The Nativity Story Blu-ray delivers stunning video and solid audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
A drama that focuses on the period in Mary and Joseph's life where they journeyed to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus.
For more about The Nativity Story and the The Nativity Story Blu-ray release, see The Nativity Story Blu-ray Review published by Michael Reuben on March 4, 2013 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.5 out of 5.
The Nativity Story was released theatrically for the Christmas holiday season in 2006, but New
Line issued the DVD for Easter the following year. Warner, which has since absorbed New Line,
is doing the same thing for the Blu-ray. The timing is appropriate, however, because a signature
feature of director Catherine Hardwicke's retelling of the Biblical account is its richly textured
portrayal of the extreme poverty and hardship throughout the land where Jesus was born. The
brutality of the Roman-controlled local government is shown with as much frankness as a PG
rating will allow, and foreshadowings of Christ's future occur throughout the film. It is almost
impossible to watch The Nativity Story without some awareness that its joyous conclusion also
marks the beginning of a journey that concludes with the momentous events marked by Ash
Wednesday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Screenwriter Mike Rich is no stranger to stories of struggle and triumph. His other works include
Finding Forrester and Secretariat. But in scripting The Nativity Story, Rich
wanted to return to
basics and try to imagine people who had no idea that they were in the process of becoming
religious icons and world-historical figures. How would such individuals—the crucial one a mere
teenager—react to the extraordinary events recounted in the Gospels?
The focus of Rich's script guided the producers' choice of director. A distinguished production
designer, Hardwicke had directed only two films, both of them focused on contemporary teens,
Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown.
(She would later direct the first Twilight movie.) The
producers
wanted someone who would remain focused on creating an authentic screen version of ancient
Judea and who had a proven track record working with young actors. They also wanted a female
perspective in the director's chair, because, as anyone familiar with the story should know, the
"star" of the story that ends with Jesus' birth is his mother, Mary.
In fine filmmaking tradition, Rich and Hardwicke open the film with shocking images: the
Massacre of the Innocents ordered by King Herod (Ciarán Hinds), who, upon hearing that the
long-awaited messiah has been recently born in Bethlehem, orders all male children two and
under to be slaughtered. The story then winds back a year to show how we reached this horrible
event, but already the point has been made that Jesus's path through the world will be perilous
and bloody.
Three intertwining plots make up the remainder of the film. One of them follows Herod as he
taxes his people into near-starvation, builds grand palaces to his glory and is always looking over
his shoulder for the next plot or rival, including his own son, Antipas (Alessandro Giuggioli).
Hinds, who, by coincidence, had just played Julius Caesar in HBO's Rome, gives Herod the
menacing intelligence of one of Shakespeare's villainous nobles, but Herod's lack of imagination
is his undoing. Hearing rumors among the people of a great king who will unseat him, he
searches for a warrior. Only too late does he learn from the Magi that his enemy is a child of
humble birth.
The three Magi are the second plot line, and it's here that Rich and Hardwicke make their only
major misstep by trying to introduce comic relief. Students of both astrology and prophesy, the
Magi surround themselves with luxury as they scour both the heavens and ancient texts for clues
to the birth of the messiah. When they discover an imminent alignment of planets that foretells
the blessed event, it is Melchior (Nadim Sawalha) who insists on leaving their comfortable
quarters and journeying across the desert to witness the event for themselves. Balthasar (Eriq
Ebouaney) reluctantly agrees after debating how many camels will be needed to carry his
luggage, but Gaspar (Stefan Kalipha) refuses to leave his study, only to catch up later with the
other two. The actors do their best, but the comedy feels forced and detracts from the intensity of
the faith that drives the Magi on their quest.
The third and most important plot is that of Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Joseph (Oscar
Isaac) themselves. Ordinary young people in Nazareth, a town groaning under the weight of
Herod's taxes and the cruelty of his tax collectors, they are pledged in a marriage arranged
between Mary's father, Joaquim (Shaun Toub), and Joseph. Mary is assured by her mother, Anna
(Hiam Abbass), that the arrangement is for the best, but is unsettled at the thought of spending
her life with a man she doesn't love. Shortly, however, she has weightier matters to consider.
