Joyeux Noel: Merry Christmas

Joyeux Noel is a movie that represents the Christmas truce on December 25, 1914. It took place on Christmas Eve. The people that were included in this truce was the French, Scottish and the Germans. In the real Christmas truce there were British troops instead of the Scottish.

The film begins with the scene of soldiers from Scotland, Germany and France cheering and ecstatic about the declaration of the start of World War I. They cheered that "Finally they would have some excitement in their lives", but they had no idea what gruesome and pain the war would bring to them.

They traveled to the Western Front and began their path to destruction. The next scene shows the dirty and tight trenches which contained the soldiers from all of the countries involved in the war. Many people were injured and killed throughout the fighting. The soldiers became cold, weary and miserable. A woman, Anna (played by Diane Kruger), who performed in the Berlin Opera had a lover, Nikolaus Sprink (played by Benno FÜrman) that was fighting in the war and she wanted to be able to spend time with him on Christmas Eve and also to be able to bring cheer to the distraught soldiers. She got a pass to be able to visit the trenches and war front and to spend one night with her Nikolaus. While this was happening the Kaiser sent out Christmas trees along with decorations to the German's trenches to bring a sense of Christmas Cheer.




When Anna arrived, her and Nikolaus spent time together and discussed what the future holds for them. Anna and Nikolaus also sang for the Kaiser's son at the private Christmas party. When Nikolaus returned to the trenches later that night, he sang for his fellow soldiers as well. He then took a potentially fateful step and stepped onto "no man's land" where the battlefield contained many lost lives and began to sing to all troops while carrying a Christmas tree. At first, the soldiers were confused and wondered why he was risking to be killed, but they soon caught on to the meaning of his venture onto the "no man's land".


The generals from each troop had a small meeting and agreed that there would be a Christmas truce that meant all soldiers would cease fire for one night and enjoy and peaceful Christmas eve.


All of the men gathered onto "no man's land" and shared photos of their family, alcohol and their personal lives. They all realized that there are people behind all of the military clothing and weapons and that they were killing people who has lives and families. They continued the night with a performance from Anna and then a Christmas sermon from the pastor. After the clock striked midnight, everyone said there good bye's and wished their fellow soldiers the best of luck. Many dreaded the next day to come which would contain killing the people they have now become friends with. Soldiers went back to their trenches and wrote to their families about the peaceful and beautiful night.




When the sun rose the next morning, soldiers didn't want to fight each other. The generals met again and came to an agreement that they would spend Christmas day burying the bodies of the soldiers that lost their lives. Later that day, Anna and Nikolaus decided they would rather spend time together than him fighting and possibly losing his life. The only way they can accomplish that is to become a Prisoner of War to the French.



The movie ends with the letters that were written by the soldiers he previous night, being read by the people who check them before they get sent out. The readers were shocked by what the letters contained and decided to split up the groups of soldiers. The movie ends with the scene of the soldiers being split up and aboarding a train which would transfer them to a different area to fight, because the commanders knew that their would be an issue with the new found friends fighting each other.


The film was produced in 2005. The director was Christian Carion. It was a drama and the most well known actors are Diane Kruger, Benno FÜrman and Guillaume Canet. The movie won the FIPRESCI Prize, Audience Award, and was nominated for the Golden Globe, César Award, BAFTA Film Award, and an Oscar.

Questions:

• Did you enjoy the film? Why or why not?

I really did enjoy the film. It wasn't boring and it had a wonderful story line. There wasn't a plot, but the movie kept you watching. I found it heart-warming how the little area of the soldiers ceased fire for Christmas Eve to enjoy and celebrate. I would re-watch this movie any day

• Was the film aesthetically beautiful? If yes, how so? If not, then why not?

I found the film incredibly beautiful. The scene took place in the winter in Western Europe. The scenes are full of fluffy white snow against a white sky. I also loved the night scene which was a true "White Christmas" filled with lit Christmas trees everywhere and white snow. I also really found the costumes exact and well made. Everything truly looked like it was filmed in the year 1914. The picture quality was very good too.

• How does the film compare to an American film of a similar genre? How is it different?

Joyeux Noel is different because the story line is more peaceful. I also felt that the scenery was a lot prettier in Joyeux Noel than in most American films. In most films it would have been pretty obvious that they used a green screen or fake snow, but in this film it seemed that it was truly filmed in the winter. It is similar because there is a romance that occurs during the movie (between Anna and Nikolaus). I like this film as much or even more than I would compared to an American film.

• What does the film show about the French culture? Be specific!

The film showed that the French find beauty and aesthetics very important and key to movie creating. I also saw that the French appeared to be a little more stand-offish than any of the other troops. For example, the French general was the last to agree to a cease of fire. I also saw that the French like to create movies that are a little more relaxing than the typical action movies that the American film industry creates. It was relaxing to watch such a beautiful movie.