Review of The Nativity Story (2006) by Deirdrej. — 09 Dec 2006

I watched this movie for the second time today. As usual (!), there were people talking in the theatre, but (quite unusual!) they were saying things like, "Oh, that shot is gorgeous!" and "The photography is stunning, and so is the music.

" I agree. The movie is very beautiful. Some of it does look like a Chirstmas card, and some looks more like (for instance) National Geographic, but every shot is beautifully composed. I also found the acting very good, and I think the whole thing was very intelligently done.

The movie does have two strikes against it (neither of which mattered to me very much). The first is that it sticks very closely to the biblical story. Those who expected it to contradict the tenets of Christianity in some way will of course be disappointed.

Also, it's rather contemplative. Some people will automatically find that boring. In fact, it reminded me of "The New World," one of my favorite movies of last year. It is similarly beautiful, similarly measured in its pace, and similarly from a woman's perspective -- and I loved it! For what it's worth, I liked it the first time I saw it, but loved it the second time, when I was able to notice even more.

BTW, the scenes with Gabriel were some of my very favorite, and I loved that they used a falcon to herald him. That just has so much symbolic resonance -- like a lot of the other details in the film. (I think it was a Lanners, but maybe a kestrel -- does anyone know for sure?).

One of the things that impressed me more the 2nd time was the score. Yes, it's Christmas carols, but how interestingly they are used! And they used Anonymous Four for the vocals! How great is that! I loved the movie -- I think it's very intelligent, beautifully photographed and acted, and not at all boring.

Of course, your mileage may vary (and I won't mind!).