As a mediaphile and a student of the Bible, I add to my celebration of Easter and Christmas a revisit to two cinematic productions, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST and THE NATIVITY, that sought to transpose the scriptural accounts into their historical contexts. As a film cannot contain the whole of a book, neither can it encompass all of the scholastic research on the crucification or birth of Jesus (there will be errors and omissions), however it can do what movies do so well - it can move us into the perspective of those who were part of that event. Both of these movies do this for me. Both have stellar casts who give us great performances. The cinematography is profound, the scores are beautiful. The choice of locations tell their own stories well. For all of those reasons, I give these films 10 (splendid) out of 10. [Historical Drama]

A faithful adaption of the biblical account of Jesus Christ’s birth, _The Nativity Story_ is a powerful telling of this classic tale. Director Catherine Hardwicke does a remarkable job at creating a visual style that feels authentic to the time period; with detailed costumes and sets designs. Additionally, Keisha Castle-Hughes gives an impressive performance as Mary that’s subtle yet conveys volumes through looks and movements. Also, the script is quite good, with a strong focus on characters. A well-crafted film that honors the true meaning of Christmas, _The Nativity Story_ is emotionally compelling and spiritually uplifting.

I’m not one for religious films but this one is ok. Historically accurate from what I can tell. A good movie to watch at Christmas.

I never saw this until now. The reviews are definitely wrong. I mean rotten tomatoes compared it to a High School production. I definitely don’t see that. The production is way better than the Kevin Sorbo version I saw recently. Called Joseph and Mary.