The Nativity Story Cast and Crew
Get Vatican Premier and Pope’s
Approval
Elisabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo) © New Line Cinema
Some
7,000 people crowded up on Sunday, November 26th at the benefit screening of
"The Nativity Story" in Paul VI Hall, the auditorium usually used for audiences
with pilgrims, although Pope Benedict XVI was not present.
"I
think the pope is pretty busy," said director Catherine Hardwicke, referring to
the Pope’s recent trip to
Turkey.
"The
Nativity Story," which opens in the United
States and Europe in time for the Christmas holidays on
Dec. 1, describes Mary's pregnancy and the trip she and Joseph undertake to
Bethlehem, the town of Jesus' birth. It explores
Mary's reaction - of fear, doubt and ultimately faith - to what is happening to
her.
Mary
is played by Australian-born Keisha Castle-Hughes, of "Whale Rider" fame, who
was not present at the premiere. Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, who was
nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress in "House of Sand and Fog,"
stars as Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.
Oscar Isaac portrays Joseph. Another Iranian Shaun Toub
noticed in Paul Haggis’ Oscar Winning film Crash stars as Joachim and
Hiam Abbass (Munich) stars as Anna.
The
102-minute film was shot between Morocco and Matera, a town in southern Italy where Mel
Gibson shot his controversial biblical epic "The Passion of the
Christ."
Hardwicke
praised "The Passion," but said she tried to do a more uniting film than
Gibson's blockbuster about the last hours of Jesus
Christ.
Joseph (Oscar Isaac), Mary ( Keisha Castle-Hughes)
and
Baby Jesus © New Line
Cinema
Before
the screening, Archbishop John Foley, a U.S. prelate who heads the Vatican's social communications
office, praised what he called a dialogue between faith and
culture.
"Cinema,
a powerful means of communication, once again carries a universal message," he
told the audience.
Despite
the Vatican's stamp of approval,
Hardwicke said her movie sought to appeal not just to religious
audiences.
"We
hope that people might relate to the relationship in the film, Mary and Joseph,
and how their love grows and gets stronger as each one of them has challenges,"
she said.
Elisabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and Zechariah
(Stanley Townsend)
© New Line Cinema
