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"The Nativity Story" to Open at Vatican
20-Nov-06
ZENIT
Depicts a Year in the Life of Our Lady
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 19, 2006 (Zenit)- The world premiere of the film "The Nativity Story" is scheduled to take place Nov. 26 in the Vatican.
Among the 7,000 people who will attend the screening in Paul VI Hall are the director, Catherine Hardwicke; actors Shoreh Aghdashloo and Oscar Isaac; producers Mary Bowen and Wyck Godfrey; and screenwriter Mike Rich.
The screening of the film, produced by New Line Cinema, will be preceded by the reading of a Gospel passage and a prayer written by Archbishop Angelo Comastri, the Pope's vicar general for Vatican City State and archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica.
Archbishop John Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, will give the presentation address.
The event will serve to collect funds for the construction of a school in the town of Mughar in Israel, whose population comprises Christians, Muslims and Druze. The town is 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Nazareth.
"The Nativity Story" presents the year in Mary's life that culminates with the birth of Jesus, the visit of the shepherds and Wise Men to the stable, Herod's brutal response with the massacre of the Innocents, and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt.
According to Peter Malone, film critic at Signis, the World Catholic Association for Communication, the movie is interesting both for Christians as well as non-Christians.
"The screenplay is well grounded in the biblical texts, both the heritage of the Old Testament as well as the text and spirit of the Gospel infancy narratives," Malone stated. "This gives the film an advantage over narratives which limit the perspective to a literal reading of texts and rely on piety traditions for visual presentation.
"It has also been noted that the screenplay offers substantial historical background to understand Palestine in these times and how the characters were influenced by their environment as well as by the harshness of authorities."
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