Reprinted article from www.coptichymns.net
by Carol B
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
I recently viewed The Nativity Story, the big-screen retelling of a beloved story. As you may have guessed, the movie tries to follow the mainstream success of The Passion of the Christ. The movie pulled out all the stops, complete with stunning scenery and actors speaking with a heavy Hebrew accent (although no Aramaic this time!).
The bottom line: this is not The Passion, but it is not a bad movie, either. It lacks the inspiration and awe of The Passion, but at the same time, The Nativity Story provides a faithful depiction of the Lord's birth. There were a few factual inaccuracies in the movie, including the concept that St. Mary was raised in the Temple, not her father's house; St. Joseph was supposed to be an older man; and the oh-so-subtle hints of future romance between Mary and Joseph in the movie speaks against our belief in St. Mary's ever-virginity. Other than the few missteps, the movie - on the whole - presents a believable visualization of what the Holy Nativity could have been like.
Is it worth going to the theatre to see? Yes - if given the choice between viewing a secular film and this film, the choice is obvious. Also, it reinforces the message that we are accepting of Christian movies in the mainstream - why not provide an alternative to the sex and violence that currently pervades our Western media? Rather than spending an idle two hours watching something else, we can use those two hours to contemplate the Lord's birth. It is a good film to view with Sunday school classes, should the occasion arise. It is also a good film to own on DVD for use with lessons and so forth. Of course, when showing the movie to others, it would be wise to explain how the film's portrayal differs from the Orthodox interpretation of the Nativity.
On the whole, I would recommend re-reading the relevant passages in the Bible, and then going to see the movie.
Visit http://www.coptichymns.net/ for more articles and the largest library of Coptic hymns on the Internet!