Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Keisha Castle-Hughes | ... | Mary | |
Oscar Isaac | ... | Joseph | |
Hiam Abbass | ... | Anna | |
Shaun Toub | ... | Joaquim | |
Ciarán Hinds | ... | Herod | |
Shohreh Aghdashloo | ... | Elizabeth | |
Stanley Townsend | ... | Zechariah | |
Alexander Siddig | ... | The Angel Gabriel | |
Nadim Sawalha | ... | Melchior | |
Eriq Ebouaney | ... | Balthasar | |
Stefan Kalipha | ... | Gaspar | |
Alessandro Giuggioli | ... | Antipas | |
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Farida Ouchani | ... | Ruth |
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Saïd Amadis | ... | Tero |
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Maria Giovanna Donzelli | ... | Mary's Friend |
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. Joseph 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
As a Catholic/Christian publisher I did not expect the integrity that the movie The Nativity Story presents. The story is produced with good taste and careful thought. At times the Scripture may be bent but it is never broken. The bends are simply to aid in the visual telling of the story and are not offensive.
I found it to be very good family viewing with minimal violence and the scenes were not graphic in nature. The lesson in family love alone is worth the price of a ticket. The bonus is the lesson in faith and trust in God. I would encourage you to take children of all ages.
The theology should be acceptable to all Christians. However, I did talk to one priest that had a problem with the childbirth scene. He subscribes to the theology that Mary's childbirth was not painful. I understand his theology but I disagree with it on the grounds of Jesus and Mary's humanity. Also the arrival of the Wise Men at the time of the birth though not correct does not hurt the story. Still I feel that these small problems would be a poor and unjust reason not to see, or tell others not to see this movie.
Of all the versions of this story that have been done I found it to be the most inspiring and visually the most tastefully done. At last we have a great family movie that puts Christ back into Christmas.
Executive Director Contemplation Corner Press