Sunday, December 21, 2008
The Nativity Story
My favorite movie of the season, by far, is “The Nativity Story.” I was extremely impressed with this version of the story. It’s a full-length film (1 hour 40 min), and my kids loved every bit of it. My only complaint is the angel. I thought he looked kind of weird, and I didn’t like that they made a falcon fly away when he left... strange. Okay, and I also didn’t like the scene where Elisabeth gives birth, but other than that, it was marvelous! My kids raved about it. Adam even requested it the day after we watched it the first time.
Natalie said, “I like this way better than any other movies about it... because it had King Herod in it!” The acting was excellent. The movie helped the kids grasp the concept of King Herod, the long journey to Bethlehem, and the social difficulties that Mary and Joseph faced.
At first I was bothered by Mary’s reaction to an arranged marriage with Joseph. But I realized that that was how marriages happened in those days (and still happen in many parts of the world). I was very touched by how their relationship evolved. Great lessons there!
We’ll be watching this from now on as one of our Christmas traditions.
I highly recommend this film!
