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Fri 12 Dec 2006Born under a wandering starPutting the religion back into Christmas, Catherine Hardwicke, the edgy director of Thirteen, brings a youthful touch to the story of the nativity. She talks to Donald Clarke.HOW times change. Fifty years ago, when the cinemas were awash with biblical epics, a film like The Nativity Story would have attracted no controversy whatsoever. At that point, despite the fact that many of the studios were run by Jewish businessmen, it was assumed that We In The West lived in a Christian society and that any film telling stories from the Bible was talking directly to this great homogenous Us. What could be less troublesome than a cosy film relating the birth of Jesus?