Movie Review: Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas) (2005)- The Ultimate Christmas Movie

‘Joyeux Noel’ (English: Merry Christmas) is an epic war drama film directed and written by Christian Carion. The film is based on the Christmas truce of December 1914, in the start of World War I. Depicted through the eyes of French, Scottish and German frontline soldiers, it is a fictionalized account of an actual event when the crown prince of Germany, Friednch Wilhelm, sent the lead singer of the Berlin Imperial Opera Company on a solo visit to the front line, Walter Kirchhoff’s singing to the 120^th and the 124^th wṻttemberg regiments led French soldiers in their trenches to stand up and applaud.

The story centers around six characters: The frontline Lieutenants of the Scottish, French and German armies, Father Palmer (a Scottish priest writing as chaplain and stretches bearer). The German Tenor Nikolaus sprink and his Danish fiancé, Anna Sørensen (two famous Opera singers).

The film open, with school children singing patriotic and ultra nationalistic songs, that praise their own country (Britain, France and Germany) While condensing their enemies, pre-war time.

 When the war starts, there is an attempt by the Allied forces for as assault on the German lines. The assault however, fails, with the French and Scottish taking many casualties, while one of Father Palmer’s disciples dies.

After getting permission from the German crown prince, Anna is allowed to visit Nikolaus, Who is serving in the front lines to perform for the generals behind the front lines. After a night, Nikolaus expresses bitterness of the comfort, the Generals get and with Anna, he decides to sing for the frontline troops.

When the Scots begin to sing festive songs, accompanied by bagpipes, Nikolaus sings ‘Silent Night’ for his German comrades. As he sings, he is accompanied by Father Palmer’s bagpipes in the Scottish trench. Nikolaus bravely steps outside the German trench with a small Christmas tree in hand whilst singing, into no man’s land. Following Nikolaus’ lead, the German, French and Scottish Lieutenants peacefully meet  in no man’s land and agree on a cease fire for the night. The soldiers of all three trenches meet and greet each other, “Merry Christmas”, “Frohe Weihnachten” and “Joyeux Noël”. There is an exchange of chocolate, champagne and photographs of loved ones. The German Lieutenant, a Jew, gives back the French Lieutenant his wallet, which had been lost in the assault a few days ago. Inside was the photograph of the French Lieutenant’s pregnant wife. The three Lieutenants connect over pre-war memories with fondness, and a friendship begins to form between the three. Father Palmer gives a mass for the soldiers, who all listen together, mixed up. There is always an element of fear that one of the soldiers may suddenly fire for revenge. The following morning, the lieutenants agrees to extend the truce to bury the bodies of the fallen. The soldiers all work together, and Father Palmer gives burial rites to them. This is followed by cordial fraternization for the rest of the day, like saving of each other.

Later, in the interpretations of letters sent home by the soldiers, the commanding officers come to the light of what has been happening the trenches. There is embarrassment anger from all three armies. The Scottish battalion is disbanded as a mark of shame, and Father Palmer is sent back to his parish. The French Lieutenant is given a rant by his father, also a General. He says it was high treason, and could have resulted in firing squad; the only thing that led otherwise was the fact that they could not order the death of a whole Company. The French Lieutenant tells his father that he has no remorse for the fraternization, and expresses his disgust for the civilians and officers that talks of sacrifice, but know nothing of the life of the life of the common soldier in the horrific conditions of the Trenches. The German Lieutenant and his troops are informed that they will be shipped to the Eastern Front without permission to see their families. Prince Friedrich tells the German Lieutenant that he does not deserve his Iron Cross. As the train of the German troops departs, the Prince watches as the soldiers sing ‘I am Dreaming of Home’, learned from the Scottish. A very heartwarming film, the film is very well shot and highly recommended. It shows, perhaps too optimistically the Brotherhood of Man.