you think is there. And as a director, you cannot take no for an answer. If people tell you, "This isn't possible, you're not going to finish," you cannot accept no, and you just have to say, "I think there's a way you could do that." You just have to think of another way around every single problem.

How will you avoid the temptation to watch this movie down the road and think, Man, if only I had more time, I might have … Is that just something any director is going to do?

Hardwicke: I think you do. You think, If I had a little bit more time with Keisha I could have asked her to try it this way or that way. But then, the idea that it's finished and done, that's a relief too.

So, what do you think of the finished product?

Hardwicke: I really like it. I'm pretty proud of it. I feel a lot when I see the film, and I hope others do too.

What's your biggest hope for this film?

Hardwicke: Well, there's a lot of really good movies with a lot of big stars that come out in December. And there's a lot of hustle in December where people are running around buying as many presents as they can. But I hope people can carve out a little time to go see this, and I hope they could have the experience where they try to think about the first Christmas and what it means, to have a little bit of peace and to contemplate on that. That's what I hope that people find in it.

And what if it becomes a Christmas classic, a DVD that a lot of people will own and pull out every December—or maybe a holiday staple on network TV?

Hardwicke: That would be pretty cool. If Rudolph and Charlie Brown get their own special; you'd think may the birth of Christ should get one too.

© Christianity Today International. Click for reprint information.

"Nativity" takes a new approach

2006-11-28T09:23:00.000-05:00

'Nativity': Old story gets youthful slant
Updated 11/27/2006 8:36 AM ET
By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY

The Vatican probably won't be putting Catherine Hardwicke's teenagers-on-the-edge drama Thirteen on its Netflix list any time soon. And the kind of reckless skater boys featured in her film Lords of Dogtown aren't the kind to line up at the box office for a Bible movie. But Hardwicke's latest film tries to fuse those disparate sensibilities — the pious and the rebellious — in the biblical account of the birth of Jesus in The Nativity Story, opening Friday.

The director, 51, says she thought it was a mistake when the script was sent to her last year. "At first I was shocked. I thought, 'Nativity? This can't be the real Nativity story,' but it was, and done in a very reverent manner," she says.

Her two previous films dealt with the brutality of youth, lives fraught with doubt, pressure, anger, sexuality, violence and confusion. She is not regarded as someone who makes soft-focus, feel-good movies.

"As I researched it more, I learned how old Mary was — or how young, I should say. Mary might have been only 13 years old," Hardwicke says. "It started drawing me in. It is such a tender, amazing age, and of course it's an age I've been fascinated with in my other films. So my mind was swirling with the idea of someone that young dealing with these issues."

Religious moviegoers have been getting psyched for the film, and The Nativity Story premiered Sunday night before an audience of thousands in the Vatican's Pope Paul VI auditorium. (Current Pope Benedict XVI did not attend.) A number of cardinals attended the premiere, along with local dignitaries, says Rolf Mittweg, chief of worldwide distribution and marketing for New Line Cinema, which released the movie. Mittweg says the film was greeted with applause Sunday night — and with flashbulbs from the audience when the Christ child appeared onscreen.

Despite the warm reception, it has an obstacle to overcome: The actress playing Mary, a young, unwed pregnant woman 2,000 years ago, is herself pregnant and unwed. Keisha Castle-Hughes, best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in Whale Rider, announced in October she was pregnant at age 16.

No religious leader has made a statement about it, but online chatter about the movie has focused on her pregnancy. Some argue her personal life has no bearing on the film's story, while others praise her for keeping the child. News reports suggested Pope Benedict skipped the movie because of her pregnancy, but church officials say he was simply busy. Castle-Hughes, who is shooting another film in Australia, was not there, either.

She has been missing from nearly all publicity for The Nativity Story, which New Line says was by mutual agreement so she could focus on her pregnancy. Her spokeswoman, Megan Moss, says Castle-Hughes was available for some interviews, but the actress did not respond to a request in time for this article.

Oscar Isaac, who plays Joseph, says, "My sense so far speaking to people is that they are understanding. They're taking the high road and being compassionate, not condemning her." If those uncomfortable with her choices understand the themes of the movie and the lessons of Christ, he adds, "They'll know to treat her in a more righteous way."

History behind the story

The birth of Jesus has been romanticized in countless Christmas pageants over time, but this version of The Nativity Story tries to highlight that Mary and Joseph were not celebrated in their time. Mary would have been an unwed teenage mother, seen as having betrayed her betrothed, Joseph. She lived in a time of brutal Roman occupation, when Herod was taxing and tormenting the Jewish people to the breaking point. "There was such a longing for a messiah because times were bad," says screenwriter Mike Rich (Finding Forrester, The Rookie).

There is theological value in underlining the less-flattering historical elements of the time, says William Fulco, an expert in religion and ancient languages who worked on the film. He also advised Mel Gibson on the blockbuster The Passion of the Christ. "The nature of the incarnation is enmeshed in human society," he says. "To have the cute little sheep and shepherd boy with the glowing face and beating drum shows a certain shame of the human condition, and I think that's a pity."

Jesus' birth is only mentioned in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, and the details are not always in sync. Rich's screenplay combines those texts, plus some imagined elements. "I tried to read between the lines of the biblical accounts to find out what were the doubts, the fears," Rich says. "And that's where you find where the faith came from."

A sequence of dialogue that's not found in the Bible but is in the movie has Mary and Joseph sitting by a river in the midst of their wearying journey to Bethlehem. She asks him if he's scared, and he says, "Yes." Mary says she is, too.

Isaac says doubt is what makes faith remarkable. He says it humanizes the mystical elements of the story. "I'm playing a guy who has to share the woman he loves with God. That's a strange psychological thing to wrap your mind around. The Bible describes Joseph as righteous. How do you play that? Do you stand up a little straighter, deepen your voice? I realized I had an incorrect understanding of what righteous meant. For him, righteousness is love and humility."

This young, selfless Joseph comes off as ... kind of a stud. Hardwicke says with a laugh, "So many women told me that they want a Joseph. We don't see that many movies where you have a guy who's a good, strong man like he is."

A Maori Mary

Another unique approach to The Nativity Story was casting actors of various backgrounds. Castle-Hughes is part Maori, the Polynesian people native to New Zealand. Isaac, of Guatemalan heritage, was cast as Joseph. And Shohreh Aghdashloo, a Muslim actress from Iran (24, House of Sand and Fog), plays Mary's much older cousin, Elizabeth, who becomes the mother of John the Baptist. "That's loaded with symbolism," says Fulco. The diversity "is a particularly nice thing about this film."

Toby Emmerich, production chief of New Line Cinema, says he hopes it crosses over to secular and non-Christian audiences, too. He's Jewish, and emphasized a little-regarded fact — that this is entirely a Jewish story. "I read the script and I cried, and I'm not a Christian."

A debt to 'Passion'

Though Hardwicke would love to bring in the young, secular audience, the key to box-office success rests with the religious moviegoers who made Passion such a hit. "This film could not have been possible without The Passion," Fulco says. "Before that film, people thought a movie would fail because of a religious theme."

Lamar Keener, publisher of the Christian Examiner, says he doubts The Nativity Story will reach Passion levels, but many churches are renting theaters for this film and acting as ticket brokers for the faithful. Evangelical Christians are "very excited about the movie because they understand it's very biblically accurate," he says.

The Vatican screening was a kind of blessing from the Roman Catholic Church, regardless of the pope's absence. And more than 100 churches of various denominations will host preview screenings tonight, an event New Line estimates will draw 50,000 people.

In San Diego, the Baptist mega-church Shadow Mountain Community is selling tickets to the congregation for three shows the day before the movie officially opens. Other churches are doing the same.

So what effect has Castle-Hughes' pregnancy really had? Keener says there is uneasiness about it, but not enough to turn people off the movie. "It's unfortunate, because we don't condone premarital sex or having a child outside of marriage," he says. "That doesn't make it right or good, but she's not evil, either."

First-Hand Review of the Vatican Premiere of "Nativity!"

2006-11-26T18:50:00.000-05:00

Here is a thoughtful review from the first-hand account of an attendee of the "Nativity" Premiere at the Vatican, held this evening at 5:30 pm. Many thanks for this exclusive review!

Slideshow of images and audio from the Premiere

Listen here to "The Nativity Story" Vatican Premiere:

It was a great night for us seven-thousand strong who had the priveledge of jamming Pope Paul VI Hall for the long awaited premiere of ‘The Nativity Story’ because it was everything we expected and a lot more!

First, let me start by saying how well organized the event was and how particularily hard the ‘Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra’ worked to promote it. The fact that there were people still trying to get into the already packed auditorium, attests to the remarkable job done by the promoters here in Rome.

Security was tight given the recent tensions Pope Benedict has had to face in light of the controversial medieval citation and his impending trip to Turkey. Everyone was checked similarily to the procedure you would find in an airport. Beneath the great Bernini Colonnade surrounding the outer Piazza of St. Peter’s Basilica, people had to walk through the sensor machine and any bags were put through the x-ray conveyor.

An anxious and curious walk to the Hall followed, in which the film would be shown for free, if I may add, to the fortunate crowds who made it in. Two-thousand of the seven had reserved seats as they belonged to groups and so they were assured a viewing. On each seat there was a program and an envelope in which one could make a donation for the school they would be building as a result, in Galilee, for children of all faiths. This was a wonderful gesture in keeping with the main theme of the film—the great poverty and helplessness of salvation history’s three most iconic figures—yet each gently aided by a divinely-willed protection and blessing.

At 5:30pm, there were still some people up and about, yet an elegantly dressed man walked up to the microphone and introduced Archbishop John P. Foley who has been the Catholic Church’s president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications since 1984.

The Archbishop, with a very calm and heavily accented Italian, first asked for a show of hands of all those people who spoke it. About 80 percent raised their hands. Then he asked who spoke English. About 50 percent raised there hands. That’s about 70 percent of Italians who don’t speak a word of English (that’s some of my disappointment for this premiere being translated into Italian coming out… don’t mind me!). Given the 50 percent, he said a few words in English at the end, basically thanking various protagonists in the endeavor and above all, the director Catherine Hardwicke, screenwriter Mike Rich, all the actors, mentioning those present, Oscar Isaac and Shohreh Aghdashloo. Each of the four stood as their names were read, turned and looked at all the people, smiled and bowed. I particularly found Oscar Isaac’s acknowledgment fascinating since he did it in sets of three quick bows, almost like the sign of the cross, with a huge smile! Perhaps it’s how they do it in Guatemala and definitely how they don’t in Miami! A special thanks went to them ‘for being courageous in a time where it is now hard to say Merry Christmas’ to somebody.

The Archbishop then introduced Gigi Proietti, a well-known and—judging from the applause at his intro—highly regarded Italian actor, singer and duplicator (does voice-overs in films translated to the Italian) who impassonately read the respective Gospels wherein the infancy narratives of Christ are to be found. I must admit, he gave me goose bumps!

Immediately after the applause, lights went out, and any previous rustling about fell into dead silence as light rays from the distant camera began to flow onto the normal cinema-sized big screen.

Now I must say, in this review I could give you all the fine details, and they were fine in all senses of that word, but that would be mean. Let me just say, there was something awefully similar to ‘The Passion’ at the onset, in the way the camera pans from above the clouds onto a moonlit Jerusalem! And from the beginning, you could sense that you were in for a marvellous work of art. In the end, you might even agree with me and call it a masterpiece.

A lot of energy went into detail. The clothes, the sets, the personalities of key figures, the cultures of that time all of it meticulously brought back to life before our eyes. A lot of this is covered in the clips provided at the official website: www.thenativitystory.com. I’m trying to stay away from what’s already been said in other reviews.

The three Kings are just having a ball! They too are shown to have differing characters, and not merely the men drawn to God born in a stable. They also tease each other and try to make their journey amusing while at the same time appreciating what was unfolding before them. Let me just say, it’s ingenious the way they interpreted their calculations of the stars. The gifts they brought and the way that they presented them (gestures, tone in voice and facial expressions) convey that although they were foreign to Judaism, they nevertheless had deep insight into the Person of Jesus. Each of the three gifts meant something different as we all know, and were telling of the Child’s messianic nature.

Joseph too provides us with a giggle or two. From what you’ve most probably already seen in the clips, you know that he’s going to provide us with some humour throughout the film including him speaking to things other than human and angelic!

The large audience was extremely silent up until the sudden emotional and heartfelt applause at the birth of Jesus. Joseph holds him up and weeps of joy. The mystically deep soundtrack was expressive of the all-important moment, as were the rays streaming down on that one town in Judea. This is fascinating. Usually at a premiere, every main actor receives an applause upon their first appearance within the picture. This was not the case here. Rather, it was Baby Jesus who got the first of the only two loud applauses throughout the film! The other came at a ‘Hallmark’ cinematographic shot zooming out of the manger scene where shepherds, kings and animals were adoring. The audience seemed to be saying, ‘Wow, what a beautiful and artistic version of the manger scene!’ So the cinematography, and the tones of colour which inundated the entire film have been on par to ‘The Passion’ quality wise, and those were undoubtedly some of the best we’ve ever scene as attested to by many critics in their praise of Caleb Deschanel’s work that made Mel Gibson’s work look like a classic painting.

The couple of hours or so were absorbed quite quickly. You ended up wishing the film went on with the rest of the ‘story’. But you realize that the goal has been accomplished—an effective and provocative re-telling of the birth of Christ in all its wonder using today’s cinematic means.

I’ll conclude by stating how much I wished I could have met and, for what it would have been worth, thanked the cast and crew present for their awesome and energetic work, but it was so crammed that the only way you could move, was towards the door and out. I did manage to get some pictures, though not of these four, but of the Auditorium and the people in general.

My final word: You will love this film sure to be one of those you’d revisit at the appropriate time, and perhaps even at those times when you will need a little extra hope to keep you going that extra mile, as Mary and Joseph did.

~~Click here for more details on the Vatican Premiere~~

Footage from the Premiere

Behind-the-Scenes Report from Consultant Sr. Rose

2006-11-25T19:53:00.000-05:00

The Nativity Story: The Making of the Movie
By Rose Pacatte, F.S.P.
A movie to be released this month offers a new perspective on the familiar Christmas story. Our media critic interviewed the screenwriter, director and several actors on the set in Italy.

Q U I C K S C A N
Genesis of a Script Getting the Location Right A Day on the Set of The Nativity Story Learning to Ride a Donkey Getting Inside the Characters

IF YOU ASK first-time film producer Marty Bowen what he would most like to see happen as a result of New Line Cinema’s The Nativity Story, he will say quite candidly and with characteristic enthusiasm: “I would like even the nonbeliever who sees it to be touched. I would like it to be a film my sister will take her kids to see, and one that her children will take their kids to see one day. I hope it will be a classic that theaters will show every year because of its authenticity, because we have tried to avoid the clichés of biblical films, tried to humanize the characters and revere them at the same time. They have, after all, earned the right to be on a pedestal.”

The Nativity Story, released on 7,000 screens worldwide on December 1, tells the story of the year before Jesus’ birth until the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem, plus the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath.

The film’s focus is on the spiritual and actual journeys of Mary of Nazareth in particular, and imagines the role of Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, as well as those of Elizabeth, Anna and Joachim, in ways that provide insight into God’s amazing intervention in their lives. Unlike some of the one-dimensional low-budget Bible movies of the past or the obligatory Christmas play at church, however endearing, The Nativity Story hopes to allow us to experience the characters’ emotions and the difficulties they face in the context of their time and place.

Last May I was invited to visit the set of The Nativity Story being shot at that time in Matera, Italy. (Filming later moved to Morocco.) Our group of Christian journalists, representing Catholic and Protestant media, became pilgrims to a movie set where a journey from a different time, yet one for all ages, was being filmed.

Matera in May is dry and hot. Archaeologists believe that the first people to populate Italy built their homes, which were more like caverns, directly into the stone mountain in the old part of this city. These dwellings, and the area, are called “Sassi.” The unique look of Sassi suggests how the ancient city of Jerusalem may have looked and has attracted filmmakers such as Mel Gibson (The Passion of the Christ, 2004) and Pier Paolo Pasolini (The Gospel According to Matthew, 1964).

As we prepare for Christmas, I invite you to visit the set of The Nativity Story, seeing it through the lens of a Catholic film reviewer and someone who loves great storytelling. This article is based on reading two versions of the script, my trip to the set and interviews there, as well as information from follow-up phone conversations. Last August I saw a six-minute trailer for a film that was still being edited.

Genesis of a Script
The Nativity Story was written by Mike Rich, a former radio news announcer in Portland, Oregon. His previous medium-budget films, Finding Forrester (2000), The Rookie (2002) and Radio (2003), had all done well at the box office, but Rich wanted to move outside the sports genre for his next feature. “As a screenwriter, I love stories about ordinary people who do extraordinary things; this is my consistent theme as a cinematic storyteller. And I had always wanted to write The Nativity Story, which is about ordinary people who did extraordinary things,” he tells me in an interview.

In December 2004, both Newsweek and Time ran cover articles about Christ’s birth. This sparked Rich’s interest in taking a different approach to the Christmas story. Early in 2005, his father, Jack, passed away at the age of 67. This event, says Rich, made him feel that he could take on a subject of such magnitude “...to write more spiritually about things that matter, because my father was always a strong supporter of my writing and the stories I was trying to tell. He was a great father, who held a very special place in his heart for the Christmas season.”

Rich belongs to the Southwest Bible Church near Portland, Oregon. His wife, Grace, and their three children, Jessica, Caitlan and Michael, are Catholics and active members of St. Cecilia Parish in Beaverton.

When Rich began researching his topic, he knew that the primary source material was very limited, mostly Chapters 1 and 2 of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Over the 11 months he prepared to write the script, what he calls the “nuts and bolts” phase of screenwriting, he consulted the works of Jewish scholars, as well as books by Raymond Brown (Birth of the Messiah), Peter Richardson (Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans) and John Meier (A Marginal Jew), all Catholic biblical scholars.

“I felt a little trepidation as I approached the actual writing,” Rich admits. “If I kept only to the Gospels, I would have a 20-minute movie. So I decided to tell the story of Mary’s journey from the perspective of character. I realized it would take some speculation and visualization to do this, and at the same time I was committed to staying completely true to the story and faithful to its tone.

“I wanted to write during the Advent season so I could be immersed in its spirit,” Rich tells me over the phone. “Shortly after Thanksgiving in 2005, I made my way through my home office—there is barely a path to get from the door to my desk because it is surrounded with research and junk,” he says with a laugh—“with a sense of peace and purpose. This is not always the case, because scripts are difficult to write. But I began each day by playing Amy Grant’s song ‘Breath of Heaven,’ what she calls ‘Mary’s Song,’ about Mary contemplating the wondrous thing that had happened to her. I also surrounded myself with figurines from the crèche to visualize what I wanted to write.”

Rich typically writes no more than five hours a day. He spends the rest of the day formulating the next day’s scenes. He takes a very disciplined approach to writing. Many people are surprised to learn that most screenwriters write no more than four pages a day—four minutes in film time. A two-hour movie is based on a 120-page script.

