User Reviews

I guarantee the amount you enjoy this film is related to the amount of faith you have in its subject. Aping Al Gore's monumentally successful "An Inconvenient Truth," lawyer Frederick A. Larson also presents a slide show about a subject. That subject is whether or not the star of Bethlehem, which brought the three (or so) wise men from the east to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ was real. Larson does not have Gore's live audiences, so he presents his findings in a library to a small gathering. Larson is the first to tell us he is not an astronomer. He is a lawyer. He started doing research on a whim, after refusing a neighborhood boy's efforts to decorate his lawn with non-Christian Christmas decorations. Larson wanted to display the star, and began to do a little research. Well, thank goodness for the age of the computer. Larson began to read the Bible very closely, not for theology but for time clues about what was seen in the sky back then, and when. Using computer software, he is able to reconstruct what was seen then, and eventually rule out hypotheses such as comets and exploding stars. Taking the Book of Matthew as his word-for-word starting point, Larson is able not only to explain the star, but also what was going on in the sky when Jesus was crucified as well.

The documentary is not a bunch of talking heads and questionable Biblical scholars. Larson gives his talk, which never bored, and then illustrated his findings with his animated vistas of the night sky. Intercut with his lecture is footage of Larson reenacting his moments of discovery, all put to a very impressive soundtrack by Julie Davison Larson. Most documentaries I see on the Bible fall into two camps. One has the frothing evangelist foreseeing the end of the world unless I send them money, and the other has liberal scholars explaining away miracles dismissively through science, making one wonder what drew them to study the Bible in the first place. Larson and the film makers here are a little different. The project is very short, barely an hour, but is also very earnest in their beliefs. Larson is not damning anyone to an eternity in pools of fire for not believing, and he does not look down his nose at the other theories that are presented about the star. He takes the facts he has, interprets them, and presents what he finds- which is very convincing. He is easy to listen to, and passionate about what he found, talking honestly about how he surprised even himself with what he learned. To put it simply, if you are an atheist, you are not going to believe Larson's presentation. But if you are a practicing or lapsed Christian, looking to expand your knowledge of the Gospel aside from yet another Bible study program, you might want to give "The Star of Bethlehem" a look.

Don't listen to the negative reviews. If you are interested in star of Bethlehem and what the Magi really saw during the time around the birth of Jesus and how they were able to come to the conclusion from looking at the sky that the Messiah was going to be born this is the movie to watch. There is no other movie like this. I highly recommend!

It has been said that for those who do not believe no evidence is sufficient, but for those who do believe no evidence is needed. Anyone who understands the scriptures will have no difficulty in following Mr. Larson's references. He is accurate in his research and I find it difficult to see how others claim that he somehow glorified himself by exclaming that he is utterly humbled that God would allow someone as small as him to see these things. That is humility-not self glorification. Excellent documentary that old recommend to everyone of all ages.

Excellent Documentary! This really is a must see documentary, but is only a piece of a much bigger puzzle. This is not a movie in the sense of a story about people's interactions with each other and life events. It is an astrological revelation of the stars and planets at the time of Jesus birth and death. Frederick "Rick" Larson tells about his obsession with trying to discover what the original Star of Bethlehem was. He doesn't go into hardly any detail as to who helped him move along in getting the information he presents, and some people claim he got some from predecessors. But the documentary is really only an opportunity to expose what he found while using a modern astronomy computer program, and an explanation of it. It is his conjecture that this is what the Magi saw, which convinced them, and his presentation convinces me, yet the astronomy itself is so compelling as to be mind-blowing on the omnipotent power and knowledge of God. Larson goes into some conjectures as to what the star and Planet alignments mean and it is not always simple for the casual observer to discern clearly some of the minutiae of his points. Moreover, he is not an expert in other areas of which he conjectures, but the big points, namely the astronomical observations, are overwhelmingly powerful. This one-hour documentary could have been contained in a much shorter documentary of 15 to 30 minutes, but it doesn't feel overly cocooned. Moreover, my own research on the seven acts of the Messiah and the end times is highly excited by the prospect that God also foretold all these events in the stars.

A profound useful documentary, offering the scientific proves, in precise- seductive manner, about birth of Christ, His crucifixion and the significance, for both events, of astronomic facts.

In a library, a lawyer, starting from a fact near Christmas celebration, demonstrates, in fair terms, a fascinating theory.

