11:54AM - The Nativity Story: Powerful and Profound
I had the pleasure of the seeing The Nativity Story yesterday. The budget for this movie was smaller than one would like, and its only notable cast member was the wonderful Keisha Castle-Hughes. Yet "The Nativity Story" is a nuanced, biblical and moving account of the birth of Jesus, from the betrothal of Mary to Joseph, to the Holy Family's flight to Egypt. An adaptation such as this requires making a lot of decisions, and for the most part the people behind this film seemed to make the right ones.
The highlights for me were the portrayal of an old shepherd, and the way in which the film brings out the scandal that Mary would have caused when she came back to Nazareth from Elizabeth's house, three months pregnant. Indeed, when Elizabeth said "Blessed are you among women," it must have taken great faith for Mary to believe that. Miraculously having a child before marriage might even have seemed like a curse, and "The Nativity Story" does a good job of Joseph planning a divorce.
It also struck me for the first time that the phrase in the Magnificat, "He has brought down rulers from their thrones" probably refers to Herod.