Rich usually finishes the first draft of his scripts in about five weeks; revising takes 12 or 14 weeks. The Nativity Story came together in about six weeks, however, and he notes, “The usual angst was not there.” New Line Cinema accepted the script on January 6, 2006, but they wanted this movie to be released 10 months later.

Getting the Location Right
Producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey were longtime friends, Godfrey already a producer and Bowen a talent agent. Bowen, in fact, was Mike Rich’s agent. When Bowen asked Godfrey if he’d be interested in producing The Nativity Story, Godfrey replied, “I’d quit my job to make that movie.” They both did.

Bowen, a practicing Catholic, grew up in Ft. Worth, Texas. Later his family lived in Tokyo, where he attended St. Mary’s International School.

Director Catherine Hardwicke, whose breakout 2003 film, Thirteen, was nominated for numerous awards (including a Golden Globe and an Oscar), began her professional career as an architect, and then became an art director and production designer. That background served her well on pre-production details for the set of The Nativity Story.

Hardwicke and a crew traveled to Israel to visit and study Nazareth Village for two days. Nazareth Village, built in the 1990s (http://www.nazarethvillage.com/), is an authentic re-creation, based on archaeological and literary sources, of the first-century village where Jesus grew up. Hardwicke’s team studied the details of the town and then traveled to southern Italy to re-create it. Three people from Nazareth Village came to the site in Italy to make sure that the construction crew got the details right. Nearby they reconstructed Bethlehem, using natural rock formations as the backdrop.

“The reason I agreed to direct The Nativity Story,” explains Hardwicke, “is because of the way the screenwriter, Mike Rich, got inside the heart and soul of the characters, this kind of miracle that happened so long ago. How do you get inside a leap of faith? I wanted to do that.”

Oscar Isaac is the only actor from the United States in the film; other actors hail from New Zealand, Italy, Iran, Morocco, Israel, Northern Ireland, Canada, Sudan, England, Trinidad and other countries. Other cast members include Academy Award-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog) as Elizabeth, Ciarán Hinds (Munich) as Herod, Shaun Toub (Crash) as Joachim and Hiam Abbass (Munich, Paradise Now) as Anna.

A Day on the Set of The Nativity Story
Last May 21, I left Los Angeles on a very early flight. Our group assembled in Rome the next day and flew to Bari.

On the set, the temperature kept climbing under the burning sun and cloudless sky. The storyboard showing a sketch of each shot (even though the director might not stick to it entirely) stood outside the tent, near a corral of noisy sheep. “Lights! Camera! Action!” became “Attenzione! [Get ready!] Motore! [Rolling and turn off your cell phones!] Silenzio! [Silence!]”

The trip’s highlight was talking with Mike Rich and his wife, Grace, plus Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey in between takes. Their passion and enthusiasm for the film were obvious from the moment we arrived. Bowen admitted that he was making this movie because of The Passion of the Christ (parts of which were filmed nearby). “Mel Gibson,” says Bowen, “gave us a platform from which to tell this story, so ‘Thank you, Mel.’ Moviemaking is a business and an art form. I’m glad to be making my living right now telling the story of the birth of Jesus rather than, say, a film about murders, though it’s not to say I won’t ever make films about different subjects.”

Rich agrees that Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ influenced him as well when writing the script: “When Jesus falls in the film, carrying the cross, and Mary has a flashback to Jesus being in danger as a small child, and her maternal instincts kicked in to save him, I felt that was completely true to their relationship; this was a Mary I could believe. I knew then that I wanted to risk taking a speculative approach to developing the characters of Mary, Joseph, Anna, Joachim and Elizabeth.”

Over lunch, the director, Catherine Hardwicke, tells us she is a “Texas Presbyterian.” She thinks, “God challenges our faith every day, just like he challenged the people in this film. You can feel the risk Mary is taking when she says, ‘There is a will for this child greater than my fear of what they may do.’ I don’t want to make a sugarcoated version of the nativity story. I hope that people will get excited about this film, and that it will help unite people from around the world; I hope people will be drawn to faith.

“This is my third film,” Hardwicke says, “and the third film about adolescents. I hope this will say to them, ‘Try to follow your heart; hold on to your faith.’”

She continues, “Presbyterians don’t really get into the cult of Mary. But she is this model of patience, beauty and love. Women from all over the world take their inspiration from her....Joseph stands by Mary when no one else does; he is a great role model.”

Learning to Ride a Donkey
It was Hardwicke’s idea to cast Academy Award-nominated Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), then 15, as Mary. Hardwicke was impressed by the actress’s quiet, reserved personality, by how seriously she took her role in Whale Rider and by the fact that she projects a maturity beyond her years.

She and Oscar Isaac joined us as we were finishing lunch. Keisha said that she was at school when the call came for her to play the part of Mary, and she accepted right away. Castle-Hughes admits that it wasn’t until she was on the plane to Italy and writing in her diary that she realized the enormity of the role she had been given.

“I told myself, ‘I can’t believe I am playing this part. We don’t really know who they were or what they looked like, and we have to become these people now for people all over the world.’ Mary...you never think that she was 13 and had a child. She was just a girl, playing with her friends, then suddenly she has this huge responsibility...to become the mother of the world.

“My grandparents are Catholic,” Castle-Hughes tells us, “so we grew up knowing about the Church, but my parents leave us kind of free. Of course, Christmas is very important in our home.” The actress’s mother had been with her for a month during pre-production but had recently returned to New Zealand to give birth to her fifth child. (In October, it was announced that Keisha and her boyfriend are expecting next spring.)

Castle-Hughes makes us all laugh when she tells us that she is “not a huge animal fan”—and this after she had to ride on a whale! “For The Nativity Story I had to learn how to milk a goat and talk at the same time and that was a little hard....and ride—and stay on—a donkey!”

As part of pre-production, Keisha had to work with an accent coach. Two experts developed an accent that all the actors used.

Oscar Isaac, 26, is a Julliard-trained stage actor playing in his first major film role. “It’s an honor,” he says quietly as he finishes lunch, still in costume and seeming to be in the role of Joseph, “to be part of a biblical film, to be one of these walking icons, to experience what their daily life was like and get into how they thought.”

Isaac may well be one of cinema’s rising stars. His reverent and deeply felt interpretation of Joseph, the most silent man in sacred Scripture, is perfectly tuned and a refreshing surprise. After seeing the six-minute trailer in late August, I found Isaac authentic, warm and convincing in the role. (Read a full review of The Nativity Story.)

When we headed out to “Nazareth,” Bowen and Rich led us on foot, enabling us to approach the town by passing the watchtower, the wheat field and vineyard. They showed us how the well actually worked. We also saw a “molded” olive tree, that is, a manufactured prop that was used in the Garden of Gethsemane sequence in The Passion of the Christ and donated to the city of Matera. In addition, we also visited Mary’s house.

By agreement with the local government, the re-creations of Nazareth and Bethlehem will be torn down and the environment returned to its natural state once filming is completed.

The film’s Bethlehem was a totally different architectural style since the stables in those days were probably natural caves or hewn from rock. The crew constructed a new ridge below the existing one, and from the access road it was impossible to tell the difference.

We returned to Rome that evening. My next morning’s flight to Los Angeles concluded the fastest trip to Italy I had ever taken.

Getting Inside the Characters
The Nativity Story is not event-based. Rather, it is the Infancy Narratives of Matthew and Luke blended, with the timeline compressed. Through this, the inner, spiritual journeys of the characters emerge. These are manifested during their real journeys: those of Gabriel from heaven to Nazareth, of Mary from Nazareth to Ain Karem to see her cousin Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the shepherds to the grotto, the Magi to the stable and the Holy Family from Bethlehem to Egypt.

The Nativity Story, a film on the move, may well become an enduring Christmas classic.

Rose Pacatte, F.S.P., writes St. Anthony Messenger’s “Eye on Entertainment” column. Sister Rose is also the author of The Nativity Story: A Film Study Guide for Catholics and editor of The Nativity Story: Contemplating Mary’s Journeys of Faith, both available from Pauline Books & Media, www.pauline.org.

BeliefNet reviews "Nativity"

2006-11-25T19:25:00.000-05:00

Ancient Faith, Modern Life
Frederica Mathewes-Green

Faithful Rendition of 'The Nativity Story'
The new film about Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Jesus is fresh authentic, and safe--perhaps to a fault.

The curiosity of the Christmas season has got to be "The Nativity Story," a film which presents the story of the Virgin Mary, her betrothal to Joseph, and the birth of Jesus Christ with an utterly straight face. If you thought Hollywood was incapable of approaching Christians without a cattle prod, you'll be shocked at how circumspect this movie is.

"The Passion of the Christ" had earlier been a shock to Hollywood. Perhaps they had envisioned the conservative Christian audience as too tiny or too ignorant to fool with; perhaps they had envisioned the Christian-bashing audience as including everyone worth including. But the long lines for Mel Gibson's strong medicine, back in the spring of 2004, astounded everybody. And it turned out that Christian money is just as green as everybody else's.

But is something deeper going on? The film's producers insisted to the New York Times that they have had enough of the "cynical, youth-oriented, disposable entertainment you saw Friday and forget by Saturday," as Wyck Godrey put it. The kind of films he wants to make now will be "about something and stick with you." And producer Marty Bowen says he wants to make "movies I'd be proud of making. Movies my mother would go to." He adds, "I'd rather be corny than cynical. I'd rather make a movie that's patriotic than partisan."

Those are surprising and refreshing words, and they wouldn't have been heard a few years ago. But it may take a little longer to discover a way of producing films undergirded with such convictions that also have a bit of a spark. There is nothing in this film to offend devout Christians (parents note, however, a PG rating for some glimpses of crucifixion)--but solemnity rolls through it all like molasses. As the film opens with golden letters scrolling over a background of stormy clouds, and an unseen choir sings "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel," you have the distinct feeling that you've traveled back in time. No, not to first-century Palestine--to 1965, and a showing of "The Greatest Story Ever Told."

I can't help thinking that a different female lead could have made all the difference. Keisha Castle-Hughes starred as a young Maori destined to rule her tribe in "Whale Rider" (2002); for that role, she became, at 13, the youngest actress ever nominated for an Oscar. Perhaps her sturdy indomitability suited that character better than it does this one. Here, she just seems disengaged. Some astounding and even terrifying things are happening to Mary, but Castle-Hughes looks like her mind is somewhere else.

This results in the unusual situation that the male actors surrounding the film's center are more emotionally engaging than the female lead. Newcomer Oscar Isaac is very appealing as Joseph, and he conveys tenderness and shy young love without sacrificing a bit of masculinity. Shaun Toub is wonderful as her father Joachim, and Stanley Townsend is eye-catching as a hearty Zacharias. The three wise men (Eriq Ebouaney, Nadim Sawalha, and Stefan Kalipha) are lavishly arrayed and personable, and their interaction provides a bit of (somewhat stretched) comic relief.

A big actor in a small part steals the screen when Mary and Joseph stop for rest on their way to Bethlehem. A wind-battered old shepherd (Ted Rusoff) invites them to warm themselves by his fire. His lines are kind of hokey--something about his father telling him that each person is given a gift. Yes, dads say things like that. Particularly dads in the 1980s. But Rusoff is notably alive on the screen, and delightful to watch. So there he is on one side, and there's beautiful Oscar Isaac on the other, and in the middle sits Keisha Castle-Hughes, her face like a hard little pebble.

Later on, the old shepherd comes to see the newborn infant Jesus. He approaches with awe, on the brink of tears. You'd think this would be a good moment for Mary to smile and reach out toward him, and perhaps with moistened eyes say softly, "He is for all mankind. We are each given a gift." But Castle-Hughes stares blankly as he hobbles forward--if anything, slightly annoyed--and delivers the line like a mailman. Then she checks her cell for text messages (or would, if they existed then).

Shoreh Aghdashloo is warm and wonderful as Elizabeth, and Hiam Abass is effective as Anna. Ciaran Hinds is a bit overcooked as Herod, but maybe it's the lighting. (Interesting to see how many nationalities are represented among the cast. Much of the world's population, it seems, could pass for Semitic. It's blue-eyed blonds who are odd-man-out.)

The strongest character in the movie is under the actors' feet: The Italian countryside, standing in for ancient Israel (just as it did in "The Passion of the Christ") teaches in a way no words can how very hard life is in a rocky desert land. The journey Mary and Joseph make from Nazareth to Bethlehem, one hundred miles, begins to look like a superhuman feat. Our European fantasies of the Holy Land are corrected, for example, by seeing Jesus born among animals sheltering in a cave, not in a cozy wooden stable.

Judging by the quantity of sniffles during closing credits, "The Nativity Story" hits a lot of viewers squarely in the heart. It's a respectful and historically authentic film, and those two assets are rare enough to promise success, both on opening weekend and down the years. If this is the beginning of a trend toward movies that are not "cynical" and "disposable," I'm all for it. And I hope eventually we'll find a way to do it that is fresh and authentic, and not merely safe.

Peter Chattaway Reviews "Nativity"

2006-11-24T20:33:00.000-05:00

Filmmakers seek to inspire audiences with The Nativity Story
By Peter T. Chattaway

LOS ANGELES, CA -- It has been nearly three years since The Passion of the Christ proved there was an audience for biblical movies with a strong Christian theme. Now, Hollywood is finally beginning to catch up -- and what better way to follow a film about the death of Jesus than to make a film about his birth?

The Nativity Story, which comes to theatres December 1, is directed by Catherine Hardwicke, a former production designer who made her directorial debut three years ago on Thirteen, an Oscar-nominated, R-rated film about the troubled relationship between a teenaged girl and her single mother. Hardwicke followed this with Lords of Dogtown, a dynamic look at several legendary skateboarders in the 1970s.

Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll were all prominent features of Hardwicke's first two films, so it might seem like a stretch that she would then go on to tackle a rather pious account of the virginal conception of Christ. But the film does star 16-year-old New Zealander Keisha Castle-Hughes, who became the youngest best-actress Oscar nominee in history two years ago for her performance in Whale Rider; and Hardwicke says the new film actually fits quite nicely with her previous youth-oriented movies.

"This movie is about the most famous teenager in history," says Hardwicke to a handful of journalists at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills. The Virgin Mary, she says, "had maybe the biggest obstacles that she had to face and the most extraordinary challenges. So in a way you could say it's part of my teen trilogy."

Hardwicke says she was intrigued by the opportunity the film gave her to get behind the familiar icons, and to portray Mary and Joseph -- here depicted as a man in his mid-20s -- as ordinary people, albeit people who lived within a very different culture from ours. For example, Mary's betrothal to Joseph is imposed on her by her parents; and Mary, who feels no love for Joseph, doesn't know how to respond. And then the townsfolk are scandalized when they learn that Mary is pregnant.

"Two thousand years ago, how similar is that to teenage life now?" asks Hardwicke. "I mean, there are still struggles with the parents, but of course Mary had this extraordinary situation, being told that she would bear the Son of God, and then having people looking down on her, not believing her, [and treating her like an] outcast. How did she find faith in herself and inner strength to overcome this?

"So I felt there was some kind of continuity, and I tried to do similar things, to really take you back to Nazareth, and to take you back into real-life, real-person, real situations that you could relate to. If you're a guy, how would you feel if your fiancee that you love so dearly comes back home and she's pregnant, and you know you're not the father, and she says it's going to be the Son of God? I mean," she adds with a laugh, "that's a tough one for any man to get his head around, y'know?"

Whereas Mel Gibson's movie was very masculine, Hardwicke's is more feminine; The Passion of the Christ is full of scenes in which men beat up other men, but The Nativity Story takes time out to show Mary and her kinswoman Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, feeling the movements of the babies in each other's wombs. "That's kind of girly, huh?" Hardwicke laughs. "That's kind of the chick flick part of it."

She says she wanted to be as true to the material as she could, and not get too distracted by modern debates over the place of women in religion -- but if this part of the gospel story happens to cast women in a positive light, then so much the better. "Of course, Mary has inspired women all over the world for two thousand or more years," says Hardwicke, "so I think that, yes, I wanted to portray them with strength and dignity and beauty and continue inspiring people by these women."

Shohreh Aghdashloo, the Iranian actress who plays Elizabeth, says she modelled her own performance after a woman in her own life that she had found very inspiring -- namely her grandmother -- but she says she did this unconsciously, at first. "When I was doing this research [into the character of Elizabeth], I also kept writing, creating stories about her background," she says. "I assume that she's coming from a very good tribe and she loves Zechariah and they had been married, and I usually write and try to come up with adjectives, to try to portray my character."

Aghdashloo, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance as Ben Kingsley's wife in House of Sand and Fog, says she found herself writing words like "selfless," "giving," "kind," "generous" and "with a heart full of love for humanity," and "all of a sudden it dawned on me. 'Wait a minute, my grandmother was like this.'"

Aghdashloo, who was raised Muslim, calls herself "a student of all religions" and says she was influenced in this by her grandmother, who studied the Torah and kept a copy of the Bible in Farsi. So she tried to honour both her grandmother and the biblical Elizabeth by "combining" the two women in her performance.

The film's biggest discovery is Oscar Isaac, the Guatemala-born, Miami-raised actor who plays Joseph. He says the screenplay -- by Mike Rich (The Rookie), a practising Christian himself -- was so "reverential" that the key to his performance was to make Joseph as human as possible, "to make him flesh and blood."

Isaac notes that Joseph is drawn to Mary because of her virtue and out of a love that goes deeper than what we see in most films. He also notes that Joseph continues to wrestle with his emotions -- including his initial feeling of betrayal when he learns that Mary is pregnant -- long after he has made the decision to do God's will.

"It was very difficult for me to stay in the room, you know," he says. "In rehearsal, I would go out and have to kick things, and I had to basically find out why does he stay. And again, the idea of love -- you can say that's a love that comes from God. That's that Corinthians love, that seeks not itself in return; it's meek, it's humble. As a young man, what I had to connect with, was that feeling of love for someone."

Isaac insists there is nothing "irreverential" about his portrayal of Joseph's spiritual struggle; if anything, he says it makes the character's strengths stand out all the more. "I think that just shows his power more, that he was able to feel everything that we feel, but overcome it -- and I don't think I could!"

Isaac says he grew up in a charismatic, non-denominational Christian home and has since "kind of gone through my own journey, much as Joseph has, figuring out if you're hearing God correctly." But he says his family is rooting for him and this film. "My dad said that if he went to church and saw my picture with candles around it, he wouldn't be too happy," says Isaac with a laugh. "It would freak him out a little bit. No, he's so excited. They think it has meaning, that this is my first film."

Infuze Reviews "Nativity"

2006-11-24T18:54:00.000-05:00

The Nativity Story
directed by Catherine Hardwicke
disappointing in every possible way

Perhaps the comparisons are unfair, but they are obviously going to be applied anyway. The Nativity Story is Hollywood's natural follow-up to The Passion of the Christ. After all, if the death made that much money, then the birth should be worth at least a high percentage of that.

But even more so, the birth of Jesus presents such a compelling narrative complete with endless possibilities for tension, drama and beautiful possibilities for storytelling in the battle of good vs. evil: the struggle of a teen peasant girl from Nazareth with insane claims as to the father of her child; the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem; the rigors of the journey for Joseph and Mary or the magi. The entire event is scandalous from beginning to end.

