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A science-fiction writer, recently widowed, considers whether to adopt a hyper-imaginative 6-year-old abandoned and socially rejected boy who says he's really from Mars.
Set in Cincinnati at the height of the Great Depression, Kit Kittredge, a resourceful young girl, helps her mother run a boardinghouse after her father loses his job.
An adaptation of the classic Dickens tale, where an orphan meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master.
Following her sister's death from drug addiction, a high school student is forced to leave her private school to return to her old, crime-filled neighborhood where she re-kindles an unlikely passion for the competitive world of step dancing.
Director:
Ian Iqbal Rashid
Stars:
Tre Armstrong,
Boyd Banks,
Brennan Gademans
A young boy fighting cancer writes letters to God, touching lives in his neighborhood and community and inspiring hope among everyone he comes in contact. An unsuspecting substitute postman... See full summary »
In Nazareth, teenager Mary is betrothed to the local carpenter, Joseph. Mary is visited by an angel and told that she will fulfill a prophecy and as a virgin give birth to God's son, the savior of the world. Mary's pregnancy brings her the scorn of the community and Joseph struggles to believe her seemingly outlandish story. Meanwhile, a census forces every man and his family to return to his place of birth. Joesph and Mary set out on a long and arduous journey to Bethlehem. This story is based on the Biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ. Written by
L. Hamre
This film combines the stories told in two different Gospels. In The Gospel According to Matthew, Joseph and Mary live in Bethlehem, but flee to avoid Herod's Massacre of the Innocents. Jesus is born, and his birth is attended by Three Wise Men. In The Gospel according to Luke, Mary and Joseph live in Nazareth, but travel to Bethlehem to register for Augustus Caesar's census. Jesus's birth is attended by Shepherds. Joseph and Mary subsequently return safely to Nazareth. Historians have taken issue with both stories. Herod's Massacre of the Innocents is not found in any other historical records. While the Romans did take censuses regularly, they differ from the census described in the Gospels in two ways: first, inhabitants were not required to return to their ancestral homelands. Secondly, men could file as heads of household, thus registering themselves, their wives, and any children they had or were expecting. Thus, it was highly unlikely that Joseph would have to travel to Bethlehem if he lived in Nazareth, much less take with him a woman so close to giving birth. See more »
Goofs
The old shepherd's mustache is yellowed by nicotine, a sign of habitual smoking. While cannabis and hookah pipes were familiar to the Middle East as early as 2000 BC, tobacco wasn't introduced to the old world until the late 16th century. See more »
Quotes
Joseph:
"And you shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who will save his people from their sins." I know. Mary, God showed me. An angel came to me in my dream.
Mary:
You believe me?
Joseph:
I believe you. The child will need a father. I will declare him as my own.
Mary:
People will not look at you the same. They will not look at us the same.
Joseph:
You are my wife. I am your husband. That is all anyone need know.
See more »
"In Rosa Vernat Lilium"
(The Rose and the Lily)
Music by Mychael Danna
Lyrics by Elizabeth Danna
Performed by Azam Ali
Azam Ali appears courtesy of Six Degrees Records See more »
This is no low budget made for TV, direct to DVD, or "preaching to the choir" type film. Quite the contrary. Like Mel Gibson's The Passion, The Nativity Story delivers the quality acting, cinematography, musical score, special effects, direction, sound, production, etc. we've grown accustomed to receiving from the most skillful members of the Motion Picture industry.
I was particularly appreciative of the way phrases in the Bible which can often be overlooked like, "Joseph...not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly." came to life on film. We see just how they would have very likely played out in the very personal lives and communities this all took place in. I found the scene riveting when Joseph labors to come up with that initial plan to send her away, and then announces it to Mary and her parents who are there with him. Also, the courage and faith needed by Joseph and Mary to believe God took on a whole new understanding when seeing how the culture they likely lived in brought intense pressures which would have very well been cause to shrink away in fear in the face of had not they obeyed the angel's charges to "do not be afraid."
A real strength of the film, I believe, was in how scenes that were straight from the Bible either used the words of the Bible practically verbatim, or at least there was just unspoken acting out the heart of the scene, with little to no unnecessary additions to the Biblical account. This, I believe, let's the Bible speak for itself for the most part and for that I send a big thank you to Mike Rich as the screenplay writer in getting to the heart of the personal lives of those involved in Jesus' conception and birth while seeking to be true to the text's original meaning. And to Catherine Hardwicke and all others involved in getting the Biblical account onto this media with all their professional skills, I say thanks as well. I'd love to see many more "Accounts" (the connotation of the word "Story" weakens the impact in my mind...but that's just me) from the Bible put to film by this great team assembled to produce The Nativity (Story).
143 of 172 people found this review helpful.
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This is no low budget made for TV, direct to DVD, or "preaching to the choir" type film. Quite the contrary. Like Mel Gibson's The Passion, The Nativity Story delivers the quality acting, cinematography, musical score, special effects, direction, sound, production, etc. we've grown accustomed to receiving from the most skillful members of the Motion Picture industry.
I was particularly appreciative of the way phrases in the Bible which can often be overlooked like, "Joseph...not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly." came to life on film. We see just how they would have very likely played out in the very personal lives and communities this all took place in. I found the scene riveting when Joseph labors to come up with that initial plan to send her away, and then announces it to Mary and her parents who are there with him. Also, the courage and faith needed by Joseph and Mary to believe God took on a whole new understanding when seeing how the culture they likely lived in brought intense pressures which would have very well been cause to shrink away in fear in the face of had not they obeyed the angel's charges to "do not be afraid."
A real strength of the film, I believe, was in how scenes that were straight from the Bible either used the words of the Bible practically verbatim, or at least there was just unspoken acting out the heart of the scene, with little to no unnecessary additions to the Biblical account. This, I believe, let's the Bible speak for itself for the most part and for that I send a big thank you to Mike Rich as the screenplay writer in getting to the heart of the personal lives of those involved in Jesus' conception and birth while seeking to be true to the text's original meaning. And to Catherine Hardwicke and all others involved in getting the Biblical account onto this media with all their professional skills, I say thanks as well. I'd love to see many more "Accounts" (the connotation of the word "Story" weakens the impact in my mind...but that's just me) from the Bible put to film by this great team assembled to produce The Nativity (Story).