Most of
what we traditionally think of as “the Christmas story” occurs in this
episode. Delivery in a stable, swaddling
clothes, no-crib-for-a-bed, and all that.
The star is brilliant, the shepherds are visited by an angel, and the
three oddest baby gifts in history are given.
A bit
more revision to the classic story: “no
room at the inn,” in this version is more conditional than practical. In the search-for-lodgings montage, a number
of innkeepers make it clear that they have room, just not for the likes of
Mary. Though Joseph refers to her as his
wife, scandalous whispers have followed them, and word quickly gets around that
Mary isn’t a woman to open one’s doors to.
Not too
much to say about Balthazar and his cohorts here. They and the shepherds all do a nice job of
worshipping a baby and making it look genuine.
(I don’t know that I’d ever thought before about what a strange image
that makes, but they do it ably and without self-consciousness.)
As an
aside, I’m not terribly impressed with how Gabriel is done in this
miniseries. While the no-wings thing isn’t
a deal-breaker for me, I would’ve liked to see something more demonstratively
angelic. I don’t really understand how
people in his presence immediately know that he’s an angel. There’s dialogue about how people feel when
he touches them, but touch isn’t a very cinematic sense, and it doesn’t
translate all that well.
Round-up
for The Nativity:
Accent Watch
RP. A few hints of Scottish intrusion, but not
many and not by much.
Recommend?
In
General
– If you like adaptations of the Christmas story, this is a good one. The acting is excellent, and the
characterization is interesting and engaging.
It tells the story in its own way, but without going too far off the
rails. (I still cringe to think of Mary Mother of Jesus, wherein Mary is the one to come up with the
parables and tells them to young Jesus as bedtime stories!)
PC-wise – Maybe. It’s not a hugely demanding role, but PC does
well with it. The conversation with
Melchior in episode 2 is especially good.
Warnings
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