Unfortunately for the viewer, there are no such elements to be found in The Nativity Story, which takes its cue more from the cheesy light-up display a few houses down from my own than it does from the Biblical text. The movie lacks emotion of any kind, keeps the story at a safe, family-friendly level, and is even incorrect in major details of the narrative.

For example, there are three wise men here and all are present at the manger scene at the time of Jesus' birth. The idea of there being three magi is not found in any of the gospels and it's only perpetuated by myth (most likely because of the three gifts listed). The magi also didn't visit Jesus until most likely around his second birthday. Such anomalies were not present in The Passion because it had a director dead-set on being true to detail, no matter how the audience would take it.

Director Catherine Hardwicke had different things in mind apparently, as the obvious idea was to create a watered-down holiday movie that would appeal to the masses. But to do so strips the story of its power. Each scene is devoid of believable levels of fear, sorrow, joy or excitement, even though the scenes we know so well should be filled with extreme levels of each of those.

What makes it all even more amazing is that it shouldn't have turned out this way. Hardwicke is best known as the director behind the gritty Thirteen and both Keisha Castle-Hughes and Shohreh Aghdashloo - Mary and Elizabeth respectively - have ventured into Oscar territory. It seemed that Mary would truly be afraid and that drama would be intense. Instead, it's given the same sheer and gloss that most obvious Christian products are known for.

The Passion was honest and raw and, because of this, it connected on a level that few films can lay claim to. The Nativity Story possessed the same ability but refused to let the story tell itself, instead shooting for 'warm' and 'fuzzy' rather than 'awesome' and 'inspiring.'

It is not the worst film I have seen this year. Nor was it a complete waste of time. But The Nativity Story is easily the most disappointing movie of 2006.

"Nativity" seeks to bring humanity to the story

2006-11-22T09:34:00.000-05:00

Humanity Beneath the Halo
'The Nativity Story' Seeks to Connect With Its Audience With More Human Portrayals of Mary and Joseph
By TERRY MORAN and ELY BROWN

Nov. 22, 2006 — - How do you make a movie about the birth of Jesus that connects with today's audiences? How do you make Mary and Joseph more than saintly icons?

That was the challenge that the creators of "The Nativity Story" took on in telling this best-known holiday season story.

Mike Rich, a veteran Hollywood screenwriter for movies such as "Finding Forrester," "Radio" and "The Rookie," is also a man of faith who felt that what had been missing from this story was a sense of who these people were. "It's always been told almost from a purely chronologically standpoint -- that certain events happened," he said. "And we don't look at the individuals. We don't put a human face on these people."

Catherine Hardwicke, director of "Thirteen" and "Lords of Dogtown," brought her vision to directing the film. "It's more personal. I think it's more human," she said. "The humanity beneath the halos is what we were going for. Epic intimacy."

The Most Famous Teenager in History

Hardwicke's previous movies portrayed a frank and sometimes disturbing picture of American teenagers, and the struggles and challenges unique to their age. At first glance, this background may not have made her the obvious choice to direct "The Nativity Story," but Hardwicke is quick to point out that the film is about the most famous teenager in history.

"Mary, according to most scholars, was 13 or 14 years old at the time," she said. "I thought what if the girls I know, kids I know today, would experience something this powerful and daunting and amazing and challenging? How would they deal with it?"

How indeed. For Oscar Isaac, a Hollywood newcomer from The Juilliard School, who plays Joseph in "The Nativity Story," the only word to describe his character in the Bible is "righteous." "How do you play righteous?" Isaac said. "What I held on to was he is a man who is utterly and completely in love with this woman when he looks at her. You could say that's a godly love. It's a humble love. But it's love."

Mary is played by Keisha Castle-Hughes, the 16-year-old New Zealand actress who was nominated in 2004 for her first role in "Whale Rider."

"It's a story of a young girl in a difficult situation and how she responds to that," Rich said. "How she has to go through this aspect of this emotion of fear to awe to willingness to acceptance. It was a great range of emotions."

Not Without Controversy

"The Nativity Story" has not escaped controversy, however. Castle-Hughes is now pregnant, preparing to become a teenage mother just as Mary was. The father is her 19-year-old boyfriend of three years. "She made a brave choice," Hardwicke said. "And she knew that the world would be talking about her or wondering about her. She made a brave choice. That this was the right thing to do, to bring this child into the world and I think that is to be respected and loved."

The goodwill of the Christian audience is critical to the success of this movie because that audience has been shown to be potentially enormous and therefore profitable.

Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," despite the allegations of anti-Semitism that surrounded it, grossed $600 million worldwide. According to screenwriter Rich, while "The Passion of the Christ" may have opened some doors to producing films with religious themes, that's not all that is needed to draw people to the theater. "I don't think they are going to be led to a film such as ours simply because it has a spiritual message," he said. "The responsibility, I think, as filmmakers we have is you have to make a good film and if you don't make a good film, it's not going to happen."

Biblical Movies Reflect Their Time

Hollywood tapping the Bible for inspiration is not new. But each generation gets the Bible movies that reflect its time. In the 1950s, the Bible-based movies were epic in scope and reverential in nature. Then came the 1970s, with its counterculture emphasis in films such as "Godspell" and "Jesus Christ Superstar." In "The Nativity Story," it is the relationships, the intimacy, and inner revelations that speak to today's audience.

"I think it's a reminder in a world that can be so polarized when it comes to religious ideas and ideology that humility is what opens people's hearts," Isaac said. "These were real people with real problems, yet they were still able to overcome those things because they were humble."

"The Nativity Story" will be the first movie to have its world premiere at the Vatican on Nov. 26, and opens nationwide in the United States on Dec. 1.

For Hardwicke, in addition to box-office success, there is a simpler goal as well. "I hope they feel the love that we felt as we made it and the spirit of the very beginnings, of the first Christmas," she said. "I hope they feel it like we felt it."

Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures

Paraclete Press publishes book about "The Real Mary"

2006-11-21T20:36:00.000-05:00

Paraclete Press is publishing a 176-page hardcover book called "The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus" by Scot McKnight. About the book:

The real Mary was an unwed, pregnant teenage girl in first century Palestine. She was a woman of courage, humility, spirit, and resolve, and her response to the angel Gabriel shifted the tectonic plates of history.

Join popular Biblical scholar Scot McKnight as he explores the contours of Mary’s life, from the moment she learned of God’s plan for the Messiah, to the culmination of Christ’s ministry on earth. McKnight dismantles the myths and also challenges our prejudices. He introduces us to a woman who is a model for faith, and who points us to her son.

If you go to the Paraclete Press homepage, you can view the information for a discount if you pre-0rder the book before December 3rd, 2006.

If you are interested in reading an excerpt from the book, you can read the first 2 chapters here.

A correlating study guide is also available for download.

Click here to hear an interview with the author, Scot McKnight. (for Windows Media Player)

Read Scot McKnight's article adapted from the book here.

In addition: pastors, professors, college and seminary students, and Christians across the U.S. will be hosting forums on Sunday, December 3 to discuss who Mary was, centering around The Real Mary by Scot McKnight, as well as the movie "The Nativity Story," which releases on December 1 on 8000 screens across the country. If you are interested in learning more about how you could be involved in hosting a forum, please contact jennyl@paracletepress.com.

My Review:

Scot McKnight starts off his book addressing the question why a Protestant scholar would write about Mary, giving several reasons, including wanting to tell the real story of Mary as she has gotten lost in the many theological controversies surrounding her; to challenge the unreal view that the Church has had about Mary over the years; to explore her ordinary, yet extraordinary qualities; and to branch into a realm that has largely been uncharted regarding the Protestant/Evangelical position about Mary—in terms of what they believe about her, rather than what they do not.

In the subsequent 10 chapters (Part I) McKnight writes about the various characteristics of the real Mary, starting with her trait as a woman of Faith. He lays the foundation about the Torah society that Mary would have lived in, and that despite all the things that could happen to her by accepting God’s offer to bear the Messiah—including the possibilities of enduring the “bitter waters” test (from Numbers 5), being exposed to public humiliation at a conspicuous location, or at worst, facing death by stoning. In addition, she had to face how her family and Joseph would react to the news, as well as if she did survive to bear the Child, to deal with Jesus’ treatment by being considered an illegitimate Son and perhaps being left as a single mother if Joseph divorced her. Her act of saying “May it be” to Gabriel, consenting to God’s plan, was that of courageous faith and trusting that God would protect her as He has other Biblical women in years past.

Mary was also a woman of Justice. In her well-known song, the Magnificat, we find what some consider subversive verses as she proclaims that the humble will lifted up and the rich brought down. Mary understood Gabriel’s words meant that her Son would fulfill the Davidic Kingdom, and thus expected God’s justice to come with the new King. Her words would have also meant much to anyone in Israel under the oppression of the rules of Rome and King Herod, hoping for a physical salvation as much as a spiritual one. Her statements in the Magnificat show her to be much gutsier than the meek Mary as she is often portrayed. She was as hopeful for the Messiah as anyone, reminiscent of Isaiah 11, and trusted in God’s promises that He had fulfilled and would continue to fulfill.

McKnight goes on to discuss Mary as a woman of Danger. McKnight says this because of Mary’s confidence that her Son would be King, not Herod or Caesar Augustus. Looking at her Magnificat, it could be considered subversive to the Roman Empire. When the birth of Jesus was announced, there were terms that were associated with Augustus, including his being the Son of God (adopted son of Julius Caesar), his bringing the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) to the Empire as its savior, and his rising to the throne was the Good News. Having these terms applied to her Son and Mary’s proclamation of them could bring about her death for treason, which did actually happen to Jesus. Mary was the first to spread the Gospel (Good News) about Jesus. When the Bible says that Mary pondered everything that had happened to her in her heart, she didn’t just reflect on memories, she was contemplating them in order to narrate and to interpret them.

This made Mary a woman of Witness. She witnessed to the promises of her Son, and viewed His coming as the Messiah that most Jews anticipated—overthrowing Israel’s enemies and inhabiting an earthly throne in peace. She witnessed the reality of Gabriel’s announcement when Jesus was born in real flesh; when the Magi came unexpectedly with their gifts; and when the Star appeared to lead the Magi to Jesus; all of which pointed to the Davidic throne that she saw her Son inhabiting as King. Everything surrounding the birth of Jesus was witnessed by Mary as she contemplated the kind of Savior Jesus was to be.

However, this conquering view of the Messiah changed when she became a woman of Sorrow, when she first went to the Temple to dedicate Jesus and purify herself after the birth. There she encounters the elderly priest Simeon, who speaks of Jesus’ bringing peace, comfort, and redemption to Israel, but he also illustrates a different type of Messiah that Mary (and other Jews) were likely expecting at that time of oppression—a political liberator of their people. Jesus would bring the triumph instead through sorrow and suffering, and that the sword would bring suffering to her as well. This caused her to ponder about the idea Who her Son would be, perhaps not quite the conquering ruler she may have imagined.

Mary was also a woman of Wonder. When Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and family went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover celebration, they perhaps wondered how Jesus was to liberate Israel from Rome much like when the Hebrews wanted freedom from being slaves in Egypt. During one particular Passover visit to Jerusalem, when Jesus was 12 (likely his bar mitzvah age), He was conducting Himself as an adult by staying in the Temple and was “lost” from the caravan going back to Nazareth, much to the horror of His parents. As Mary and Joseph went back and after a day’s searching found Him in the Temple, Mary expressed to Him their terrifying fear of losing Him and asked Him why He treated them this way. Jesus’ response was nothing more likely than shocking to what Mary expected in return, causing her to again rethink what kind of Messiah her Son was going to be, and realizing He knew that God—not Joseph—was His Father. His statement that His Father’s business was above being with His parents caused Mary to wonder. In addition, Jesus position of listening and teaching—at age 12—also would have caused Mary to wonder and to realize that she would have to follow her Son as well as He served a different Father in a different House.

Mary was also a woman of Surrender. Not only did she surrender to God at the very beginning of Jesus’ conception, she had to learn to surrender to Jesus as well, especially when His ministry started and He needed to honor God before His family. This first came into play when Jesus and Mary were attending the wedding at Cana, and Mary came to Jesus with the observation that the wine had run out, putting the family’s honor at risk. However, this also conflicted with God’s timing that Jesus sensed He was to fulfill, and in their exchange, He essentially asked Mary to honor (and to surrender) Him by allowing Him to do what He needed to do in His own way in accordance with the Father’s will, which she did, shown in her words for the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. She had to surrender to her own Son in order to honor God.

A trait of Mary that we don’t often consider is that she was a woman of Ambivalence. Mary and her family must have been ambivalent about Jesus as a family member and Jesus as the Messiah when He began his ministry, especially in light of their understanding from the Old Testament Messianic prophecies. Jews expected the Messiah to be like Moses, to be greater than the prophets, to be a Davidic King, and to be wise, as well as to conquer enemies and to establish peace. However, Jesus didn’t act like this Messiah, and seemed like an ordinary man to his townspeople. He appeared to challenge well-known Jewish traditions and laws (mixing with sinners, breaking Sabbath laws, etc.) and generally offended the Jewish leaders—not what Messiahs were supposed to do. Eventually, Jesus’ family—including Mary—considered Him “out of His mind” and even went with her other children to Capernaum to confront Him about this. Jesus’ response that everyone who does God’s will is His family, right in front of His own mother and siblings, establishing a new family of God. Hearing this, and other references to conflict within a family by following Jesus, Mary would have to decide whether Jesus was the Messiah she had hoped for and to follow Him. It appeared that she did shift her view of who the Messiah would be and joined the new family of Jesus, since she was next recorded as present at His crucifixion and later with the disciples at Pentecost as the Holy Spirit empowered them for ministry.

Lastly, Mary is a woman of Faithfulness, as shown by her appearance at Jesus’ Crucifixion with other women disciples. Despite the circumstances, she held firm that God was in control and stood by her Son. She remained faithful to Jesus as He remained faithful to her even from the cross, entrusting her to His disciple John, presumably because His family did not yet believe in Him as Messiah and John did. Jesus honored her both as His mother and a member of His new family in the Kingdom of God. At the cross, Mary had to come to terms with the fulfillment of Jesus’ messianic vocation—His sacrifice for man’s sins—even if it was something she would not have expected, since Jewish teaching & literature didn’t teach of a sacrificial Messiah. Having to change her Messianic view as the events unfolded at the end of Jesus’ life would have taken considerable faithfulness. This was all rewarded with the Resurrection and with her presence at Pentecost.

In part II, from chapters 11-13, McKnight explores the characteristics of Mary in the Church and how they match up with the real Mary of the Gospels. He first talks about how Mary was a woman of Influence, particularly through the teachings of Jesus and the writings of his half-brother and disciple James. Both of them, including Jesus, would have grown up with the influence of their parents. Jesus’ teachings about caring for the poor, downtrodden, widows and orphans, etc. are very similar to the statements in Mary’s Magnificat. Mary’s influence was also great in the early church, being with the disciples at Pentecost, and she was also influential in the New Testament, within 217 verses in which she plays some part.

Mary has also been a woman of Controversy, particularly between the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. McKnight begins by looking at the main doctrine that Catholics and Protestants agree upon: the supernatural conception of Jesus. Regarding Mary, however, Protestants generally rely on the Bible alone, while Catholics consider both the Bible and centuries of tradition to form what they believe. McKnight highlights major early Catholic beliefs about Mary: that she was sinless, that she was the mother of God, that she was perpetually virgin. Later developments in the Catholic church’s beliefs about Mary included her immaculate conception, her Assumption into heaven, her role as Mediatrix, and devotion to her. He goes into detail about these doctrines to make them clearer to the reader, and also discusses some of the Protestant responses to them.

Part III, the last chapter, is where McKnight discusses about embracing the real Mary. She was, lastly, a woman to Remember. Over the years, especially since the Reformation, Protestants have distanced themselves from giving Mary her due. McKnight suggests five themes of faith on which to focus in honoring Mary: faith leads to Jesus; faith is uniquely personal; faith is real; faith develops; and faith is courageous and dangerous.

Ending the book, McKnight includes Appendices for reference and further study:
Appendix 1: Old Testament Parallels in The Magnificat
Appendix 2: Suggestions for Reflecting on Mary
Bibliography
Sources

McKnight writes a compelling book that causes us to look at the Mary of the New Testament, challenging ideas that we may have accumulated about her through tradition and hearsay. He addresses each of his chapters with scholarly expertise, writing in a way that neither condescends to nor transcends beyond his readers’ intelligence. Throughout the book, McKnight uses both Scripture as well as extrabiblical sources to illustrate his points. His focus of the book is to allow Protestants to look at who Mary really was and to encourage them not push a very important figure in the Bible away just because their Catholic brethren give her much more attention. McKnight also knowledgably addresses the Catholic beliefs and traditions about Mary, quoting Catholic scholars, fathers, and catechesis for support. His challenge is for Protestants to honor Mary more than she has been in recent years and to use her example to help point people to Christ.

Interview with Oscar Isaac (Joseph)

2006-11-21T16:42:00.000-05:00

Mark Moring of Christianity Today Movies has presented another wonderful interview with Oscar Isaac, the actor who plays Joseph in "Nativity."

How Do You Play 'Righteous'?

Scripture doesn't say much about Joseph, except that he was "righteous." Oscar Isaac, who plays that role in The Nativity Story, had to figure out what that might have looked like in everyday life.

by Mark Moring posted 11/21/2006

Oscar Isaac has a winning smile, an easy laugh, and seems like the kind of guy who'd be fun to hang around. But for a few months earlier this year, Isaac was as serious as he could be, trying to figure out how to best portray a man that the Bible tells us very little about—Joseph, descendant of David, husband of the Virgin Mary, and earthly father to a child who was the Son of God.

Isaac, a 2005 Julliard graduate, is the leading man for The Nativity Story, which fleshes out Joseph's character in more depth and detail than any Bible movie before it. The film, opening December 1 in theaters worldwide, also features former Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) as Mary.

The Bible doesn't tell us much about Joseph other than the fact that he was a "righteous" man, but screenwriter Mike Rich and director Catherine Hardwicke took that one adjective and ran with it, developing a character who demonstrates that quality in both subtle and powerful ways at every turn.

Isaac says he was so focused on the role that he didn't stray too far from being "in character" during in his time on the set. His earnestness and diligence pays off; viewers will get to "know" Joseph more than ever before in what plays out as a bit of a non-traditional love story on the big screen.

We recently interviewed Isaac in Los Angeles during a press trip for The Nativity Story. The conversation below includes segments from our one-on-one interview, as well as segments from a roundtable discussion Isaac held with several members of the media.

Why did you want to play this role?
Oscar Isaac: One, I wanted to work! But the truth is, what a cool, strange, intense role to play, and one that's unexpectedly so. It was exciting to get a chance to show that this character—one that people feel they know all they need to know about—was actually one of the most complex people in the Bible, I think. I mean, the things that he had to deal with, the ideas that he had to grapple with—something like sharing the woman you love with God. Here's a man that loves God so fully and loves this woman so fully, and then he has to share his wife with God. How do you do that? What is it like to have to share your woman with God?