Hardwicke's staging of the Annunciation is especially impressive, because it is so restrained. On
an otherwise ordinary day, a distant figure appears and then is somehow next to Mary. There are
no blaring trumpets or other loud sounds and only the subtlest of visual effects. The Angel
Gabriel (Alexander Siddig) gently informs Mary of her chosen status and then departs, leaving
Mary to ponder her future. For advice and counsel, she visits her cousin Elizabeth (Shohreh
Aghdashloo), where she witnesses the birth of the baby who will become John the Baptist, son of
Zachariah (Stuart Townsend).
Mary's return to Nazareth, where her now-visible pregnancy causes consternation, and her
subsequent trip to Bethlehem with Joseph, where he must register for August Caesar's census,
are some of the film's most interesting sequences, because they depict the growing relationship
between two people coming to terms with the realization that they have been chosen to act as
parents to the Son of God. The best moments are often the quietest, as, for example, the
exchange when the young couple sit by a campfire and admit to each other that they are both
afraid. It is with such simple touches that Hardwicke most effectively reawakens a fresh sense of
wonder from a story that every Sunday School attendee can recite by rote.
Hardwicke tapped her cinematographer from her previous two films, Elliot Davis, to shoot The
Nativity Story. (Davis also shot her Twilight film and, more recently, The Iron Lady for director
Phyllida Lloyd.) Captured on film and finished on a digital intermediate, The Nativity Story was
given a look dictated largely by the period production design, which was monochromatic, and the
arid locations in Morocco. To the extent any color remained, it appears to have been further
desaturated in post-production, with the exception of scenes involving the Magi, who, by virtue
of their wealth, could afford more vivid finery.
Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray features exceptional, almost tactile detail that renders the
landscape almost three-dimensional in some scenes. Blacks are solid and well-differentiated—a
must, given the lack of strong colors to separate one plane from another. The grain pattern is
unusually fine, which is probably a result of the DI process, but nothing looks filtered or
smoothed. Nor does any of the image's sharpness appear to be the result of electronic
enhancement. Although the bitrate is not the highest I've seen (at just under 21 Mbps), there were
no evident compression artifacts, and given the limited audio options and the relative lack of
extras, the 101-minute film fits comfortably onto a BD-25.
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is pleasant-sounding and professionally engineered, with good
dynamic range and a fine sense of presence, especially for Mychael Danna's elegant score, which
strikes an apt balance between an adventure story and a devotional experience. The spare
dialogue is always clear. Although the temptation to add thunderous sound effects to appearances
of the Angel Gabriel must have been overwhelming, these major events remain understated and
dreamlike. To the extent the surrounds become active, it is only in isolated moments such as
Herod's tour of a palace under construction or a river crossing by Mary and Joseph that turns
hazardous.
I do not have the 2007 New Line DVD, but assuming it is identical to the DVD included with the
Blu-ray, then the documentary is a new feature.
The Nativity Story: A Director's Journey (480i; 1.85:1, non-enhanced; 23:13): This
informative documentary includes interviews with Hardwicke, Rich, Castle-Hughes,
Isaac, various producers and production designer Stefano Maria Ortolani, among others.
It includes footage from rehearsals, location scouts, set construction and filming and
provides a useful (if not in-depth) look at the making of the film.
Trailer #1 (1080p; 2.35:1; 2:34): A traditional trailer with scenes.
Teaser Trailer (1080p; 2.35:1; 1:16): Little more than an announcement that the film is
coming.
The Nativity Story did modest but not impressive box office and was widely criticized for being
insufficiently grand. In its personal and intimate approach to the story of Christ's birth, it is
perhaps better suited to the home viewing experience. Still, one cannot hope to immerse oneself
in Hardwicke's meticulous recreation of ancient Judea without a superior reproduction of the
film's detailed imagery. Warner's Blu-ray provides just that and, for those wishing to enter into
the experience, is highly recommended.
Warner Bros. has announced the release of director Catherine Hardwicke's The Nativity Story, starring Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary, Oscar Isaac as Joseph, Shohreh Aghdashloo as Mary's cousin Elizabeth and Ciarán Hinds as Herod. The dramatic retelling of the birth ...
