Has There Ever Been A Big Budget Nativity Story Movie Made?

[Mutt]

People at this time of year always talk about their top ranked Christmas movies and it just occurred to me that I'm not aware of any major motion picture that is based on the story of Christ's birth. Hollywood has made many Biblical based big budgets films including 'Noah' this year. It could be a pretty good movie if made, being that it's fantasy you would have a fair bit of artistic license without pissing off devout Christians too much. Just Christians alone going to see the movie would ensure it being a money maker.

I'd actually like to see it.

I watch the same ones over and over and as you get older the year passes so fast and it seems like I just watched The Grinch cartoon, A Christmas Story, Charlie Brown Christmas, It's A Wonderful Life, National Lampoon Christmas Vacation etc

Any recommendations for Christmas movies that aren't as well known?

[CurrentlySober]

[Mutt]

Well there's my answer, made in 2006. And I was wrong, it only made 36 million at the box office. The reviews from critics aren't very good, but not terrible, just that it's pretty tedious and could have been more imaginative and inspiring in its story telling.

The viewers' reviews are more positive.

I will try watching it.

Probably a fair bit of poo in it considering the birth took place in a manger filled with animals and there was no indoor plumbing in Jerusalem or Bethlehem so I'm sure you enjoyed it?

Thanks

[CurrentlySober]

To be honest, I have never actually watched it - Not my kinda entertainment really, but each to their own...

I just remember it because it was very heavily tailored on TV at the time, and I remember thinking 'Are people really gonna watch that?'??

When I googled it to check it was american, and not a foreign language film, the 3rd result was the entire thing on youtube...

Enjoy though, and post what you thought f it

[ITraffic]

Hail Mary (film - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

[MrBottomTooth]

Its not really that exciting of a story. Couple homeless people wander around trying to find a place to shit out their kid and a bunch of people come to pay their respects and give them some mostly crappy gifts. At least with the Noah story you get everything from death and natural disasters to murder.

[edgeprod]

Originally Posted by MrBottomTooth

Its not really that exciting of a story. Couple homeless people wander around trying to find a place to shit out their kid and a bunch of people come to pay their respects and give them some mostly crappy gifts. At least with the Noah story you get everything from death and natural disasters to murder.

It's a LITTLE exciting, at least: the child was a product of cheating, with the mom lying about it so she didn't get stoned to death. It could focus on her making up the whole "God didn't fuck me, but I'm having his baby" thing ... or they could go on the B.C. version of Maury, and he could look at Joseph and be like "you ... are NOT the daddy."

[ITraffic]

the Massacre of the Innocents provides the dramatic tension.

[MiamiBoyz]

[Mutt]

I watched it, it's dull, and very true to the Mathew and Luke version of the nativity. Part of the dullness is just visual - the sets/location, it's all brown and bleak, stone and dirt, being the desert and all. It paints a depressing existence for the Jews of that time. I don't know why they assume that people were so miserable, everybody just looks sad and serious. They made the decision to make the film historically accurate so all the actors are Arab/Semitic in appearance, no European looking people in it. The 3 Wise Men from the East bring the movie's only magic and mysticism.

This is the story of the birth of the Messiah - somehow the writer/director could have done something creative to up the awe/inspirational quotient. Of course even if you believe in this fairy tale, at the time Jesus is born, only Mary, Joseph, the 3 Wise Men and some shepherds know there's any importance to the birth.

In their determination to remain faithful to just what is in the gospels they doomed themselves to making a boring movie, needed some movie magic, a little Disney-fication.

[Angelo22]

Not that I know of... also, have there been any big porn nativity movies?

[JFK]

Life of Brian ?

[carpocratian]

I would just like to see someone make a movie about ANY Bible story that features actors who look like the people in that region of the world.

[a.great]

i think...none were made.

[CurrentlySober]

Originally Posted by Mutt

I watched it, it's dull, and very true to the Mathew and Luke version of the nativity. Part of the dullness is just visual - the sets/location, it's all brown and bleak, stone and dirt, being the desert and all. It paints a depressing existence for the Jews of that time. I don't know why they assume that people were so miserable, everybody just looks sad and serious. They made the decision to make the film historically accurate so all the actors are Arab/Semitic in appearance, no European looking people in it. The 3 Wise Men from the East bring the movie's only magic and mysticism.

This is the story of the birth of the Messiah - somehow the writer/director could have done something creative to up the awe/inspirational quotient. Of course even if you believe in this fairy tale, at the time Jesus is born, only Mary, Joseph, the 3 Wise Men and some shepherds know there's any importance to the birth.

In their determination to remain faithful to just what is in the gospels they doomed themselves to making a boring movie, needed some movie magic, a little Disney-fication.

Thats pretty much how I assumed it would be.

[Mutt]

Originally Posted by carpocratian

I would just like to see someone make a movie about ANY Bible story that features actors who look like the people in that region of the world.

This one does that - and I'm being honest it affected the way I reacted to the movie, the Romans made them look European for a reason. Ancient Jews don't even look like modern Jews, ironically ancient Jews look Palestinian because that's who ancient Jews were.