It's an interesting character study too. He wanted to have a family with this woman, he wanted to have a nice normal life in his little house that he's building, and suddenly he's forced to kind of ask God, Why her? I love you so much, I love her so much, but couldn't you pick anybody else?

It was nice seeing Joseph's character fleshed out. Usually he's just the guy in the background with the mule.
Isaac: Yeah, if you look at all the paintings, he's kind of the creepy-looking guy in the back behind the sheep, just trying to get his face in the camera.

The Bible doesn't tell us much about Joseph, so you guys pretty much had to invent his character. All we know is that he was a righteous man.
Isaac: That's all we know, and as an actor, that's an unplayable adjective. How do you play "righteous"? Do you just kind of stand up straighter? What does that mean as an actor? You don't really play a quality. So we had to find out, how do you make this guy completely relatable. Show the audience that he's feeling anger and fear and doubt and romantic love and jealousy—but he works through those things. He ends up making the right choices. He's a righteous man. But we see that it cost him something to make those choices.

I realized that Joseph's righteousness had to be shown in his actions. For me, "righteous" meant "love." He doesn't stone Mary when he finds out she's pregnant, because he's righteous. He doesn't humiliate her publicly, because he's righteous. When I did the scenes, the thing that I felt the most—even though some scenes called for me to feel anger and fear and doubt—was that I just loved her so much, and I realized that "righteousness" just means selfless, humble love. That realization took me throughout the rest of the film.

And you had to play a lot of those emotions without saying anything, because the dialogue is so spare. Do you think your background in theater helped you?
Isaac: Yeah, I think very much so. Mike Rich did a fantastic job with the script, but a trap would be to read it and think just because they're not saying anything, they're not really going through something. But it's there. If you read between the lines and really think about what's not being said, that's where you can find those little moments of nuance.

You've done a lot of Shakespeare, so you're use to talking your head off …
Isaac: Yeah, and this is the complete opposite. With Shakespeare, there's no subtext; you're speaking exactly what you're thinking constantly. And this is the flip—but you're still feeling Shakespearean emotions. You're still feeling all those things, but you're just not saying it. That was the challenge, to continually remember not to sit back and just passively watch, but to constantly be desiring something even though you're not saying it.

Did you stick to the script?
Isaac: Mostly, but in one scene, there's one moment when we [Joseph and Mary] are by the Sea of Galilee and she says, "Are you afraid?" And in the script, I say, "No, are you afraid?" And she says, "No." But as an improvisation, when she said, "Are you afraid?", I said, "Yeah, are you afraid?" And she just said, "Yeah." And it was this moment of connection, and they kept it.

What is your favorite scene in the movie?
Isaac: There's a few of them, but that scene by the Sea of Galilee is kind of a sweet, melancholy scene. It's the first time they really get a chance to sit next to each other and talk about, "How are we going to raise this kid?" And Mary kind of jokes, "Tell me about your dream," and he's like, "Nah, I don't want to tell you about my dream." It's the first time you see some warmth between them; they're still feeling each other out. If you think about it, he's trying to get her to fall in love with him. He wants this to work, because he's been in love with her for as long as he can remember.

During that scene, Joseph says, "I don't know if I'll be able to teach him anything." Really, what do you teach the Son of God? What went through your mind with all of this?
Isaac: When I first read the script, I was like, "How do I play this? How do I play that I'm going to have the Son of God as my son?" It's such an abstract idea. I just don't know what to think about it. Then I realized that's exactly what Joseph is thinking. Joseph has no clue what that means. He has no idea what to expect. So I think that gave me some freedom to actually think about those things.

What was it like working with Keisha?
Isaac: Fantastic. She is such a naturally gifted actor, undeniably so. I mean, you watch Whale Rider and I defy you to not get teary-eyed at the end there. I mean she was something else. Keisha just has this way of really being able to forget that she's in a movie. It's what every actor aspires to do, to literally forget that there are cameras and people and lights around, but somehow she's able to do that.

It's a genuinely mysterious thing, especially because she's such a funny girl; she's humorous. You would think to have that kind of depth, she'd be going around in some sort of deep, poetic haze. But she's not. She's a really funny, joyful girl. But she's also incredibly mature. She's perfect for Mary, because at one moment she's like a grown woman with the way she can be so articulate about things. And the next moment she can be just a young carefree girl. She's fantastic. I was really lucky to share the screen with her.

Was there any kind of spiritual experience for you in making this movie?
Isaac: Absolutely. I read a lot of the Bible. And once I figured out the thing about love, I started to read about what's biblical love. And the power of humility. That never really until after I saw the finished movie, and I thought, Oh my gosh, this is the greatest act of humility ever. To an ostracized and oppressed people, this is how God decides to come through. I think that's a really powerful message.

Talk a bit about your own faith journey.
Isaac: I grew up in a very devoutly Christian home. And as Joseph, you know you kind of go through this journey of asking yourself questions, wondering if you're listening to God in the right way. It's definitely been an evolution of how I think. Making the film forced me to think about those things, my own spirituality. Having to play a pious Jewish man, not knowing what that's like, and to have to play somebody that devout—if you're an actor worth your salt, you really try to really put yourself in that place.

Do you think there's a "defining moment" for Joseph in this film?
Isaac: I see him as a character that's having to react a lot. He's got some issues to deal with; he's got a lot to work through. Mary is perhaps the more constant one. She's pondering a lot in her heart; she's taking things in quietly. Joseph is having to react a lot more and to figure out what he's going to do.

I think there's so many little moments that define him throughout the story, moments he's forced to make a decision, and he makes the right one. One of the defining moments is when he decides not to humiliate Mary publicly. I think that's really where his heart opens, because even though he has all those feelings, he decides not to stone her or humiliate her, and that's how he's able to hear God's voice.

Any last words on the film?
Isaac: I think what's really special about The Nativity Story is that it really treats them as real people, and yet you're still able to get all of the power of the story.

Variety Reviews "Nativity"

2006-11-21T08:52:00.000-05:00

The Nativity Story

A New Line Cinema release of a Temple Hill production. Produced by Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen. Executive producers, Toby Emmerich, Cale Boyter, Tim Van Rellim, Mike Rich, Catherine Hardwicke. Co-executive producers, Judd Funk, Michael Disco. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Screenplay, Mike Rich.

Mary - Keisha Castle-Hughes
Joseph - Oscar Isaac
Anna - Hiam Abbass
Joaquim - Shaun Toub
Herod - Ciaran Hinds
Elizabeth - Shohreh Aghdashloo
Zechariah - Stanley Townsend
The Angel Gabriel - Alexander Siddig
Melchior - Nadim Sawalha
Balthasar - Eriq Ebouaney
Gaspar - Stefan Kalipha
Antipas - Alessandro Giuggioli
Ruth - Farida Ouchani
Tero - Said Amadis
By TODD MCCARTHY

Memories of dreary Sunday school classes come flooding back courtesy of "The Nativity Story." Earnestly Hallmark-worthy to a fault, this stodgy addition to the cinematic religious revival gravy train offers only a bit of Year One location realism to distinguish it from films of its kind made in the '50s and early '60s, though at least then it might have had the advantage of a score by the likes of Miklos Rozsa, Franz Waxman or Alfred Newman. All the same, New Line should be able to sell this pic effectively to the faithful over the holiday season, and B.O. could be very strong indeed in Catholic territories such as Latin America, where devotion to the Virgin Mary runs high.

Admirers of Catherine Hardwicke will be particularly surprised that the director of "Thirteen" and "Lords of Dogtown" could make something this conventional and unspontaneous. Despite the presence of young, vital actors, the humdrum lines in Mike Rich's script are spoken in a stilted, pan-Mediterranean/Middle Eastern accent and with a stiffness that stifles all vitality and emotion, resulting in a dry run-through of events plausibly extrapolated from the little actually known about the family of Jesus Christ.

Just two of the four gospels, Matthew and Luke, include the story of the nativity, and only the former notes the difficulty Mary's intended husband, Joseph, and others in Nazareth may initially have had accepting the young woman's claim of purity despite her pregnancy. Aside from this, most of the drama stems from the threat posed by King Herod (Ciaran Hinds), who is obsessed with an ancient prophecy concerning the birth of a future Jewish king.

Inspired by Matthew, screenplay foreshadows Mary's immaculate conception with the surprise pregnancy of her cousin Elizabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo), a woman past childbearing years. Unfortunately, the promise of this miracle is announced in a vast temple to Elizabeth's husband, Jewish elder Zechariah (Stanley Townsend), in a manner that recalls nothing so much as the wizard speaking to Dorothy & Co. in Oz.

As for Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes), the serious-visaged teenager is none too thrilled to be abruptly thrown into an arranged marriage with the admiring Joseph (Oscar Isaac), who's at least a decade older. But no sooner is Mary told to remain chaste for a year than she is visited by the angel Gabriel (Alexander Siddig) in an olive grove and informed, "You have found favor with God." There's no question what this means.

Mary goes to Jerusalem for a spell to bond with Elizabeth and figure out how to explain all this to Joseph, who needs a holy visitation of his own to embrace his fate. In due course, Joseph is obliged by the coming Roman census to return to his native Bethlehem, which is so crowded that he and the ready-to-burst Mary are forced to make do in a cave artfully graced with a hole in the top to allow in celestial illumination.

This guiding light proves invaluable to the Three Wise Men, lightly comic figures who spend months making their way from Persia to Judea in order to attend the birth of the promised messiah.

Hardwicke's background as a production designer asserts itself in the vivid, if fleeting, depiction of quotidian life in Nazareth, the maze of one-story stone huts that comprises Bethlehem and the imposing temple of Jerusalem.

Otherwise, however, she evinces no feeling for antiquity, the epic format or the dramatic presentation of epochal events. In addition to the mundane realism, pic sorely needs some visual heightening to exalt its images and characters, to suggest a spiritual dimension.

Instead, the film's banal sensibility is suggested by its dependence upon "startling" transitions, such as cutting away pointlessly to exotic animals or loud sounds, and upon the recurring motif of heavy drum beats to signal the arrival of Roman soldiers.

Castle-Hughes, so effective in "Whale Rider," spends nearly the entire film furrowing her brow to express a mixture of anxiety and determination. Isaac seems ready and eager to combust at any moment but never gets the chance, while Hinds, all uptight paranoia as the Judean monarch, no doubt becomes the first actor to portray both Herod and Julius Caesar in as many seasons.

Visuals have been drained of vibrant colors, which may serve to accommodate the extensive CGI backgrounds but dulls the overall look. Locations are very good; Matera, the ancient southern Italian town used in "The Passion of the Christ," again fills in evocatively as Jerusalem and environs, while Ouarzazate and other Moroccan locales provide diverse topography for the major treks involved.

Camera (Technicolor, Deluxe prints; widescreen), Elliot Davis; editors, Robert K. Lambert, Stuart Levy; music, Mychael Danna; production designer, Stefano Maria Ortolani; supervising art directors, Giacomo Calo Carducci, Marco Trentini (Morocco); art directors, Maria Teresa Barbasso, Antonio Tarolla; set decorator, Alessandra Querzola; costume designer, Maurizio Millenotti; sound (SDDS/Dolby Digital/DTS), Ian Voigt; sound designer-supervising sound editor, Frank Gaeta; re-recording mixers, Gary Bourgeois, Beau Borders, Rick Kline; visual effects supervisors, James E. Price, Theresa Ellis Rygiel; visual effects, Hammerhead Prods., Digital Domain, Digital Dream, Frantic Films; assistant director, Justin Muller; second unit director-camera, Harvey Harrison; casting, Mindy Marin, Priscilla John. Reviewed at Clarity screening room, Beverly Hills, Nov. 20, 2006. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 102 MIN.

"Nativity" featured in TIME magazine

2006-11-20T20:42:00.000-05:00

Hooray For Holy-wood
Movie studios, usually pegged as disciples of Mammon, are now trying to reach the faithful
By REBECCA WINTERS KEEGAN

And on the seventh day, they caught a movie. When the lights go down at Pope Paul VI Hall on Nov. 26, The Nativity Story will become the first feature film ever to premiere at the Vatican. The creation tale of this movie is, by Hollywood standards, pretty miraculous. Screenwriter Mike Rich told his agent last November that he would like to write a story that many Christians have seen performed every Christmas Eve of their lives--but this time without first-graders playing the wise men. "If I had brought this subject matter into the mainstream studio system four or five years ago, I don't know if I would have gotten my calls returned," says Rich, who wrote the 2002 baseball movie The Rookie.

Instead, his script, a spare, character-driven retelling of Mary and Joseph's trip to Bethlehem, was rushed into production by New Line Cinema and entrusted to an edgy director with a knack for youth culture, Thirteen's Catherine Hardwicke. Despite the challenges of reconciling Scripture with story, casting actors to play icons, constructing a Christ-era Nazareth in the Italian countryside, wrangling donkeys and camels, and figuring out how to market the first major-studio Bible epic since the genre's peak in the 1950s and '60s with films like The Ten Commandments, The Nativity Story will arrive in theaters on Dec. 1, just about a year to the day after Rich started his first draft. "God's hand is on this movie," says Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the Rev. Billy Graham and one of several religious leaders and scholars invited to the set and early screenings.

Mel Gibson's hand is on the movie too. It was the success of Gibson's 2004 Crucifixion film, The Passion of the Christ--which no studio wanted to touch and which earned $1 billion in worldwide box-office and DVD sales when the director funded it himself--that made believers out of Hollywood executives and ushered in a flurry of faith-based filmmaking. "I could kiss Mel on both cheeks for showing Hollywood the size of this market," says Matt Crouch, son of televangelists Paul and Jean Crouch and producer of One Night with the King, the story of Esther. The movie opened in 900 theaters on Oct. 13 and has grossed $10 million so far, with lush costumes and sets, newcomer Tiffany Dupont in the title role and cameos by Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole, their first screen pairing since Lawrence of Arabia. In September, 20th Century Fox announced plans to release about half a dozen Christian-theme films a year in theaters under the banner FoxFaith. Facing the Giants, an independent evangelical football movie written and produced by a couple of Baptist ministers from Georgia, has made $7.6 million since it opened in limited release on Sept. 29. Sony has signed a production deal with Bishop T.D. Jakes, whose 2004 inspirational film, Woman, Thou Art Loosed, drew theatergoers through grass-roots marketing in black churches; and the studio has Resurrection, a film from Left Behind author Tim LaHaye, in development. Lions-gate is betting on Tyler Perry, whose first two films, Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea's Family Reunion, delivered well at the box office thanks to spiritual themes and enormous support from black churches. Hollywood, it seems, is ready to give God his close-up.

"The Passion made what was theoretically an audience very real," says Jonathan Bock, whose Grace Hill Media has helped market films like The Chronicles of Narnia and Walk the Line to religious audiences. What became clear was that the 43% of Americans who attend church on any given weekend like films as much as the other 57% but are seeking a certain kind. "Not everything needs to be a bathrobe-and-sandals kind of movie, but there have to be some family-friendly parameters," Bock says. "Something in the film should challenge or elevate the human spirit, some kind of through-line that would work for the faith community."

To get a sense of the diversity of filmgoers of faith, take a look at the minds behind Nativity. Screenwriter Rich, who attends a nondenominational church in Oregon, says, "I'm a man of faith, but I've seen [Martin Scorsese's violent, R-rated Mob drama] The Departed twice. Would I like to see more biblically based, spiritually based stories? I sure would. As long as they're of quality." The two producers who spearheaded the film are a Catholic altar boy from Texas turned Hollywood agent and a Tennessean who grew up attending a charismatic Christian church and recently produced Alien vs. Predator. And then there's Hardwicke, raised by Texas Presbyterians and best known for her gritty portraits of young people in Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown. For her, the most religious experience in making Nativity was sitting under an ancient olive tree in the town of Matera, Italy, where most of the film was shot. "If I were an angel, I thought, I'd go visit Mary there," says Hardwicke. That's where she set the Annunciation.

What this group of filmmakers shared was a desire to take Nativity beyond the Godsploitation genre, the extended Sunday-school lessons into which many independent Christian films devolve and in which the laughable acting and dialogue and the anticipation of a big payoff at the end feel closer to shtick than art. FoxFaith's first theatrical release, Love's Abiding Joy, a western based on a novel by the Christian writer Janette Oke, made only about $250,000 on 200 screens this fall, perhaps because it was a little like a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie--without the edge. "I'm not sure people want to pay $10 on a Friday night to be preached to," says Reuben Cannon, who produced Woman, Thou Art Loosed and Perry's films.

For Hardwicke, this meant making the icons of the story as real as possible. "People don't think of the character of Mary or the character of Joseph," she says. Since no one knows how Mary explained her pregnancy to her parents or what she and Joseph said to each other on that 110-mile journey to Bethlehem, it was up to Rich and Hardwicke to speculate, with the help of historians and theologians. "We'd ask, 'What was the mind-set of a religious Jewish person at that time?'" says Hardwicke. Despite the accelerated production schedule, she spent a month setting up a kind of Nativity sleepaway camp, where the actors improvised scenes, got religious training and learned to milk goats.

Rich grappled with Scripture and script decisions. Should he stick with one Gospel? The Magi are only in Matthew, the shepherds only in Luke, but both Magi and shepherds appear in the film. Rich's first draft did not include The Magnificat, the verses Mary sings when her cousin Elizabeth feels a child stirring in her own womb, because it didn't match Mary's character arc. When a nun advising the film weighed in on the importance of the passage to Catholics, Hardwicke incorporated some of the verses in a voice-over later in the story.

To market the film, New Line is borrowing a page from The Passion and other faith-friendly indies and setting up "shepherds' screenings" for pastors and providing Bible-study guides, sample sermons and group-rate screenings. And then there is, of course, the unprecedented Vatican premiere. Whatever the papal equivalent of two thumbs up is (two raised miters?), Nativity clearly has it. There has been one wrinkle along the way. Keisha Castle-Hughes, the star of Whale Rider, now 16, who plays Mary, is pregnant and home in New Zealand rather than out promoting the film.

While marketers work to lure in the Christians, the person who best explains the spiritual impact of seeing Nativity may be Shohreh Aghdashloo, the Muslim actress from 24 and House of Sand and Fog. Aghdashloo, who plays Elizabeth, grew up reading her grandmother's Bible in Farsi as literature. "A good piece of art should make a revolution inside you," Aghdashloo said after seeing the film for the first time. "I felt light this morning when I left the theater, with a peace of mind. I was worried about it turning into preaching, but it didn't. It just told a story."

"Nativity" featured in LA Times

2006-11-20T20:08:00.000-05:00

New Line a believer in faith market
Studio gets a religious education as it woos Christians with "The Nativity Story."
By Lorenza Muñoz, Times Staff Writer

November 20, 2006

Shortly before Easter, New Line Cinema executives sat down in a Los Angeles screening room for a class they nicknamed "Christianity 101."

