Nativity, The (1910)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
I'm sure most people who would want to check this film out already know of the Nativity Story so there's really no point in going over the plot. This is yet another Feuillade short that I wasn't overly impressed with but at the same time there's something interesting that makes it worth sitting through. The story, if you will, isn't all that special as various groups hear of the birth of a new Messiah so they venture out to see the small child. The story is pretty much told in a very light way as we see a new group. they hear of the birth and then react. This happens a few times so don't expect any grand story telling. What makes this film interesting is more on the visual level and the way the sets were decorated. The opening scenes were shot so well because of how unusual and unique they look. It appears that the sequence was shot crooked and this not only makes you focus in on the sets but also wonder why it was shot this way and if there were perhaps something in the director's mind. I doubt it was shot this way out of accident but as the scene begins to center out you'll notice certain items in the background changing. Each "scene" has its own interesting look but once again this is limited to the sets. The decorations were really eye opening even without any real visual style. This certainly doesn't come as a high recommendation but it is an interesting looking film if nothing else.