In essence, it is a film about faith , from its presumed consolidation grace to astronomy and Bible lines touch to the inspiration to believe.

A documentyry who you feel because not the informations proposed by Mr. Larson are the axis but his honest expressions of faith and questions, doubts, illuminations and emotions behind it.

In short, I believe, a profound useful film for a very large audience.

This documentary presented compelling evidence on the events which happened over two thousand years ago. With the age of computers and scientific data available, the "signs" from the heavens can finally be reveled. Mr. Larson takes you through scripture and presents his findings in a way that every member of your family will understand and enjoy. Was there a creator? Is the universe a gigantic clock? What are the signs in the heavens? You will ponder these questions and more as you view this presentation. I found myself wanting more information after the viewing. Larson provides references to third party software so you can duplicate what he has presented. This video will strengthen your faith or challenge your unbelief in the events leading to the birth of Christ.

I've read and heard numerous articles on numerous theories of the Christmas Star/Star of Bethlehem since I was a child. Most of the information Larson presents has been already covered many times over, yet this man appears to grace himself with a tremendous amount of more credit then others have. Being a Christian, and knowing this man is also a Christian, this made it very disturbing.

The theory he presented is just that - a theory. There are a number of serious holes in his theory, according to real experts, and he also failed to recognize where the Bible states that the star was a MIRACLE (that would mean that this was not done in the natural order of things, yet the supernatural.) He was using a simple computer program, and basic scientific methods to try to pin down one of God's supernatural miracles.

He stated that his approach was different then any of the others before him (this, in of itself, is incorrect). Also, Scholars found long ago that Jupiter and Venus were in conjunction around the time of Christ's birth. This was not from Larson's own findings, by any stretch of the imagination.

He pins December the 25th as the date of Christ's birth, yet if you read the Bible, when Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was carrying John the Baptist, it states how far along she was in her pregnancy, the time of year it was (they mentioned the holiday) and that would put Christ's birth in September. Most people, even mainstream Christian's now realize that Christ was not born in or around December. Many people now know that December 25th was originally a pagan holiday/festival, and that it used to be a common ancient practice to place Christian holidays and/or events "on top of" pagan ones, in attempts to eliminate the memory of it.

I have difficulties with the usage of tactics like soft inspirational music in the background when the person is speaking, in attempt to soften and endear the viewers to them (The entertainment industry and Televangelists use this tactic, and it's not a good one to stand by if you want to be taken seriously), nor is the tactic of showing massive amounts of camera/film shots where the person is in deep serious contemplation, or having 'noble' expressions, nor is the tactic of reenacting a person on their knees, reverently praying, tears flowing, etc. (These are the tactics of deception, of fools and the entertainment industry.)

Going on the information given and the methods used, I saw only another speculative theory, but this one coming from a noticeable amateur, seemingly taking credit for other experts work. Going on the tactics used, the self applause, and quality and interest-retention of the film in general, I found it seriously lacking.

It's a good thing I do not doubt the existence of God's work, including His miracle with the Bethlehem star. If I had to rely on theories like this, I'd be in trouble.

I am a person who believes in that Jesus was the son of God but we are all sons and daughters of God. So the story of the birth of Jesus is "A Story" based on a real incident. What is known about the star is really not fully explained here. The mans visual props are seldom seen on screen.

I am not recommending this because it is a bore to watch! If you were there when they were filming this then it might of been more interesting. They its presented here it comes across like your listening to the radio.

Don't bother to watch!

I believe in the message of Christ and his teachings. Now all the stories about his birth and everything about it I find to be "Wishful thinking".

I was looking forward in watching this. What I got was a Sunday School class with poor visuals and no give and take.

I think the same material could be presented "Again" however the Pastor could have a better dialog with the people in the audience. Also when he shows us the visuals its only for a moment. Next time sire get someone that knows how to film something like this.

Presentation is everything. This presentation doesn't work. The "Proof" is something that this man "rigged up". I could have done the same thing to better effect.

This same material however could be presented by somebody else with better graphics and you might have a better result.

This just doesn't work.

This might of been interesting had the DVD came with instructions on how to download a print a visual aide to help you get a more clear vision of the night of the birth of the Christ Child.

This concept of this special had me excited. I could not wait to watch. Once I started watching what I saw was a hack job of filming and editing.

This is not worth your time.