The movie studio was preparing for the holiday release of "The Nativity Story," based on the biblical account of Jesus' birth. Taught by an evangelical preacher, a Presbyterian minister and a Pauline nun who doubled as a film critic for a Catholic magazine, the lesson was aimed at educating executives who were well-versed in slasher movies, fantasy thrillers and raunchy comedies but knew little about one of Christianity's most sacred events."

They wanted to get a better handle on understanding the story and what it meant to people," said Sister Rose Pacatte, the critic who also directs the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Culver City. "I never had such a good class."

New Line's religious education is the latest effort by Hollywood to get in touch with the Christian market. The status of that moviegoing set climbed in the wake of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," about the crucifixion, and Walt Disney Co.'s "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," which had underlying Christian themes. Twentieth Century Fox has launched FoxFaith, a theatrical and home video distribution label for Christian films.

Lately, low-budget, independently produced faith movies also have shown resilience at the box office, even though they are playing in a fraction of the theaters a typical studio release does.

"Facing the Giants," an inspirational sports movie funded by just $100,000 in donations from the Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., has grossed more than $8 million since it was released Sept. 29. "One Night With the King," about the Old Testament figure Esther, who is said to have saved the ancient Jews from death, has grossed about $13 million since its October release, although it has yet to make back its $26 million in production and marketing costs.

"It's like a tide rising," said Billy Joe Daugherty, pastor of Victory Christian Center, a Tulsa, Okla., congregation of 14,000. "The producers and companies that catch this will ride a wave. These are not one-time moviegoers."

"Nativity" also is a radical departure for New Line. The company, owned by giant Time Warner Inc., made its name with such low-budget hits as the "Nightmare on Elm Street" slasher series. More recently, it released the acclaimed "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and last year's hit comedy "The Wedding Crashers."

Costing more than $65 million to make and market, "Nativity" is one of the biggest and most expensive biblical-themed releases from a major media company. The film, recounting Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem, will open Dec. 1 on 2,700 screens, in time for the Christmas season."There is no paradigm for this strategy," said Russell Schwartz, head of marketing for the studio. "We talked about a smaller release. But as we have screened it more and more, it becomes a much bigger idea for us."

The film stars 16-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes, a best actress Oscar nominee for "Whale Rider," as Mary and Shohreh Aghdashloo, a supporting actress nominee for "The House of Sand and Fog," as her cousin, Elizabeth.The film is benefiting from unprecedented cooperation between media-savvy Christians and studios eager to tap into the audience.

This month, the studio participated in the National Media Prayer Breakfast, an annual event organized by the evangelical ministry Mastermedia International and its partner, the Hollywood Prayer Network. Gathered at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, 700 Christians in media and entertainment prayed for Hollywood to make movies with a "positive global impact." Billionaire Philip Anschutz's Walden Media and FoxFaith were also present."

There is a new spirit from the Christian perspective on the entertainment industry, which is not to bash or boycott Hollywood but to demonstrate Christ- like love and hope," said Larry Poland, founder of Mastermedia. Religious movies were once a staple of Hollywood, which through the 1950s and early 1960s released such epics as "The Ten Commandments," "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and "King of Kings." But the genre had largely fallen out of favor with studio executives, who until now believed that it had limited box-office appeal."

Hollywood does a great job creating films that suspend belief, but when it comes to this Bible thing, it makes everybody nervous," said Erwin McManus, head pastor at the nondenominational evangelical church Mosaic, who spoke at the New Line Christianity seminar.

Tom Newman, founder of Impact Productions, a Christian movie production and marketing company based in Tulsa, said there are 54,000 evangelical churches nationwide that incorporate videos and DVDs into their worship service."What is happening out there is a silent revolution where a lot of church people are getting experience in making video announcements and using them within their own congregations," said Newman, who helped market "One Night With the King" and "The Omega Code" in 1999. "There is hope that there will be some great filmmakers coming out of the church."

For the last month, New Line has been reaching out to evangelical churches and organizations by hosting screenings and discussions. So far the studio has held 200 showings of "The Nativity Story" nationwide, with 100 more planned.The studio got a big boost in early November, when the Vatican agreed to host the worldwide premiere of the film for 7,000 people. "The Passion," which grossed $612 million theatrically in 2004, received a huge publicity push when Pope John Paul II saw the film and said, "It is as it was."On Tuesday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops screened the movie at its annual gathering in Baltimore."

It gives us credibility with all Christians," said Rolf Mittweg, New Line's head of worldwide marketing and distribution.The movie has brought filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke, director of the teen drama "Thirteen," back to her Presbyterian roots. Every Christmas while growing up in McAllen, Texas, Hardwicke would build a nacimiento — a reproduction of the Nativity scene in her family's living room, complete with a cave-like grotto for the baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary, the three wise men and, for a little south Texas flavor, a woman making tortillas."

I've thought much more deeply about Christianity, about the origins of it and how profound it was," Hardwicke said."If you think about what is important, it is not money and power, it's the heart and spirit, and that was very powerful for me."

With the movie opening in less than two weeks, New Line has little time left to get the word out. Hardwicke, who finished editing the film in early November, is only now touring the country's churches with it.Karen Watson, who buys fiction for Christian publisher Tyndale House, said the firm rushed to publish a novel, a coffee table book and an account of the Nativity story as companions to the movie. She noted that the "Nativity" novel and the account have shown up among Tyndale's bestsellers on Amazon.com.

Paul Braoudakis, communications director for the Willow Creek Assn., a nonprofit branch of Willow Creek Church, based outside Chicago, said there hadn't been a lot of buzz around "Nativity" yet."It has been below the radar," he said.Still, 1,000 people previewed the film at Willow Creek this month. The association plans to encourage its network of 12,000 churches around the world to use the movie as a launching pad for discussion."

We look at "The Nativity Story" as a great outreach tool," said Braoudakis, who said the church encouraged members to see and discuss this summer's controversial "The Da Vinci Code." "Nativity" is a great way to communicate a timeless story that hasn't gone away in 2,000 years."

On Sunday, Mosaic will preview "Nativity" to 3,000 churches and 20,000 leaders through the Christian Communications Network, a satellite broadcast service. The event will occur the same day as the Vatican screening.New Line executives hope their education will help them market "Nativity" not only to devout Christians but to those who are not avid churchgoers."The more we learn, the more opportunities present themselves in advertising with special interest groups and with promotional partners," New Line's Schwartz said. "This has made us realize how large and diverse the Christian world is. It's mind-boggling."*

lorenza.munoz@latimes.com

Thanks to Steve for the heads-up!

"Nativity" Named Best Jesus Movie Since 1890's

2006-11-17T23:12:00.000-05:00

'The Nativity Story' Named Best Jesus Movie Since 1890s
New Line Cinema’s The Nativity Story has been called the best movie about the birth of Jesus since nativity movies were first produced in the 1890s.
by Gretta Curtis
Posted: Friday, November 17, 2006, 8:35 (GMT)

New Line Cinema’s The Nativity Story has been called the best movie about the birth of Jesus since nativity movies were first produced in the 1890s."With the release of The Nativity Story, Hollywood is finally putting Jesus Christ back into Christmas," Dr. Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission noted recently.

The film heads to more than 3,000 of the nation's movie theatres on 1 December." Hollywood has recognised there's a gigantic part of the population that goes to church each week," Baehr said. "Go see The Nativity Story, and tell your family and friends to do the same."

The movie tells the story of the birth of Jesus "in a compelling, captivating, entertaining and inspiring matter that shatters expectations," according to Baehr, who has reviewed the film. " The Nativity Story is refreshingly dramatic, so much so that the movie will elicit tears at points," he wrote. Baehr, a renowned critic, educator, lecturer and media pundit, is the founder and publisher of Movieguide.

Baehr's assessment of changes in Hollywood track with similar trends in America. After years of "holidays" being used to describe the Christmas season, some cracks in the politically correct dam have begun to open, as retailers like Wal-Mart, Kohl's Corp. and Macy's are beginning to use the term "Merry Christmas." The moves respond to mounting criticism from religious groups that staged boycotts against Wal-Mart and other merchants after they eliminated or de-emphasized "Christmas" in their advertising.

"…The Nativity Story is biblically accurate, historically authentic, and visually stunning. Written with heart… it's destined to become a beloved Christmas classic," said Anne Graham Lotz, founder of AnGeL Ministries and daughter of evangelist Billy Graham.

The Nativity Story, which was produced by the same company that produced the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings, will make its world premiere at the Vatican on 26 November. It is believed this is the first time a feature film will premiere there. The film stars Academy Award nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) as Mary, Oscar Isaac (Guerrilla) as Joseph and Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sands and Fog) as Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. It is directed by Catherine Hardwicke (the teen drama "Thirteen") from a screenplay by Mike Rich (Finding Forrester, The Rookie, Radio), himself a devout Christian.

The Nativity Story was filmed in Matera, Italy, also used as a location for The Passion of the Christ, because it is more authentic than the actual sites now. "Nazareth is a modern town and Jerusalem is a very modern town, "said Rich. Shots involving Herod's castle and the temple in Jerusalem were shot in Ouarzazate, Mexico, also used in Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven movies.

MovieGuide recommends seeing "Nativity"

2006-11-12T02:27:00.000-05:00

Watch a Christmas movie this year, MovieGuide says

'The Nativity Story' is 'one of those rare productions that brings Gospel alive'
Posted: November 11, 20061:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

Don't wait, this Christmas season, for old network reruns of "The Christmas Story" and Ralphie's pursuit of the Red Ryder BB gun, or even Jimmy Stewart's classic, "It's a Wonderful Life."

MOVIEGUIDE is recommending that this year, you see "The Nativity Story," one of those "very rare" movies that brings the Gospel alive "in a compelling, soul-stirring, entertaining, and inspiring manner."

Vatican officials said they have chosen that production, which opens both in Italy and the United States on Dec. 1, to be screened at the Vatican's Pope Paul VI Hall on Nov. 26, when several thousand people will be invited.

Claudia Di Giovanni, of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, said it wasn't known if Pope Benedict XVI would attend.

Proceeds from that event are to go for construction of a village school in an Israel town, Mughar, about 25 miles for Nazareth, the town of Jesus' childhood, which now is home to both Christians and Muslims. Rockets fired by Hezbollah guerrillas last summer damaged the town, officials said.

Now reviewer Ted Baehr says "The Nativity Story" is a movie every Christian would want to see. "It is certainly a movie that every non-Christian should see," he said. "It testifies in every way to Jesus the Messiah and is clearly and consciously evangelistic."

Without a sermon, it tells that this baby is the "greatest King" and "God made flesh," Baehr said in his review of the production by New Line Cinema.

Oscar Isaac plays Joseph and Keisha Castle-Hughes is Mary in what Baehr calls the "nearly perfect movie" that opens with the prophecy in Jeremiah 23:5-6: "'The days are coming,'" declares the LORD, 'when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.'"

The rest of the movie references the biblical story throughout.

"Herod is intensely superstitious and played brilliantly. Thus, this movie starts, as it should, with a bang. It then flashes back to a year earlier in the town of Nazareth, showing a brief moment of tranquility in the life of Mary and Joseph," Baehr said.

The Roman troops demand tribute to Caesar, and a short time later Joseph and Mary are betrothed. The Holy Spirit's appearance to her, Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth, Joseph's reaction to the pregnancy, and the magi all follow.

"'The Nativity Story' has one of the best scripts ever for a biblical story. What makes a movie compelling is a sense of jeopardy, and that sense of jeopardy is present throughout this movie," Baehr said. "The dialogue, the plot development, the turning points are refreshingly dramatic, so good in fact that they will elicit tears at certain points."

"Catherine Hardwicke's direction is superb. Joseph and Mary are very human, very Jewish and very in love," Baehr said.

"Having spent some time in Israel researching other movies, I can attest to the authenticity of even the smallest details of life in Israel in the first century. The crucifixions, the agriculture, the ephods, everything is done exquisitely," Baehr said.

Baehr said the movie doesn't contain any language that would prevent young children from attending, there's no sex and no nudity, and only a modest amount of violence, at the Temple sacrifice, people on crucifixes by the side of the road, sanitized depictions of Herod's slaughter of the innocents and pushing and shoving.

7 Short Clips from "Nativity"

2006-11-11T23:17:00.000-05:00

Moviefone, as well as the Nativity Resource site, has some brief clips from the movie, showing Mary's betrothal, Mary's asking Elizabeth why God chose her, Mary's return from visiting Elizabeth, Mary's attempt to explain her miraculous pregnancy to her family, Joseph's disappointment in Mary's pregnancy, Joseph's telling Mary that he believes her, and Joseph and Mary's discussion about their fears in having to raise such a special Child. Watch the medley of them in my video below:

Thanks to Nick for the tip-off!

"Nativity" featured in Newsweek

2006-11-10T01:24:00.000-05:00

Holy Hollywood: The Christian Movie Boom
Three years after 'The Passion of the Christ' made Mel Gibson a fortune, movie studios rush to cash in on the Christian market. Will audiences buy it?
WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Sean Smith
Newsweek
Updated: 5:41 p.m. ET Nov 10, 2006

Nov. 10, 2006 - “The Nativity Story,” a new movie that tells the narrative of the birth of Jesus Christ, won’t be in theaters until December, but Anne Graham Lotz has already seen it. Lotz, who is Billy Graham’s daughter, was one of the dozens of pastors, religious scholars and historians who were consulted on the script. Still, she says, she was nervous when the studio, New Line, brought the film to North Carolina to screen it for her. “I’d never really had any communication with Hollywood before this, and my impression is that Hollywood doesn’t quite get it when it comes to Christians,” she says. “So I was very concerned about showing the movie to people before I’d seen it. I just didn’t know what the finished product would be.” As the final credits rolled and the lights came up, she had her answer. “I’m not an emotional person,” she says, “but when I finished watching it I … it was just overwhelming to me, the tenderness and beauty of it. The tears came down my cheeks. I couldn’t speak.”

Almost three years after Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” grossed $612 million worldwide, Hollywood has begun to court the Christian audience. This September, 20th Century Fox announced that its video-only division, Fox Faith, will now distribute as many as 12 faith-focused movies in theaters each year. “One Night With The King,” a low-budget indie film about the Biblical story of Esther, landed on screens in October and has quietly grossed more than $10 million so far. And, in the spirit of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Warner Bros. home video recently released “Thou Shalt Laugh,” a night of stand-up from Christian comics. (And yes, it’s actually funny.) All of this attention would seem to mean great news for the faithful--and great profits for studios. But just because the studios have decided to sell entertainment to Christians doesn’t mean Christians are buying. It’s hard to imagine a wider culture gap than the one between rich, secular, Blue State liberals and middle-class, religious, Red State conservatives. That, coupled with a long history of neglect and distrust, may make the film industry’s journey to profits through Christ surprisingly perilous. “There’s a stereotype that comes out of Hollywood that the vast majority of Christians are right-wing idiots,” says Pastor Rich Wilkerson of Trinity Church in Miami. “That’s pretty close-minded. I mean, there’s a lot of idiots in every category.”

Prior to Gibson’s “Passion,” Hollywood had for decades largely ignored—or offended—the Christian audience. In the last 20 years, one of the few major studio films to use the Bible as source material was Martin Scorsese’s 1988 lightning rod, “The Last Temptation of Christ,” which speculated that Jesus lusted for Mary Magdalene. “People are still tweaked over ‘Last Temptation,’ and more recently ‘The Da Vinci Code’” says Matthew Crouch, of Trinity Broadcast Network fame, who produced and distributed “One Night with the King.” “Those movies are heresy to some pastors. We don’t burn people at the stake for that anymore, but it still kindles the same kind of rage.” It doesn’t help that the big studios that now want to create faith-friendly content also flood the world’s screens with sex and violence. “Movies are teaching tools,” says Lotz. “And what most of these young minds are seeing today is not wholesome, and in the long run it can be destructive. So when Hollywood makes a movie like ‘Nativity,’ I’m grateful, but I’m still skeptical about the next film that comes down the pike.” If studio executives want to make sure they’re creating the right films for Christians, Lotz suggests that, “they read their Bibles, or get in contact with somebody who knows God.”

"Nativity" feels like an antidote to the garish Biblical epics of the 1950s such as “Ben Hur,” and “The Ten Commandments.” Direted by Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen”), it's an intimate, character-driven depiction of what it must have been like for a teenage Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) to learn that she is chosen by God to bear the Savior, and the struggle that she and her betrothed husband, Joseph (Oscar Isaac), endure as they are rejected by their village of Nazareth and set forth on a 110-mile journey to Bethlehem. The hand of God is not seen through trumpet blasts or winged angels, but through changes in wind and light. It feels simple and honest. “Christian audiences are a powerful demographic, without question, but they’re also discerning,” says “Nativity” screenwriter Mike Rich. “They’re not going to be led to a movie simply because it’s important spiritually. The movie has to be good.”

Even when it is, somebody still has to get Chrisitans to see it. That somebody, often, is Jonathan Bock, who has become the guru for studios trying to reach the faith-based community. As president of Grace Hill Media, Bock, a Christian himself, has one foot in both worlds, and helps studios by working as both cultural translator and marketing expert on films such as “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and now “Nativity.” He says that bridging the gap between Hollywood and Christians isn’t always easy. “Frankly, there’s a lot of ignorance of one another, and a lot of preconceived notions,” he says. The year 2004 proved to be an annus horriblus in this respect. Gibson’s “Passion” stirred up charges of anti-Semitism and generated enmity toward Hollywood, which had largely snubbed the film. The Republican sweep in the election later that year left the film industry feeling battered and defiant. “A lot of folks in Hollywood went into a deep depression,” Bock says. But it also began to turn the tide. “While some of those folks sulked off with their lattes, a couple of the smart ones went, ‘Who is this audience that we don’t know, but who clearly has a lot of influence?”

According to Gallup polls in recent years, 80 percent of Americans consider themselves Christian to some degree and 59 percent (177 million) attend religious services at least once a month. “For a studio to not know who those people are is like saying, ‘Oh, we don’t make movies for men',” Bock says, laughing. But while it’s easy to thump Hollywood for failing to pan for gold in the pews, some of the blame can also be laid at the feet of Christian leadership. “Twenty-first century Christians have lost the idea of story,” says David McFadzean, a Christian who executive produced the film “What Women Want” and the TV series “Home Improvement.” “All the major religions, down through the ages, are communicated through story. We should be right at home in Hollywood.” Televangelism aside, the religious right has historically failed to embrace mass media or harness the power of film to its own advantage. “It was almost as if people of faith had taken sanctuary inside the four walls of the church, hiding from the culture,” says Crouch, whose company, Gener8Xion Entertainment, also produced the end-of-days films “The Omega Code” and “Megiddo: The Omega Code 2.” “Now, I feel like our generation is no longer hiding, but is squarely at the crossroads where faith and culture meet. It’s such a new day.”

