52 Films by Women Vol 4. 2. NATIVITY ROCKS! (Director: Debbie Isitt)
In the past, I have complained that female directors have never got to make sequels to their commercial successes. Catherine Hardwicke was removed from the Twilight series while Sam Taylor-Johnson was replaced by James Foley for the follow-ups to 50 Shades of Grey . One writer-director who has proved the exception is Britain’s Debbie Isitt, who has helmed four films in the Nativity series. Now, I know what you’re thinking: just how many times can I watch the baby Jesus being born? It’s not that nativity, exactly. All four films, Nativity (2009), Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger (2012), Nativity 3: Dude, Where’s My Donkey (2014) and now Nativity Rocks! (2018) – subtitle ‘This Ain’t No Silent Night’ (I hate double negatives) – are set in St Bernadette’s Primary School in Coventry, where the new teacher is tasked with putting on the nativity play, which is important for spurious and frankly irrelevant reasons. Isitt casts well-known television actors in the leading roles - a...