Saint Mary (film)


Saint Mary is a 2000 Iranian film by director Shahriar Bahrani, depicting the life of Mary mother of Jesus based on the Quran and Islamic tradition.

Plot

In the year 16 BCE, the people of Jerusalem are awaiting the birth of the son of Imran. Instead of the much-anticipated "Messiah", a girl is born to Imran and Anna. The latter names her Mary, which means "Servant of God". At the age of six, Mary is presented at the Temple, and remains there under the protection of the priest Zechariah until she turns sixteen.
While in seclusion, Mary spends all of her time in labour and prayers, and is harassed by the Jewish priests. She achieves such holiness that the angel Gabriel appears to her, foretelling that she will bear a holy man. She later gives birth to Jesus.

Production

The film bases the story of the life of Saint Mary and the birth of Jesus- a prophet in Islamic tradition on classical sources such as Chapter 19 of the Qur'an. Along with the character of Saint Mary, this film also featured the righteous character of the Prophet Zakariya, who in Islam was the guardian of Saint Mary.
The two-hour-long film was originally in Persian but has been dubbed into English by the Wilayah Network which was recorded in Hong Kong by Red Angel Media, and there is also another version with English subtitles. Footage from the film was used heavily in the 19 August 2007 British ITV documentary The Muslim Jesus.

Cast