In part. One of the biggest challenges still facing Christian filmmaking is the perception that it is dour, proselytizing, direct-to-video schlock. “Godsploitation films,” Bock calls them, and they’re so predictable that some jokesters have compared them to porn movies—they’re shot on a shoestring, the acting is terrible and you always know how they’re going to end. “But most moviegoing Christians don’t want more preaching,” says Bock, who also produced “Thou Shalt Laugh.” “They want great movies with big stars that are respectful and reverent to their faith. The goal is the creation of another renaissance where Christian artists aren’t just making art, they’re making what everyone can regard as great art.” Almost everyone seems to agree that the next step for religious filmmaking is to move beyond literal or allegorical adaptations of Bible stories and to instead incorporate the lessons and values of Christianity into films on almost any subject. Crouch's company motto could easily become the mantra for this entire genre of filmmaking: “We don’t produce movies about faith,” he says. “We produce movies that don’t violate people’s faith.”

The Christian leadership is eager to embrace it. Studios with faith-friendly films routinely take their faith-friendly films on pastor-screening tours. Last December, Disney’s “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe”—an allusion, in part, to the Resurrection—was marketed from the pulpit, and racked up $744 million worldwide. “A senior pastor playing a trailer for a movie or telling a congregation to support a movie is the single most important thing in any marketing plan,” Crouch says. In the case of both “Passion” and “Narnia,” many churches even bought out entire theaters and gave tickets to their members. Lotz says her church has already rented a 275-seat theater for the opening night of “Nativity.” From the beginning, New Line and the filmmakers have taken extraordinary measures to ensure that the film is biblically faithful and historically accurate, and it has paid off even bigger than they could have hoped. On Nov. 26, “The Nativity Story” will be the first film in history to have its premiere at the Vatican. Now that’s an endorsement.

Early Review of "Nativity" from Pastor's Screening

2006-11-09T17:02:00.000-05:00

Over at the In the Open Space: God & Culture blog, Carmen's friend was able to screen "Nativity" on November 8th. With her permission, here is the advanced review:

I found The Nativity Story basically absolutely beautiful and faithful to the biblical account. The script fudges and makes allowances for dramatic needs, but these add to the story in believable and interesting ways, unpacking just what it would have been like for Mary to be preggers without a husband in a strict Jewish village. And there are snippets of things that will figure into Christ's story, such as crucified men (rebels Herod is getting rid of) and a scene where Joseph and Mary buy a fish and eat it on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

The casting and acting are great. Mary and Joseph (Keisha Castle-Hughes and Oscar Isaac) are both beautiful to watch. Castle-Hughes has a nontraditional earthy beauty that really works for Mary, who is portrayed as a very real person in this story. She spends much of her time looking worried. She goes to Elizabeth's for the reassurance of seeing for herself that what the angel told her was true, that Elizabeth is pregnant. And at first, Mary doesn't even want to be betrothed to Joseph, but she slowly falls in love with him, a sweet and touching love story. Also, the cinematic representations of God are all low key and un-hokey. And Herod is totally and appropriately creepy and incredibly hard of heart, and so is his son. The wise men are the happiest people in the movie—I liked that touch—very self-assured and king-like and often funny.

The settings are gorgeous. Mary and Joseph and the wise men undertake their respective journeys against great barren landscapes of stone and shifting sand. The village of Nazareth is satisfyingly built of rough stones with people crowded into tiny rooms. The villagers are always busy, making cheese, pressing out grapes. The film goes with the theory that the Star was really the coming together of three heavenly bodies (I think two planets and one star)—a once in every 3,000 years occurrence—and as the film unfolds, the stars are shown again and again in the night sky, coming ever closer together.

I found the film a trifle ponderous and slow in places, especially in the beginning (not the very beginning, in which Herod slaughters all the babies in Bethlehem, but after that). I wish the pace of the movie were a little faster, especially the first third. Also, the music seems to be all long, drawn-out chords that seemed to say “isn't this all terribly important,” which adds to the overall ponderous effect.

It seems to me it would be just about impossible to make a good movie about this very familiar and dearest of stories. Yet somehow, by making Mary and Joseph very real people, what God did through them seems even more wondrous. The movie ends in Mary's voice, speaking the Magnificat over images of herself, Joseph and baby Jesus traveling on their donkey over sand dunes to Egypt—a lovely and resonant finish.

The Vatican to Host World Premiere of "The Nativity Story"

2006-11-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

"The Nativity Story" Is First Feature Film Ever to Premiere at the Vatican

LOS ANGELES, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- November 09, 2006 -- On Sunday, November 26th, New Line Cinema's "The Nativity Story" will become the first feature film ever to premiere at the Vatican, it was jointly announced today by New Line's President and COO of Worldwide Distribution and Marketing Rolf Mittweg, and Stefano Dammicco, CEO of Eagle Pictures, the film's Italian distributor. "The Nativity Story" is scheduled for a Dec. 1, 2006 release in the U.S., and will open in territories worldwide throughout the month of December.

The premiere, to be held at the Vatican's Aulo Paolo VI (Pope Paul VI Hall), will be attended by "The Nativity Story's" director Catherine Hardwicke, actors Shohreh Aghdashloo and Oscar Isaac, producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, screenwriter Mike Rich, and 7,000 invited guests of the Vatican. The event will serve as a benefit, with contributions going toward construction of a school in the village of Mughar, Israel -- which has a diverse population of Christians, Muslims, and Druze and is located approximately 40 kilometers from Nazareth.

"We are very proud of 'The Nativity Story' and extremely grateful that the Vatican has embraced the film in this way," says Mittweg. "We believe it is the perfect venue to present the film's universal message of hope and faith, a message we are sure will resonate around the world."

"'The Nativity Story' is an extraordinary event, and this premiere is a fitting way to reach out to our community and share the experience," says Dammicco. "It is a privilege for Eagle Pictures to be New Line's Italian partner on the film."

The event has been made possible due to the collaboration of the Pontifical Council for Culture, the Pontifical Council for Social Communication, the Vatican Film Library, the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" (for Human and Christian Development), the Vicariate of Vatican City State, and the Foundation for Sacred Art and Music.

"The Nativity Story" chronicles the arduous journey of two people, Mary and Joseph, a miraculous pregnancy, and the history-defining birth of Jesus. This dramatic and compelling story comes to life in a major motion picture starring Academy Award® nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes ("Whale Rider") as Mary, Oscar Isaac (upcoming "Guerrilla") as Joseph, and Academy Award® nominee Shoreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog") as Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. "The Nativity Story" is directed by Catherine Hardwicke ("Thirteen," "Lords of Dogtown") from a screenplay by Mike Rich ("The Rookie," "Finding Forrester").

"Nativity" Gets Papal Blessing

The world premiere for the New Line film, sometimes called a prequel to The Passion of the Christ, will be held in the Holy City with a high profile guest list.

Friday, November 10, 2006 at 12:01 AM

By Dennis Michael

Now here's what we call an endorsement: The Nativity, the film depicting the difficulties facing Mary and Joseph as she prepared to give birth to the baby Jesus, is getting its world premiere in an unusual venue. Daily Variety reports the film will get its debut at the Vatican.

The film is booked into Vatican City’s Paul VI hall on Sunday, November 26. The film’s director, Catherine Hardwicke, Oscar Isaac, who plays Joseph and Mike Rich, who punched up the original story in the Bible for the film’s script, are among those expected to attend. The Pope has been invited as well, and officials say they are 99 percent sure he’s coming, as the Vatican has already given the film it’s blessing.

The Pope usually doesn’t show up at movie events, so this could be something of a first. For those of you who live in the US and don't head up an ancient worldwide religion, The Nativity will open in the US and internationally on December 1st.

"The Nativity Story" to Open at Vatican
Depicts a Year in the Life of Our Lady

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 19, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The world premiere of the film "The Nativity Story" is scheduled to take place Nov. 26 in the Vatican. Among the 7,000 people who will attend the screening in Paul VI Hall are the director, Catherine Hardwicke; actors Shoreh Aghdashloo and Oscar Isaac; producers Mary Bowen and Wyck Godfrey; and screenwriter Mike Rich.

The screening of the film, produced by New Line Cinema, will be preceded by the reading of a Gospel passage and a prayer written by Archbishop Angelo Comastri, the Pope's vicar general for Vatican City State and archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica. Archbishop John Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, will give the presentation address.

The event will serve to collect funds for the construction of a school in the town of Mughar in Israel, whose population comprises Christians, Muslims and Druze. The town is 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Nazareth. "The Nativity Story" presents the year in Mary's life that culminates with the birth of Jesus, the visit of the shepherds and Wise Men to the stable, Herod's brutal response with the massacre of the Innocents, and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt.

According to Peter Malone, film critic at Signis, the World Catholic Association for Communication, the movie is interesting both for Christians as well as non-Christians. "The screenplay is well grounded in the biblical texts, both the heritage of the Old Testament as well as the text and spirit of the Gospel infancy narratives," Malone stated. "This gives the film an advantage over narratives which limit the perspective to a literal reading of texts and rely on piety traditions for visual presentation. "It has also been noted that the screenplay offers substantial historical background to understand Palestine in these times and how the characters were influenced by their environment as well as by the harshness of authorities." The film will be released in most countries on Dec. 1.

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Movie about birth of Jesus premieres at Vatican
7,000 people turn out to catch film, but Pope Benedict opts to skip it

The Associated Press
Updated: 6:20 p.m. ET Nov 26, 2006

VATICAN CITY - A movie about the birth of Jesus Christ made its world premiere Sunday at the Vatican, the first time a feature film debuted here.

Some 7,000 people showed up at the benefit screening of “The Nativity Story” in Paul VI Hall, the auditorium regularly used for audiences with pilgrims, although Pope Benedict XVI was not present.

“I think the pope is pretty busy,” quipped director Catherine Hardwicke, referring to Benedict’s upcoming trip to Turkey.

“The Nativity Story,” which opens in the United States and Italy in time for the Christmas holidays on Dec. 1, describes Mary’s pregnancy and the trip she and Joseph undertake to Bethlehem, the town of Jesus’ birth. It explores Mary’s reaction—of fear, doubt and ultimately faith—to what is happening to her.

The film stars as Mary Australian-born Keisha Castle-Hughes, of “Whale Rider” fame, who was not present at the premiere; and Oscar Isaac as Joseph. Shohreh Aghdashloo, who was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress in “House of Sand and Fog,” stars as Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.

The director’s previous works include “Lords of Dogtown” and “Thirteen.”

The 102-minute film was shot between Morocco and Matera, a town in southern Italy where Mel Gibson shot “The Passion of the Christ.”

Hardwicke praised “The Passion,” but said she tried to do a more uniting film than Gibson’s blockbuster about the last hours of Jesus Christ.

“There were some things he did that maybe were a little controversial. We wanted our film to be uniting and make the public see the similarities between religious instead of the differences,” she said.

‘A universal message’Before the screening, Archbishop John Foley, a U.S. prelate who heads the Vatican’s social communications office, praised what he called a dialogue between faith and culture.

“Cinema, a powerful means of communication, once again carries a universal message,” he told the audience.

Some made-for-TV movies have had their premieres at the Vatican. Earlier this year, Benedict watched one of them, “Karol, A Pope Who Remained Man,” which explored the life of his predecessor, John Paul II, who died in 2005.

Despite the Vatican’s stamp of approval, Hardwicke said her movie sought to appeal not just to religious audiences.

“We hope that people might relate to the relationship in the film, Mary and Joseph, and how their love grows and gets stronger as each one of them has challenges,” she said.

Producers said earlier this month that proceeds from the event would go toward the construction of a school in a village that is some 25 miles from Nazareth, the town of Jesus’ childhood.

The village, Mughar, whose population includes Christians and Muslims, was one of the Israeli towns hit by rockets fired by Lebanon-based Hezbollah guerrillas over the summer.

“The Nativity Story” is by New Line Cinema, the company that produced “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

First Film to Premiere at Vatican

By Ruben V. Nepales

LA Correspondent

Inquirer
Posted date: November 26, 2006

LOS ANGELES—“WHAT DO YOU wear to the Vatican?”

It was our first time to hear someone express this dilemma in all our years of covering Hollywood. But that was a wonderful dilemma for director Catherine Hardwicke. She was laughing, but her question was actually serious. “The Nativity Story” will be the first film ever to premiere at the Vatican.

The movie which focuses on the journey and relationship of Mary and Joseph—including the matter of the immaculate conception and how it affects both of them—leading to the epochal birth of Jesus makes history today before 7,000 guests at the Pope Paul VI Hall.

“Black? Okay, cover the shoulders,” Catherine tried to remember our colleagues’ suggestions by repeating them. “No strapless outfits. I am not planning to wear a halter.”

Everyone but the girl
The entire cast, key behind-the-camera talents and executives, will be at the Vatican to revel in the moment—except the film’s star, Keisha Castle-Hughes, who essays the important role of Mary. The official explanation is that the actress who, at 13 made history as the youngest Oscar Best Actress nominee (for “Whale Rider” in 2002), is busy making a film in Australia. Some folks, though, are speculating that Keisha, 16, simply wanted to avoid the glare of media scrutiny because she is pregnant.

In what could be construed as life imitating art, Keisha became a mother-to-be after filming her role as the pregnant Mary. The father, Bradley Hull, is her boyfriend of three years. Catherine told us that, by coincidence, Bradley, who is 19, is a carpenter just like Mary’s husband, Joseph.

When Catherine (who quipped, “I’m Keisha’s spokesperson”) was asked by a reporter why Keisha was not participating in the press interviews for the movie, she also gave the actress’ filming commitment in Australia as the reason. But Catherine added with a laugh, “Keisha is also not that big of a fan of traveling and facing all these questions.” The actress, who was born in Australia, lives in New Zealand.

Well, Catherine and Oscar Isaac, who plays a soulful Joseph (more about him Friday), more than made up for the absence of Keisha whose mother, Desrae Hughes, in another coincidental twist, just gave birth.

Filmed on location in Italy and Morocco (Jerusalem was deemed too modernized by Catherine), “The Nativity Story” also stars Academy Award-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (“Sand and Fog”) as Elizabeth, who gave birth to John the Baptist late in her life. For a change, the lives of Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth and others are highlighted.

The first major biblical film to come out of Hollywood since Mel Gibson’s controversial blockbuster, “The Passion of the Christ,” “Nativity” is a product of Hollywood folks successful in their respective fields who, again by coincidence, found themselves bonding for a project in their individual quest for something deeper.

They are writer Mike Rich (who wrote “The Rookie” and “Miracle”) and producers Wyck Godfrey (a talent agent) and Marty Bowen (a film executive). “All these evil Hollywood types,” Catherine jokingly referred to these men and to herself in answering a question about how they came to work together for a movie that invigorated their faith.

Catherine was quoted as saying in Los Angeles’ Daily News that her mother and a minister cousin think “Nativity” is God’s answer to their prayers for a “spiritual and inspiring” movie to come her way. Funny and cheerful, Catherine, at first seemed an unlikely choice to direct, especially with her past two credits, which are about teen rebellion—“Thirteen” and “Lords of Dogtown,” both critically praised.

Perfect choice
But when you consider that Mary was widely believed to be 14 at the time of her miraculous pregnancy, Catherine is the perfect choice to direct what is essentially a coming-of-age story of one of history’s most beloved women.

Read on to enjoy Catherine’s hilarious account of how difficult it was to direct the animals in the pivotal nativity scene.

How excited are you that your film is the first feature to premiere at the Vatican?

It’s exciting for us. I’ll be fascinated to see the movie with 7,000 people. Just that is going to be an interesting, intense experience—although the movie is going to be dubbed in Italian. I’m going to hear Keisha and everybody talking in Italian (laughing).

It will be held in this beautiful great hall. A black-tie affair, and it’s for the benefit of a school in Israel that has people from Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities. So it’s for unity and tolerance, which is exciting.

How did the movie end up having this premiere?

The Italian distributor, Eagle Pictures, had the idea that maybe this would be something the Vatican would support. The distributor had other movies, like “The Da Vinci Code,” that could have no such prospect. Maybe the Vatican also thought this could be a positive thing.

What made you want to do this movie?

I grew up in the Presbyterian Church in South Texas. At Christmas, we would have this cool little nativity scene with the figurines, and sing Christmas carols. I loved Christmas but I didn’t really think any deeper than that. When I read the script, it made Mary and Joseph feel like they were real people who were going through real struggles. That’s what inspired me—to see if I could bring that to life.

It’s a story that’s had resonance and power for over 2,000 years. Even if you don’t believe, you could see it as a beautiful magic realism kind of story with the star. Even if it’s not your religion, you could see it as mythology or a spiritual journey.

The story makes you go deeper and try to understand better. Melchior, the wisest of the wise men says, “The greatest of kings born in the most humble of places.” It strikes you as a revolutionary idea—that instead of coming upon a palace with all the riches and trappings, Jesus was born in a very humble place. A baby lying on the straw in a manger is a powerful idea—that God would send His Son for everybody, rich or poor.

How does the director of “Thirteen” and “Lords of Dogtown” suddenly direct “The Nativity Story”?

That shocked some people. This is the third in my teenage trilogy (laughter). According to all scholars, Mary was probably 13 or 14 when she conceived Jesus because life expectancy was very short during that time. Back then, when you hit puberty, it’s time to start making babies. When I learned that, I was like, “How would Nikki (the 13-year-old character in “Thirteen”) or Evan (Rachel Wood, who played Nikki) have dealt with this news that you’re going to have to marry this older guy whom you don’t even know and you’re going to bear the son of God?” For a 13-year-old, that’s pretty startling.

Last January, I got a stack of scripts. “The Nativity Story” was on top. I knew the producer, Wyck Godfrey. I started to read it and I thought, I’m probably not going to be interested. But I got fascinated thinking of Mary as a real person. So I kept reading. Then I started researching [and learned] that said Mary was probably 14 years old at the time.

How did you deal with the news that Keisha was pregnant at 16?

We had already finished the movie and she had delivered a beautiful performance. What an actor does afterward really isn’t my business. I think it was very brave of her. She knew that the whole world would be talking about her but still she stood up and said, “I want to have this child.” This is the right thing to do. In the movie Keisha as Mary says, “There’s a will for this Child that’s greater than what people will say.” Maybe that gave Keisha the strength.

Do you think playing Mary influenced Keisha’s decision to embrace her pregnancy?

I think it did in a way because she did go through this beautiful and difficult birthing scene. And her mother was pregnant and had this baby so I think the combination made her embrace the idea even more. Bradley, the father of Keisha’s baby, is her boyfriend of three years who is actually a carpenter, too.

Some people are making a big fuss about Keisha’s pregnancy. In New Zealand, 16 is the age of consent so it’s legal there. Her mom just had a baby, too, so there are going to be two little babies side by side.

Do you think Keisha’s pregnancy will affect the movie?

One of the Judeo-Christian principles is to not judge another person. So I hope people who will see the movie won’t look at it in a judgmental way. That’s what the movie is about, too.

How did Keisha get this important role?

I thought, who has beautiful Mediterranean colored skin? I didn’t want a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Mary. She and all the actors had to look Middle Eastern. I thought, which 14-year-old actress has ever done a spiritual movie like this one? Keisha just popped into my head because I loved “Whale Rider.” She was so soulful in that movie. I was in Jerusalem when I called her up. She was in [New Zealand] and had that Kiwi accent. I was like, “Oh my God, can she change her accent?” She worked for an hour with a dialect coach before she came to audition and she got rid of that Kiwi accent. The coach helped her get like a light Israeli accent.

