12 Reviews of Christmas - Joyeux Noël (2005)

       Hey guys, Chuck here. This year marks the 110th anniversary of arguably one of the most important moments in modern world history. On Christmas Eve in 1914, in the midst of World War I, soldiers from opposing fronts agreed to a ceasefire in commemoration of the Christmas holiday. So, to commemorate the anniversary of the event, today for 12 Reviews of Christmas, I would like to take a look at the 2005 foreign film Joyeux Noël, starring Benno Fürmann, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Guillaume Canet, Gary Lewis, and Alex Ferns, and written and directed by Christian Carion. 

       So, Joyeux Noël is a fictitious recounting of the actual historical event, and it tells a story of six characters: Gordon, a Scottish lieutenant, Audebert, a French lieutenant, Horstmayer, a Jewish-German lieutenant, Father Palmer, a Scottish priest serving as a chaplain, and opera singers Nikolaus Sprink and Anna Sørensen. As the Christmas holiday approaches, Nikolaus is sent to perform on the front lines for German troops,.with Anna going with him. 

         And, it's here where we see the main center point of the film's plot: across the British, French, and German fronts, all three sides begin singing "Silent Night" in their respective languages. After a while, lieutenants Gordon, Audebert, and Horstmayer all gather in No Man's Land to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire in commemoration of the Christmas holiday. And, once agreed upon, the ceasefire is upheld, and the men come out of the trenches, mingling with each other, and sharing pictures of family back home, and even having Father Palmer holding a small mass (in Latin as was customary at the time). The next day, the ceasefire of Christmas Eve is extended into Christmas Day, with the troops gathering their respective dead, and continuing to converse and befriend each other. 

         Unfortunately, the war must continue, and things get complicated. You see, it's difficult to try and kill someone you just befriended days before, and so the men try to prolong the inevitable as much as possible. This doesn't sit well with their commanding officers, and all the men are sent from the front to other areas, with others being branded with marks of shame for the actions that transpired. 

         While I won't harp on the performances too much with this movie, I must say that I enjoyed the likes of Daniel Brühl, Benno Fürmann, and Diane Kruger. There were many phenomenal performances, but those three were my personal favorites. The set design, costume design, and overall production design was absolutely phenomenal, and I give full marks for that. But, what's really important about Joyeux Noël is what it's all about: the Christmas Eve ceasefire. This was one of the most significant events of World War I, as it shows how truly impactful the Christmas holiday is, as it's the one thing that brought an entire war to a halt. Not ended the conflict necessarily, but put it on pause for a handful of days due to the significance and importance of the Christmas holiday. And, that's why I wanted to talk about this movie, and I encourage everyone to find this movie on streaming or digital platforms and watch it. I'm giving Joyeux Noël a 5/5. 

         Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off. Join me tomorrow for the final review of this year's 12 Reviews of Christmas: Blackadder's Christmas Carol.