'The Nativity Story' Movie Problematic for Catholics, "Unsuitable" for Young Children

Glad I read this before seeing the movie. HT Trinity Prep Shool!

'The Nativity Story' Movie Problematic for Catholics, "Unsuitable" for Young Children: "'The Nativity Story' Movie Problematic for Catholics, 'Unsuitable' for Young Children
By John-Henry Westen

NEW YORK, December 4, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A review of New Line Cinema's The Nativity story by Fr. Angelo Mary Geiger of the Franciscans of the Immaculate in the United States, points out that the film, which opened December 1, misinterprets scripture from a Catholic perspective.

While Fr. Geiger admits that he found the film is 'in general, to be a pious and reverential presentation of the Christmas mystery.' He adds however, that 'not only does the movie get the Virgin Birth wrong, it thoroughly Protestantizes its portrayal of Our Lady.'

In Isaiah 7:14 the Bible predicts the coming of the Messiah saying: 'Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.' Fr. Geiger, in an video blog post, explains that the Catholic Church has taught for over 2000 years that the referenced Scripture showed that Mary would not only conceive the child miraculously, but would give birth to the child miraculously - keeping her physical virginity intact during the birth.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church at no. 499 teaches 'The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the Church to confess Mary's real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made man.'

The film, he suggests, in portraying a natural, painful birth of Christ, thus denies the truth of the virginal and miraculous birth of Christ, which, he notes, the Fathers of the Church compared to light passing through glass without breaking it. Fr. Geiger quoted the fourth century St. Augustine the matter saying. "That same power which brought the body of the young man through closed doors, brought the body of the infant forth from the inviolate womb of the mother."

Fr. Geiger contrasts The Nativity Story with The Passion of the Christ, noting that with the latter, Catholics and Protestants could agree to support it. He suggests, however, that the latter is "a virtual coup against Catholic Mariology".

Amy Welborn pondered the lack of a Catholic perspective on her blog as well.

Now, I just have to think about why I think that. I suspect it's because there simply was no overarching, driving artistic vision to the project. It has a terribly cobbled-together feel. As other reviewers have noted, the gritty oppressive-Romans realism doesn't mesh with the glowing, echo-y angels, not because the two can't mesh, but because whoever was ultimately responsible for shaping the project (I know...Christian screenwriter, and yes I'm familiar with director Catherine Hardwicke's work..I know who they are) didn't think hard or imaginatively enough about how the grit can embody the spiritual. Dare I say that it lacked a...er...grounding in a Catholic visual and imaginative paradigm? And that makes a difference? That's the part I have to think about.

I might just wait for the DVD first.