The movie’s locations are breathtaking. Why did you film in Italy and Morocco, instead of Israel?

When I first went to a meeting with the producers, I had all these drawings and photographs. I said, “I need to go on a plane to Jerusalem like tomorrow” and they said, “OK.” Within two days, I was on a plane. But Jerusalem was very built up and modernized. I read that (Pier Paolo) Pasolini shot “The Gospel According to St. Matthew” in Matera (Italy). Mel (Gibson) shot part of “The Passion of the Christ” there, too. So when I went to Matera, I was struck by how much it looks like Jerusalem, the stone walls and the streets. It’s an ancient, beautiful city. But this movie also shows Mary and Joseph’s journey so we went to Ourzazate, Morocco for the incredible landscape.

How challenging was it to “direct” all those animals in the all-important nativity scene?

Imagine a morning that you wake up and you look at your call sheet and it says, the birth of Jesus. We’re going to film that today and it seems kind of easy, right? Suddenly, you realize that animals do not care about movies. They don’t watch the Golden Globes. They couldn’t care less about hitting their marks or saying their lines. All they want to do is eat and go to the bathroom.

So we go to this location where we built this cave out on this hillside in the middle of nowhere. We have only from 8:30 when it gets dark until midnight to film the scene. So we bring in the momma cow and it takes four Italian guys in short shorts to get momma cow to lie down. Finally momma cow lies down. That’s 25 minutes. Then baby cow does not want to go down. Baby cow is mad and it makes this face (she puts on a mad expression). So four more guys try to get the baby cow to lie down. Finally, the baby cow’s lying down.

Then we bring in the donkey. I go, “Please, I hope the donkey is nice.” The donkey kicks and starts knocking everything over and scrapes its arm. Then the representative of the Humane Society on the set says the donkey can’t work if it’s injured. I go, “But it just scraped its elbow.” Too bad. It’s out. So they bring the back-up donkey in. It lies down and all of a sudden, the Humane Society rep goes, “Cushion!” I grab a cushion and the rep goes, “This donkey has hemorrhoids.” So we put the cushion under the donkey. We cover it with straw.

Okay, the sheep is next. They’re the stupidest animal. Sheep think they can all become one sheep. They like to condense themselves into one sheep. They keep trying to get tighter and tighter. They’re insane. We get the sheep to lie down. So everybody’s lying down, everybody’s happy. We bring in a real baby as Jesus. He’s only seven days old and the parents are worried. The second the baby gets in there, he cries and spits up all over Mary. So we clean Mary.

And then guess who wants to go to the bathroom? Momma cow. She stands up, moos and runs out. The donkey runs out. The sheep also run out and kick over the lights. You start over and that was midnight. We didn’t even get one shot on the first night but it looked so easy when you see the scene in the movie, right?

E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com

REEL NEWS

Nativity Story debuts at Vatican

Estimated 7,000 turn out for world premiere and benefit screening, but the Pope wasn't among them.

by Josh Hurst posted 11/27/06

A new movie about the birth of Christ was "born" Sunday at The Vatican, but its Most Famous Resident wasn't able to attend. Pope Benedict XVI, preparing for a visit to Turkey, missed the world premiere screening of The Nativity Story, which opens worldwide on Friday, Dec. 1.

"I think the pope is pretty busy," quipped Nativity director Catherine Hardwicke, who was joined at the premiere by Oscar Isaac, who plays Joseph, and Shohreh Aghdashloo, who plays Elizabeth.

Keisha Castle-Hughes, who plays Mary, did not attend. Castle-Hughes, 16, announced in October that she is pregnant (by a 19-year-old boyfriend she's been dating for three years), and is staying out of the publicity limelight to focus on her pregnancy and the upcoming birth of her child, which she plans to keep.

USA Today quoted Oscar Isaac as saying that "people are understanding" and "being compassionate, not condemning" Castle-Hughes. Isaac said that the themes of the movie and the lessons of Christ would urge people to "treat her in a more righteous way."

When asked to compare her film to The Passion of The Christ, Hardwicke said she tried to do a more uniting film than Mel Gibson's blockbuster about the last hours of Jesus Christ.

"There were some things he did that maybe were a little controversial," Hardwicke said. "We wanted our film to be uniting and make the public see the similarities between religions instead of the differences."

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's Secretary of State, who ranks second only to Pope Benedict in the Vatican hierarchy, said the film is "well done. It re-proposes this event which changed history with realism but also with a sense of great respect of the mystery of the nativity. It is a good cinematic event … the judgment is positive."

Proceeds from the event will go toward the construction of a school in a village that is some 25 miles from Nazareth, the town of Jesus' childhood. The village, Mughar, whose population includes Christians and Muslims, was one of the Israeli towns hit by rockets fired by Lebanon-based Hezbollah guerrillas over the summer.

"Nativity" Theatrical Poster Released

2006-11-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

"Nativity" Part of a Round of Christmas Movies in CNN

2006-11-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

Claus. Santa Claus. (And other holiday film stars)

POSTED: 11:00 a.m. EST, November 7, 2006

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Hollywood has outdone itself on Christmas spirit.

Studios typically offer two or three holiday-themed flicks toward year's end. This season brings a half-dozen movies with Christmas angles, from romance and horror to family comedy and religious drama. [...]

The birth of Christ is told in dramatic fashion in "The Nativity Story," starring Keisha Castle-Hughes ("Whale Rider") as the Virgin Mary.

"It is kind of a contrast to the usually funny holiday fare and the other more violent movies you get around the holidays. Maybe it'll be an antidote to that. It's not a cynical approach. It's really quite pure in a way," said "Nativity Story" director Catherine Hardwicke, whose credits include the acclaimed teen drama "thirteen."

"It does eventually seem to take you to a spiritual place, a more sacred place by the end of the movie."

"Nativity" in the NY Times

2006-11-06T00:10:00.000-05:00

They Have Seen the Light, and It Is Green

By SHARON WAXMAN
Published: November 5, 2006SANTA MONICA, Calif.

If more proof were needed that Hollywood has gotten religion, look no further than the curious mix of people behind “The Nativity Story,” brought to the screen by a former high-octane agent, a disillusioned producer and a director better known for her take on teenage sex and skater boys.

“The Nativity Story,” to be released by New Line on Dec. 1 (in time for Christmas), is no Hallmark telling as it follows Mary and Joseph through the sandstorms and raging rivers of biblical Palestine. But neither is it kin to “Thirteen” or “Lords of Dogtown,” the last two movies made by its director, Catherine Hardwicke.

Keisha Castle-Hughes (“Whale Rider”) plays a saintly version of the mother of God, and Oscar Isaac, an unknown, is ever faithful as Joseph. The journey, and the birth of Jesus in a manger, will not shock or offend anyone familiar with the tale.

In many ways, the movie is testament (no pun intended) to the profoundly changed attitudes in Hollywood toward religion as mainstream entertainment, which this is certainly intended to be. And it is attracting some strange bedfellows. “The Nativity Story” may have its premiere at the Vatican on Nov. 21, said a New Line spokeswoman, and the pope has been invited.

The film’s screenwriter, Mike Rich, is a practicing Christian from Portland, Ore., who has written sports movies like “The Rookie.” In previous years, he said, “I didn’t entertain the idea of doing the Nativity as a screenplay. I didn’t feel it was something that was possible, certainly not at a mainstream studio.”

But after “The Passion of the Christ” became a blockbuster in 2004, Mr. Rich — along with everybody else — understood that something had shifted: the market demonstrated that there was an underserved audience for religious fare, however problematic Mel Gibson’s movie proved to be for some viewers, particularly Jewish ones.

And something else was shifting among certain Hollywood insiders and decision makers. Marty Bowen, a Harvard-educated partner at United Talent Agency, with clients like the screenwriters Charlie Kaufman (who named his obnoxious agent Marty in “Adaptation”) and Larry McMurtry (“Brokeback Mountain”), took a close look at his life and decided he wasn’t happy.

“I wasn’t getting the same rush from it as I had in the past,” Mr. Bowen recalled. “I loved the money. But at a certain moment, I bought the expensive car, the expensive watch, the more expensive house. And I realized: I’m doing a job I’m not sure I want to do so I can buy a more expensive watch?”

He said Hollywood should be trying to duplicate the success of “The Passion of the Christ,” which it clearly was not. “I thought, if no one else wants to do movies like ‘The Notebook’ ” — the love story based on the Nicholas Sparks novel — “or ‘Passion,’ those are movies I’d love to do,” he said. “Movies I’d be proud of making. Movies my mother would go to.”

Coincidentally, one of Mr. Bowen’s closest friends in Hollywood, the producer Wyck Godfrey, was going through a similar period of self-scrutiny. Mr. Godfrey, a former executive at New Line Cinema, had been president of Davis Entertainment, helping to produce big, commercial studio movies like “Daddy Day Care,” “I, Robot” and “Alien vs. Predator.”

“I felt the need to do something new,” he said, a realization that struck him in mid-2005. “I’ve done a lot of genre movies. I felt we’re in an age where we’re making cynical, youth-oriented, disposable entertainment you saw Friday and forgot by Saturday. I was proud of the ones that were about something and stick with you.”

The two decided to team up and produce movies that were meaningful to them and would speak to the heartland communities in which they grew up. Mr. Bowen came from a traditional Roman Catholic family in Texas, where he was an altar boy and his parents served as lectors at Mass. Mr. Godfrey was raised in a charismatic Christian church in east Tennessee, where parishioners, he said, spoke in tongues and were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Both had strayed far from their roots to Hollywood Babylon.

Mr. Rich had been nurturing the idea of treating the Nativity story as a character study rather than a religious revelation. After the Nativity tale appeared as simultaneous cover stories in both Time and Newsweek in December 2004, he proposed the idea as a screenplay to Mr. Bowen, his agent.

Not only did Mr. Bowen encourage him, he also decided to make it his first project when he finally left the agency world less than a year ago to become a producer.

Mr. Godfrey remembered a dinner they had six months before Mr. Bowen took the leap: “He said Mike Rich had called and wanted to write the Nativity story. I jokingly said, ‘I’d leave my job to produce that.’ ”
And so he did, too.

Just as surprising as their career about-faces was the eager interest of New Line, a division of Time Warner that built its reputation on horror and urban-youth-oriented fare and was known to have a corporate culture of intense partying.

Mr. Godfrey had had enough of that by the mid-90s, when he was based in New York as a New Line executive. “I was burned out on the lifestyle,” he said. “Going out to screenings and parties and drinking every night. It’s what I was doing. And it’s not what I wanted to do with my life. It was fun at the time. But it got to the point where I felt empty.”

By 2005, though, New Line — now seeking to follow the success of “The Lord of the Rings” — had also gotten religion, apparently. Over lunch in late October with Cale Boyter, a production executive, Mr. Godfrey pitched the movie. Unexpectedly, Mr. Boyter showed strong enthusiasm.

The project proceeded at warp speed. That afternoon, Toby Emmerich, New Line’s president of production, scheduled a meeting about the project for later that night. New Line wanted the movie for Christmas 2006. It was November 2005, and Mr. Rich didn’t even have a first draft.

The producers sought out Ms. Hardwicke, a spirited and often subversive filmmaker whose other recent projects had failed to get a green light. Speaking in an editing room in Santa Monica where a King James version of the Bible sat beside the keyboard, Ms. Hardwicke said that she initially had not understood why she had been sent the script, which she received in mid-January of this year. (On the wall of her office next door is a framed article about her from High Times magazine.) “I thought, I’m not going to be interested,” she recalled. “I’m not going to read another page.” Unlike Mr. Rich, she had found Mr. Gibson’s crucifixion movie “violent and difficult,” she said. “Hard to watch.”

But she liked the one page she read. “And another little voice said: ‘This is kind of cool. You’re making icons into real people,’ ” she continued. “I’ve known this story my whole life, I’ve seen a thousand Christmas pageants, but I’ve never thought of Mary as a person. Or of the obstacles she faced.”

She took the job, and quickly got on a plane to Israel to scout locations. (They eventually filmed in Italy and Morocco.)

Ms. Hardwicke herself comes from a churchgoing Presbyterian family in a small town on the Texas border with Mexico. “My parents are over the moon” about the movie, she said. “They’re moved and excited. They can brag about us at church.”

Making the movie has drawn those involved in it closer to their personal faiths, they said. Mr. Godfrey goes to church more often. Ms. Hardwicke has, ironically, learned a lot about Judaism, and rekindled a connection to her family’s religion.

“In a weird way, this movie has brought a lot of people who were not on the straight and narrow a little closer to their roots and the things that are important to them,” Mr. Godfrey said.

And it has convinced Mr. Bowen that Hollywood can make movies about sincere belief. It’s certainly what he intends to do.

“I’d rather be corny than cynical,” he said. “I’d rather make a movie that’s patriotic rather than partisan. There’s a human story in the middle that’s worth telling. I’d like to find the human story underneath the controversial ones. Are there other biblical stories I’d like to tell? Absolutely. John the Baptist. He’s the first rock star.”

Music & Marketing for "Nativity"

2006-11-02T09:46:00.000-05:00

The Nativity Story Premiere Approaches
New Line Cinema introduces the highly-anticipated film The Nativity Story, which tells the story of Mary and Joseph, a miraculous pregnancy, an arduous journey, and the history-defining birth of Jesus.

by Kevin Donovan
Posted: Wednesday, October 18, 2006, 10:55 (BST)

New Line Cinema introduces the highly-anticipated film The Nativity Story, which tells the story of Mary and Joseph, a miraculous pregnancy, an arduous journey, and the history-defining birth of Jesus.Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary, and Oscar Isaac as Joseph, the movie premieres December 1, 2006, in the U.S.

In partnership with New Line Records, Word Records announced the Oct. 31 release of The Nativity Story: Sacred Songs, a collection of music inspired by the film.The compilation project will feature 13 songs from accomplished Christian and Country artists, including Jaci Velasquez’s "O Come, O Come Immanuel", Point of Grace’s “For Unto Us", Amy Grant’s "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)", Natalie Grant’s "O Little Town of Bethlehem", Jill Phillips & Andrew Peterson’s "Labor of Love", and Jo Dee Messina’s "Silent Night", amongst many others. A brand new recording, "The Virgin's Lullaby," produced by Bernie Herms (Natalie Grant, Avalon, NewSong), and performed by some of the top names in Christian music (Point Of Grace, Natalie Grant, David Phelps, Todd Smith and Allan Hall of Selah, Mike Weaver of Big Daddy Weave and Michael Farren of Pocket Full of Rocks), will be serviced to Christian and mainstream AC radio on Nov 3.

Marketing for The Nativity Story is being handled by Grace Hill Media, the promoters of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and Superman Returns, amongst others.Word Distribution will additionally release The Nativity Story: Original Score, music composed by Mychael Danna, to the Christian retail channel Dec. 5.

[This confirms the information and speculation in my post here]

Today's Christian Interview with Mike Rich

2006-11-01T21:47:00.000-05:00

Holy Family Man

Hollywood screenwriter Mike Rich decided to bring The Nativity Story to life, he was drawing on a subject very close to his heart.

by Drew Dyck

Mike Rich keeps thinking it's all a dream.

"I pinch myself everyday," he says when asked about his success as a Hollywood screenwriter.

His surprise is understandable. Rich looks nothing like your typical Hollywood heavyweight. You'd never guess that the 40-something family man who drives a pickup truck, attends a Bible church, and lives in Oregon, exchanges phone calls with Sean Connery and plays golf with Dennis Quaid. Of course, Rich's image is not the reason he rubs shoulders with Hollywood ilk. He's there for one reason, and one reason only. As Connery once told him, "Mike, if the words weren't there, you wouldn't be either." Mike Rich has a singular gift: He tells great stories.

If you're a moviegoer, chances are you've been treated to one or two of Rich's stories already. His writing credits include Finding Forester, Radio, The Rookie, and Miracle.

Even though he has experienced considerable success in Tinseltown, Rich was a latecomer to the industry. A radio anchor by trade, he started writing screenplays in his late 30s as a creative outlet. Every day after work and before his children returned from school, he would sneak in two hours in front of the computer. After a few practice scripts, Rich wrote Finding Forester, a story about the relationship between a fatherless teen and a reclusive author. The screenplay won the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship award and Rich's career was launched. Soon after, he was hired to write The Rookie for Disney, which grossed $75 million and further advanced his career. He's been busy ever since.

From Ordinary to Extraordinary

Rich's knack for penning stirring sports films has made him something of a fixture in an industry known for its short-lived successes. "This is such an incredibly difficult profession to break into," he says. "And then to see most of what you write turn into films, that's just unreal." Rich talks about his meteoric rise in a tone of awed humility. "I feel blessed because of the stories I've been able to tell. I love writing about ordinary people doing extraordinary things."

His latest project finds him tackling the opening chapter of perhaps the most extraordinary story of all. You know the plotline: A virginal conception, a trip to Bethlehem, an inn famously short on rooms, and the humble birth of a King. The Nativity Story, a New Line Cinema production that opens on Dec. 1, recounts the events leading up to Jesus' birth. Call it a prequel to The Passion of the Christ. In fact, the movie was filmed in Matera, Italy, the same village where Mel Gibson shot his controversial epic. Matera's quaint stone houses and walled streets bear an uncanny resemblance to those of ancient Israel. Rich, who is also an executive producer on the movie, spent lots of time on location during filming.

The cinematic scribe, who describes himself as a devout Christian, felt a spiritual responsibility while writing the script and working with director Catherine Hardwicke to bring the story to life. "I wanted to make sure we were faithful to the tone and spirit of the Gospels," he says. "If you don't feel that pressure writing this type of story, you're not approaching it the right way." In an interview with Portland Monthly, he joked about the weight of divine expectation. He said that writing Nativity was different from adapting other true stories because he wasn't going to have to face the person he was writing about. Then, after a pause he added, "Well, at least not in this life."

Yet, as Rich points out, when it comes to the biblical material on events before Jesus' birth, "there's not much there." For instance, Joseph is described merely as "a righteous man." Rich concedes that, as a result, many of his film's scenes are speculative. Still, he insists the story is anchored by the biblical accounts. To ensure accuracy, he adopted what he calls "an open script policy" with a number of theologians and Christian leaders. He also consulted an array of scholarly works, leaning most heavily on Raymond Brown's classic book, The Birth of the Messiah, which shed light on the dynamics of the ancient Near East at the time of Jesus' birth.

Some things, like Mary's young age, took Rich by surprise. "Typically movies have portrayed Mary as being in her 20s," he notes. "But she was actually much younger." Accordingly, Mary is played in the film by 16-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes, who received an Oscar nomination in 2004 for Whale Rider.

Writing from the Heart

The idea for The Nativity Story came to Rich during the Christmas of 2004, when Newsweek and Time both ran Nativity cover stories. After seeing the covers, the thought hit Rich that "a lot of people are interested in this story, but it has always been told as event-based and not character-based." He wanted to explore the story from a different perspective. "Mary has become iconic. But before this remarkable girl became the Mother of our Lord, she was just a child. And like any young person in trying circumstances, she probably had a lot of fears, questions, even doubts."

