The Nativity Story
Short description
The Nativity Story dramatizes the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, following Mary, a young woman in Nazareth, and Joseph, a carpenter, from their arranged betrothal through the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary and the difficult journey to Bethlehem. The couple face scandal and doubt before they are united, while King Herod, fearing an ancient prophecy about a new king, tightens his control over Judea. A Roman census forces Joseph to travel with Mary to Bethlehem, where she gives birth.
Catherine Hardwicke directed the film, which sits between her earlier features Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown and her later work on Twilight. Mike Rich wrote the screenplay, and Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen produced. Keisha Castle-Hughes plays Mary, Oscar Isaac plays Joseph, Ciarán Hinds plays Herod, Shohreh Aghdashloo plays Elisabeth, and Hiam Abbass and Shaun Toub appear as Anna and Joachim. The film was released in late November 2006.
Made for a budget of 35 million dollars, the film took in about 46 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.8 from roughly 12,000 votes, and on TMDB a rating of 6.9 from a much smaller number of votes. These audience scores are notably higher than the film critics' rating of 5.3 from 132 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- During the production of the film, a scandal erupted when it became known that 16-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes (who played Mary) was expecting a child from her boyfriend. This meant she would be playing the most famous young mother in history while preparing to become a teenage mother herself.
- The actors in the film had to learn how to use tools from 2,000 years ago, as well as how to build dwellings, press grape juice and olive oil, bake bread, make cheese, and milk goats.
- The first feature film to premiere in the Vatican.
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