Product Description

This program tells the story of Mary, the one person who was with Jesus from birth to death. This feature-length docu-drama about the mother to the Son of God was filmed in the Middle East with a cast of 110 actors and 8,500 extras. In Nazareth, young Mary is a simple girl loved and cherished by all. One day, in a blinding light, an angel announces to Mary that she will give birth to a son who will be called the Son of God. Following this extraordinary announcement, she does bear a son who grows strong in wisdom and in spirit, and is soon ready to fulfill His destiny. With His baptism in the Jordan river, Jesus now begins His ministry. Many people, even Mary, had the wrong idea about Jesus, believing He would restore their nation to its former glory. In their disappointment, people turned against Him and He was betrayed, humiliated, tortured and crucified. Mary witnessed all of this, unable to reach out and help, even as He met death with tender words of forgiveness for His murderers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86491 in DVD
• Brand: QUESTAR INC
• Released on: 2004-07-22
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 110 minutes

Features

• MARY OF NAZARETH (DVD MOVIE)

Amazon.com
While the importance of Mary of Nazareth in the Gospels cannot be overstated, rarely is her life on its own looked at. This docudrama, filmed on location in the Middle East with 110 actors and 8,500 extras, does just that, dramatizing her story from her betrothal to Joseph to her witnessing of the crucifixion of her only son. Part 1 shows Mary in her hometown of Nazareth, examining what life was like for her and Joseph. It shows her encounter with the angel who announces that she will give birth to the son of the Holy Spirit, who will be called Jesus, the Son of God. Part 2 depicts Mary having to watch her son betrayed and humiliated, unable to help him. Told with sympathy and objectivity, this video is an exhaustive look at Mary as seen in the Gospels. --Samantha Allen Storey

Customer Reviews

A good movie
This movie is sort of backwards. It spends about half the time talking about the events leading up to Nativity, and the other half on what happened after the nativity. I mean, I understand that this is supposed to be about Mary, but, still...

Also, it seems to fail to capture what must have been the real feelings of Mary. If you watch the movie Jesus of Nazareth (with Robert Powell)--now I think that Olivia Hussey does a much better job of portraying Mary.

My other complaints were:

(a) Hollywood always does have to throw in that "woman in labor" business, doesn't it? It's just annoying. Plus, it has been said in the Bible that Mary did not have labor pains during the birth of Jesus.
(b) The cruxifiction moved along so quickly that you could hardly tell it existed--I mean, come on! This is the main point, isn't it, after all?

But, the things I did really like were:

(a) The actress who played Mary looked like she really could have been Mary's age.
(b) It showed how John the Apostle began to take care of Mary after Jesus's death.

Somewhat disappointing
I received this movie as a birthday gift, and couldn't wait to watch it. However, it wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be.

My biggest complaint was Mary herself. In the beginning, she is chatty and gossipy with her friends and flirty with Joseph. Later on, she follows her son Jesus through his ministry but spends most of her time just looking at Him. They barely have any conversations at all!

I'd still recommend seeing it, though, as there WERE a few scenes that were very well done. The visitation was beautiful, and the agony in the garden was perfect. And when Jesus is carrying His Cross and Mary is following--well, it makes you want to cry.

This is an okay movie overall, but Jesus of Nazareth is much better!

Good movie, but not accurate.
Very little is mentioned of Mary in the Gospels, so obviously much about the life of Mary has to come from reflections on the Gospels.

The movie is carefully directed not to stray too far from the Gospel account. There are still some inaccuracies, Mary is shown in the opening scene as a teenager walking down a road greeting people with a 'high five', 'good morning...' and 'Hi...'. These are not Jewish greetings of the first century.

Secondly, Mary is shown by the Lord's side throughout His public ministry. In the Gospels Mary is mentioned only twice during the public ministry of our Lord, at Cana and at Calvary. So obviously much of the scenes are the imagination of the director. Though none of the scenes contradict the teaching of the Gospels (theologically). Some of the scenes are very meaningful and touching and provokes reflection on the important Gospel events in the life of Jesus and Mary (and Joseph), and the relationship between them.

And lastly why does Jesus have to have blonde hair. Palestinian men are not blondes, they have black hair. Jesus was not an Anglo-American.

The movie is good and worth watching. One would profit much by reflecting on the life of Mary as a Mother and a disciple of Jesus from the Gospel account. Indeed, 'all generations will call her blessed.'