Writing the script was a very personal experience for Rich, who was dealing with the recent death of his father. In the wake of the loss, it seemed appropriate to delve into a project that had spiritual significance.

After 11 months of research, Rich began writing the screenplay and finished it in only one month. Fittingly, that month was December 2005. He wrote the story basking in the ambiance of the Christmas season and with hymns ringing in his ears. "It was very conducive to writing the story," Rich remembers. "I felt great peace while I wrote it."

That peace was interrupted when he was informed that The Nativity Story's release date was set for exactly one year from the time he started the script—breakneck speed for a large Hollywood production.

Rich has high hopes for The Nativity Story, which he calls "an intimate and blessed" film. He worries that in our consumeristic culture the real message of Christmas is often eclipsed. "I believe that if families can see the film together, it will generate conversation and hopefully remind them of the true meaning of this incredible story."

A committed husband and father, Rich lives in Beaverton, Oregon, with his wife, Grace, and their three children—Jessica, Caitlin, and Michael—and attends Southwest Bible Church, a community of believers "united by a passion for the Word." He adds, "For us, it's about spending time in the Scriptures and finding how they apply to daily challenges."

That devotion to the Scriptures seems appropriate for a screenwriter audacious enough to take on one of the Christian faith's most important stories. When asked about his mission as a screenwriter, he cites advice he received from a longtime friend: "Make films you'd be proud to show your grandchildren." That's exactly what he's doing.

For more about the film, visit http://www.thenativitystory.com/.

Drew Dyck is a writer based in Pasadena, California.

Click here for reprint information.

November/December 2006, Vol. 44, No. 6, page 20

"Nativity Story" to hit the big holiday screen

2006-11-01T10:06:00.000-05:00

Hollywood's loading up with a more pure Christmas spirit this year at the big screen. And a drama film capturing the birth of Christ, or what Time Magazine had called the Prequel to "The Passion of the Christ," is in the lineup of holiday films.

Wed, Nov. 01, 2006 Posted: 07:42:37 AM EST

Hollywood's loading up with a more pure Christmas spirit this year at the big screen. And a drama film capturing the birth of Christ, or what Time Magazine had called the Prequel to "The Passion of the Christ," is in the lineup of holiday films.

In one month, "The Nativity Story," a New Line Cinema film, will make a nationwide release and filmmakers have committed to ensuring the authenticity of the Nativity story and the look. The upcoming film is the first major theatrical release about a biblical story from a Hollywood studio since the 1950s and part of the half-dozen movies bringing Christmas to the theaters.

"It is kind of a contrast to the usually funny holiday fare and the other more violent movies you get around the holidays," said "Nativity Story" director Catherine Hardwicke, according to the Associated Press. "Maybe it'll be an antidote to that. It's not a cynical approach. It's really quite pure in a way.

"It does eventually seem to take you to a spiritual place, a more sacred place by the end of the movie."

The film chronicles the journey of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus Christ with filming done in Matera, Italy - where "The Passion of the Christ" was filmed - and Morocco.

The filmmakers got the authentic look of Jerusalem and also the script with the help of historians and theologians.

"We got the script into the hands of as many historians and theologians as possible," said screenwriter Mike Rich on the movie website. "They have all helped elevate the authentic feel of this film, not only visually, but from a standpoint of culture and tradition."

A Christianity Today reporter on the movie set confirmed the authenticity.

"Both sets (Bethlehem and Nazareth) transported us back 2,000 years; it seemed as if we were visiting the real deal," they reported.

"The Nativity Story" stars Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes, 16, as the Virgin Mary and Oscar Isaac as Joseph.

"This story means so much to people all over the world," said Hardwicke. "I hope audiences can relate to the film on a personal level and find some inspiration to get through their own challenges and difficulties."

Nathan Black
Christian Post Reporter

"Nativity" featured in November 2006 issue of Catholic Digest

2006-11-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

Interview with Wyck Godfrey (producer)

2006-10-31T18:48:00.000-05:00

Mark Moring from Christianity Today Movies interviewed Wyck Godfrey, the producer of "Nativity." Below is an excerpt; Click here for the complete interview.

For Unto Us a Film Is Born
When New Line told producer Wyck Godfrey to make The Nativity Story in just 10 months, he knew it would take a miracle. Turns out he got a few along the way; the film releases worldwide Dec. 1.

When Wyck Godfrey and longtime friend Marty Bowen formed their own company—Temple Hill Productions—in January, they thought they'd take some time figuring out what movies they wanted to make.

But by the end of the month, they already had one in the can. And the studio, New Line Cinema, wanted it in a hurry—by this Christmas. Movies are rarely made that quickly; they wanted it in just ten months, even though it usually takes at least twice that long.

Getting this film into theaters by the beginning of December would take a miracle. But then, if the movie is about a miracle …

Lo and behold, The Nativity Story will be ready after all, opening in theaters worldwide on Dec. 1. And Godfrey, a devout Christian and movie business veteran who says he's seen God's fingerprints all over the production of this film—starting with the script by veteran Mike Rich, another Christian.

Godfrey, 38, who lives with his wife and three kids (ages 7, 6, 4), spoke with us about The Nativity Story, which tells the tale of Joseph and Mary for about 18 months up till Christ's birth and the flight into Egypt.

How did you end up with Mike Rich's script?
Wyck Godfrey: I've known Mike since he wrote Finding Forrester. And his agent at the time, Marty Bowen, is my business partner now. Some time ago, Marty told Mike, who had great success writing inspiration movies in the world of sports, that he ought to apply that same passion into something else that's equally important to him. Mike called him back a week later and mentioned his idea for The Nativity Story. Marty thought it was fantastic, and thought it would be a great thing to be our first project together.

Bible stories used to be like hot potatoes for studios. Did The Passion of the Christ change that?
Godfrey: It certainly created a precedence, allowing people who decide what movies to make to breathe a little easier. The New Line executive that Marty and I primarily deal with is Cale Boyter. He and I go to the same church, and it's rare in this business to find people that have similar beliefs that you do, that you say, "He's the perfect guy to give this project to." And he felt really strongly about it.

He took it to his colleagues at New Line, and they got it right away. Bob Shay, who runs New Line, grew up in a very conservative Jewish family, but is very religious, and I think he really appreciated the love with which Mike wrote this story.

[...]
When you first read Mike's script of The Nativity Story, how did you react?
Godfrey: I remember thinking, He did it. He pulled it off. He found a way to put you in the shoes of a 14-year-old girl for whom any of these things are big deals—having to tell your parents you're pregnant, going on a dangerous 100-mile journey. Those are much more dramatic scenes than you think about when you're reading Scripture or hearing it in Sunday school. You just think, Oh, an angel came to her and told her she was going to have a baby, and she said, "Great." And then they had to go to Bethlehem and they had it in a manger. You never think about how tough it really was. This script and film make you realize that the level of faith Mary and Joseph had in God was extraordinary.

I hope the movie will make people reflect on their lives. Like, "If God came and asked me to do something half as difficult, would I have the faith to do it?" I'm not sure a lot of us would be able to say yes.

Once New Line signed off on it, what happened next?
Godfrey: When they said, "Oh, by the way, we want it for this Christmas," there was a little bit of panic. It usually takes months to find the right director, but literally within a week, Catherine Hardwicke called up and said, "I want to do it." She had already read the script, and was immediately interested.

That sounds like one of a number of "God things" you could point to along the way.
Godfrey: Yes. The probability of being able to pull this off in such a short amount of time is so small that you just start to say, "It's ordained. There's a power behind getting this thing done. And it's not ours."

Any other anecdotes that seemed clearly "ordained"?
Godfrey: The chances that a studio immediately loves an idea—especially on the first draft of a script—and wants to do it is very rare. Finding a director in less than two weeks is extremely rare, especially one who's willing to attack the movie in such a short time frame. When we said we want it for December 1, Catherine said, "Well then we should probably get on a plane tomorrow for Morocco and Italy to check out the locations." She was game to attack it as voraciously as needed.

And then your cast came together pretty quickly.
Godfrey: Yes. I tried to tell the studio that it took us six months to find the boy to play Eragon [in another upcoming Godfrey production, releasing Dec. 15], and he's certainly less iconic than The Virgin Mary! I said, "People go on worldwide, year-long searches to find these actors, and you're expecting us to find a girl that can speak with an Aramaic accent, have the perfect look, and is a good enough actress to pull it off?" Then Catherine just showed up for our meeting with the studio and said, "Here's the girl." It was Keisha Castle-Hughes, who had been in Whale Rider. We flew Keisha in from New Zealand, and everyone went, "Wow, that's her."

Why is Catherine the right choice for directing this?
Godfrey: I really believed she could bring the texture and reality to the characters of Mary and Joseph—that she would have the ability to really treat them as real people, not iconic figures. I felt like that was the key to the movie working. We didn't want to objectify the story; we didn't want to treat it just like an "event." We really wanted to get underneath the skin of Mary and Joseph, to really put ourselves in their shoes and understand what it was like to go through what they went through. Catherine had done that in Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown both with girls and boys. I felt like this story needs that edge, that intensity. Otherwise you end up with something that might feel like a Hallmark movie.
[...]
This story doesn't have the touch points of The Passion, but Bible movies often spark controversy. What are your concerns?
Godfrey: I try not to worry about it, because at some point you hand the movie over to the public, and they're either going to embrace it or not. All you can do is try to make the best movie that you can. I think our intent with the movie is really pure, and hopefully that will shine through.

Maybe the Catholic audience won't appreciate that Mary experience labor pains. I'm not Catholic, but my partner [Bowen] is, and he's OK with it. But I'm married to a gynecologist and obstetrician, so if I made this movie without Mary experiencing labor pains, I probably wouldn't have been let back in the house!

Everybody may have different opinions of all of the in-between bits that aren't written in the Scripture, of how things might have happened. What we've done is just try to present, from our own knowledge of the way people are, how people probably reacted.

But ultimately I feel like what you want out of a Christmas movie emotionally is very different from what The Passion had to present. And while Easter is a holiday of rejoicing, Good Friday is much more somber, so that story—and the drama, conflict, and pain of that story—is appropriate. But Christmas is really a time to rejoice. This is the story about rejoicing in the birth of Christ, and it should be uplifting and wondrous.
[...]
I assume you've had to pinch yourself a few times about being part of this project. What does it really mean to you?
Godfrey: Marty and I both have said that if nothing else happens for us in the movie business, we both felt like we could go to our grave feeling like we had done something meaningful and important to us and to the world. It definitely is fulfilling on that level where you feel like, "This is something I was led to do, we pulled it off, and it's going to make it to the theaters." At that point, again, it's up to the people—and God—to decide how many people enjoy and appreciate it. But hopefully it will be satisfying to the audience we intended it for.

"Nativity" pictures and trailer in Germany

2006-10-31T13:39:00.000-05:00

'Warner Bros.' haben wieder, neue Szenebilder zum kommenden Historien-Drama The Nativity Story - Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit... veröffentlicht. Ihr könnt euch die insgesamt 26 Szenebilder samt einem Teaser-Poster und einem Banner, mit einem Klick auf das erste Bild oder den ersten Link unten, ansehen. Auch hat man den deutschen Teaser-Trailer zum Film veröffentlicht. Er ist 9,24 MB groß und 1:03 Minuten lang. Zum abspielen wird der 'Apple-Quicktime Player' benötigt. Klickt auf dass zweite Bild oder den zweiten angegebenen Link, um zum Trailer zu gelangen. Catherine Hardwickes Film über das Leben der Jungfrau Maria, nach einem Drehbuch von Mike Rich, erscheint hierzulande ab dem 7. Dezember 2006. Mehr Infos gibts in unserer Filmdatenbank.

Approximate English Translation:
Warner Bros.' have also new scene pictures to the coming history drama "The Nativity Story" - "It came to pass at that time"... published. You can look at those altogether 26 scene pictures including a Teaser poster and a banner, with one click on the first picture or first left down. Also one published the German Teaser Trailer to the film. It is 9.24 MB large and 1:03 minutes long. The ' Apple Quicktime Player ' will play needed. Click on that second picture or the second indicated left, in order to arrive at the Trailer. Catherine Hardwicke's film over the life of the virgin Mary, after a film script of Mike Rich, appears in this country starting from 7 December 2006. More information is given in our film data base.

Getting Biblical: Shohreh Aghdashloo's (Elizabeth) New Epic Drama

2006-10-27T12:48:00.000-05:00

GETTING BIBLICAL: Shohreh Aghdashloo's New Epic Drama
By Darius KADIVAR

«One Couple. One Journey. One Child...who would change the world...forever»
–Tagline to The Nativity Story

What is amazing about Shohreh Aghdashloo is that one cannot second guess her eclectic film choices. Her career has been one of ups and downs and yet she has pursued her path with determination and most importantly for an actor with an immense Faith in her Art which was often at odds with that of her community and generation. The rising Star of Abass Kiarostami’s only political movie Gozaresh had to put an end to her career due to a religious revolution that was to tear her country, partly break her marriage to another talented artist Aydin Aghdashloo and force her to exile for a life that was no less bohemian and yet full of happy surprises. Maybe it is precisely Faith that brought Shohreh back where she truly belonged that is the London Stage and subsequently to the sunlight’s of Hollywood where she was to even be nominated for an Oscar in 2003 in a supporting role in A House with Sand and Fog. In a profession where women, unlike men are often denied great roles after a certain age, Aghdashloo seems to evolve like good wine, adding with each film an extra dimension to her wide abilities as an actress of talent. The Former Jodie Foster of Iranian Cinema seems to capture the Camera with her strong personality very much like former Hollywood Legend Bette Davis. Aghdashloo’s unique blend of voice and exotic looks surely remain in everyone’s mind after each of her onscreen performances as she subtly steals the show from her often more famous co-Stars be it : as Sir Ben Kingsley’s tormented wife in Andre Dubus III novel’s screen adaptation, as the cold blooded terrorist Dina Araz opposite Kieffer Sutherland in 24 or as a medic in blockbusters like X-Men 3, The Lake House or The Exorcism of Emily Rose opposite such acclaimed Stars as Hugh Jackson, Sandra Bullock or Jennifer Carpenter. If Hollywood still owes Aghdashloo justice (*) with a great title role that would put her in the limelight of public attention, and a popularity long due amongst Hollywood talents, she creates attention once again by appearing cast as Elisabeth mother of John The Baptist in a much expected Biblical Epic: The Nativity Story directed by Helen Catherine Hardwicke.

"The Nativity Story" chronicles the arduous journey of two people, Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Joseph (Oscar Isaac), a miraculous pregnancy, and the history-defining birth of Jesus. In a small village, a young girl lives the last teenage years. To escape the harsh conditions of family life, her parents hope to marry her. Everything was prepared for this important event when suddenly her fate takes a different turn: The Angel Gabriel comes to Mary and announces that she will have a child like no other women ever did. Thus the most extraordinary story of Humanity is about to be unfold …

Aghdashloo plays the role of Elizabeth, wife of Zachary and mother of John the Baptist, is to be found in the book of Luke. Elisabeth means in Hebrew "worshiper of God." A descendant of the priestly line of Aaron, she was a kinswoman—how close we are not told—of the Virgin Mary. According to the Gospel, Elizabeth had lived a blameless life with her husband in one of the hill-towns of Judea. Having reached an advanced age with her prayers for a son unanswered, she thought that her barrenness was a reproach. One day, while Zachary was serving in the temple, the Angel Gabriel appeared at the right of the altar, and announced that a son would be born to Elizabeth. It was in the sixth month of her pregnancy that the Virgin Mary came to visit her—a touching and beautiful scene pictured by many great artists. The Angel Gabriel, having lately announced to Mary the destiny that awaited her, also told her that her kinswoman Elizabeth was with child. The Virgin Mary, eager to share in Elizabeth's happiness and to confide that she too would bear a child, traveled down the dusty road from Nazareth. On Mary's arrival, she was amazed when Elizabeth, having foreseen knowledge, greeted her as "mother of my Lord." Elizabeth's salutation was in these words: "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished." The Gospel story tells us further that at Elizabeth's delivery her friends and neighbors rejoiced with her, and when the child was brought to be circumcised, they were going to call him after his father Zachary, but his mother said, "His name shall be John.

Screenwriter Mike Rich began writing the screenplay of the movie on 1 December 2005, exactly a year before its release. The cast were taught how to use certain tools used 2000 years ago as well as how to build homes, how to press olives and grapes, how to make bread, how to make cheese, and how to milk goats. Rich's script, and it's faithful and reverent to the Gospel accounts, but also brings Joseph and Mary's characters alive in a very human way. They wrestle with fears and doubts and anxieties, all within the framework of unshakeable faith. The film was shot partly in Italy at a Village called Matera. "The joke is that Matera looks more like Jerusalem than Jerusalem does," says R.J. Millard, New Line's marketing consultant. Founded by the Romans in the third century B.C., Matera is home to ancient cave dwellings believed to have housed Italy's first humans some 4,000 years ago. Some of the more "modern" buildings include a 13th-century cathedral, high on a hill in the middle of town. Matera so resembles ancient Palestine and Israel that other Bible movies have been filmed in the same location—Pasolini's The Gospel According to Matthew in 1964, and Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ in 2004.

Iranian Shaun Toub is also playing in an epic for the first time along with an impressive cast, including Ciaran Hinds (King Herod), Alexander Siddig (Gabriel) both of whom are familiar to Epic films since they respectively played as Julius Caesar and Hannibal in the series Rome and the documentary fiction Hannibal.

The film is due for a World Release just before Christmas on December 1st of this year.

Author’s note:
Official Website of The Nativity Story: www.thenativitystory.com

(*) Contrary to The Lake House, strangely Shohreh Aghdashloo’s photo credits do not appear in the official websites of her latest movies such as X-Men 3 or The Nativity Story although her role’s are more than just noticeable parts in both films.

(**) Aghdashloo has been Awarded along with another actor of Epics Omid Djalili in the upcoming Persian Golden Lioness Awards in Budapest Hungary organized by WAALM® 2nd annual Awards 2006

Outreach, Inc. Provides "Nativity" Tools for Churches and Outreach

2006-10-25T22:02:00.000-05:00

Outreach, Inc. has created a number of outreach tools in partnership with "Nativity" for churches and laypersons alike to reach people with the Gospel story of the Nativity. A number of resources are available:

Free "Nativity" Toolkit (featuring Outreach product samples and free movie posters)

Free "Nativity" Pastor Screenings (more dates will be added, including the one at the National Outreach Convention on November 9)

Free Sermons

Outreach Timeline for your Church

"Nativity" Outreach Tools

Interl'inc Provides "Nativity" Resources for Youth Leaders

2006-10-25T21:54:00.000-05:00

Interl'inc, a resource site for Youth Ministry, is providing some materials for Youth Leaders related to "Nativity." Included are the following samples to the leader's guide:

Table of Contents
Introduction
"A Righteous Dude" --An article about Joseph
Session One: "Unplanned Pregnancies"

Official Rating for "Nativity:" PG

2006-10-20T09:04:00.000-05:00

According to the official site, "Nativity" has been rated PG by the MPAA for some violent content.