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Christmas

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The Nativity Story (at cimenas now)

5 replies

ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem · 18/12/2006 19:20

We have just been. M, my mum, my sister, my friend and friend's DD (6) and my DD (8).

It was everything I hoped it would be. I read some very lukewarm reviews on it online before I left and assumed they were such because it is not a 'commercial type' Pixar related flick.. and am probably right and it really is very VERY good.

It is PG. The parts which some children (or more likely parents on behalf of their children) might worry over is the bit right at the beginning (before it re caps by a year) when Herrod is seen ordering soldiers to 'remove' all the baby boys and you see children taken from their parents and 'hurt' but it NOT graphic and you do not see exactly what is going on. In my opinion, any child who knows the nativity story would also know - or could be told - what Harrod did and why and so would be/could be prepared for this.

There is also (obviously) some scenes of childbirth, both Mary and her cousin Elizabath (poor women, devoid of epidurals as there were ! Probably the most harrowing (and very brief) scene is when Mary and Joseph, on the way to Bethlehem, pass a crucifixion scene. I explained to DD (in a quick whisper) that this is how they 'punished criminals' in those days and these were the men that Herrod was assuming to be the new King (before the Wise Men told hiom it would be a baby). Most children of DD's age and younger know that Christ died on a cross so would probably cope with this ok and again, it's not prolonged or very graphic.

The acting is very good and you get really caught up in the story. It brought a lump to my throat at many points. Really glad we went.
VERY good for escaping, for five minutes, from the whole commerical aspects of Chrsitmas which are all around and reminding children of the real nativity story in more detail than they learn at school. (Good for reminding adults too!)

OP posts:
DimpledThighs · 18/12/2006 20:17

This does sound good, and I do need reminding !

Were your children alright sitting through it? I would worry mine would get bored. Is there enough story to see them through!

ChristmasisComing · 18/12/2006 20:31

My two babes would love to see it - ds age 4 and dd 5.

I would like them to as well if it is not too much for them - ds especially is quite sensitive to things (got upset when a crocodile killed a zebra in a wildlife
program)

Do you think they would be OK with it?

ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem · 18/12/2006 23:05

There is plenty of action to keep most kids rivetted. The cinema was pretty empty (which is a shame for all the people missing out!) but there were deifnitely a few children of about four or five. I didn't notice any of them getting restless.

CiC I would say that the type of 'action' you get in a wildlife programme would be much more graphic and upsetting that what could be seen on this film. And you can pre warn/explain about the nasty bits (involving Herrod) beforehand and during. They had to include them obviously.. there were some very barbaric goings on in those days and what Herrod did shaped the whole nativity story, but I think they handled those parts very well. PG is definitely the right classification IMO.

DD and I have just been relaying the whole film to DH and DS1 (14) who atually think they might have enjoyed it too.. DD remembered it all in great detail. I don't think she will be in any danger of forgetting where the whole concept of celebrating Christmas came from in a hurry!

It's sobering to realise how young Mary and Joseph were (Mary was 16 I believe although this isn't actually mentioned in the film.) She is definitely a teenager and still a child in many ways.. and she resents her 'arranged marriage' to Joseph (who later turns out to be a really good bloke luckily for her and one of the only people (including her parents eventually) to believe that the baby she is obviously carrying - when she returns from a visit to her cousin Elizabeth (!) - is the son of God.. but only after the angel talks to him too but in a dream and tells him the same as Mary was told before she conceived.) Mary is played by Kiesha Castle-Hughs (who was a child-oscar nominee at about 12, think she is about 18 now). Didn't regcognise Joseph but he was very good as well.

Anyway I'll stop drivelling.. Go see it, it's fab.

OP posts:
ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem · 18/12/2006 23:07

Nativity Story

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ChristmasisComing · 19/12/2006 12:40

Thanks, I'll definitley take them!

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