The Nativity Story and Catholic TeachingPrevious Jesus films have generally sought to cover the whole story, whether according to one particular Gospel (Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St. Matthew) or synoptically (the 1977 miniseries Jesus of Nazareth). By contrast, The Passion and The Nativity Story, like earlier forms of Christian drama, are narrower in scope — modern equivalents of the medieval passion play and Christmas/Epiphany pageant.
Astonishingly, The Nativity Story is essentially the first major “shepherds and wise men” feature film in Hollywood history. There’s never been any shortage of Christmas movies, of course. Yet even at the height of Hollywood biblical epics, the real meaning of Christmas was essentially ignored.
What is not in keeping with Orthodox iconography, or with the oldest Catholic tradition, is the depiction of Joseph as a younger man. He’s often seen as a older widower with children by an earlier marriage.
There are a few unfortunate flourishes, such as “Favored one” rather than “Full of grace” in the greeting of Gabriel (Alexander Siddig) to Mary, a rather limp translation. But there is much to praise about The Nativity Story.
High-ranking Vatican officials, including Pope Bendict’s secretary of state and right-hand man Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, were among the audience of 7,000 to 8,000, which reportedly responded enthusiastically to the film. Catholic News Service reported “thunderous applause” breaking out at several points, notably at the birth of Christ.
US Archbishop John P. Foley, head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, introduced the film, remarking that “we are happy to celebrate here this evening a film in which we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, the God Man, the Savior of the world, born of the Virgin Mary” — particularly at “a time when in so many places people are hesitant to say ‘Merry Christmas’… to say the name of Jesus Christ.”
Typical of this critique is the claim that a scene in the film “is in line with the Protestant viewpoint that Mary and Joseph had many children after Jesus and counters the Catholic Church as it has always taught that both Mary and Joseph took vows of virginity and mutually consented to live as virgins in the married state.”
This misrepresents both the film itself, which offers no indication that Joseph and Mary in fact had other children after Jesus, and more importantly “what the Catholic Church has always taught,” which is not what the Heckenkamps say it is.
In particular the idea that Joseph took a “vow of virginity,” or that he and Mary “lived as virgins” — so far from being Catholic teaching — is actually contrary to the very ancient and well-established Catholic tradition that St. Joseph was not a virgin at all, but a widower with children from a previous marriage (Jesus’ “brethren”).
This movie is an example of how a TV-movie can be better than a theatrical film. This TV-movie rises above low budget and primitive production values with the radiant performance of Madeleine Stowe as the Virgin Mary. This was her first movie, and Hollywood really missed the boat not recognizing her great abilities here. It took them another 14 years to recognize her as a star. In my opinion she is the best actress of her generation. The production maintains a simple, straightforward attitude about the story of Christ’s birth. It tells the story with a down-to-earth feel, and Mary and Joseph were better understood as people, by me, after seeing this. The film achieves real profundity and power to move, rare these days. It is a real gem. I hope this comes out on DVD someday. Are you listening, Hollywood? - The Nativity TV Movie
“To Eve it was said: In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children. Mary was exempt from this law, for preserving her virginal integrity inviolate she brought forth Jesus the Son of God without experiencing, as we have already said, any sense of pain.”
Also, in the film, the Blessed Virgin appears to permit a palm-reader to read Her palm, and neither She nor St. Joseph correct the palm-reader for her forbidden divination.(Catechism of the Council of Trent for Parish Priests, Trans., John A. McHugh, O.P., Charles J. Callan, O.P., South Bend, Ind., Marian Publications, 1972, p. 4)