Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Brea Harris After doing some recent research on WWI, for a history course, I came across a certain movie that represents a concept far away from what defined this war. This movie by the name of Joyeux Noel is French for Merry Christmas. It is based on an event that is not taught in the textbooks we read in school. Matter of fact, before seeing this movie I did not believe that events like this were even possible. Rather than this movie being consumed with the violence and devastation of World War I, this movie is revolved around the events that took place in the trenches during the season of Christmas. In my evaluation I will include the overall plot, as well as my opinion on certain scenes from the movie. Just like World War I, Joyeux Noel involves soldiers representing the Central Powers: Germany and Prussia, as well as the Allied Powers: France, England, and Switzerland. Even though these Powers were supposed to be enemies, they came to a realization on Christmas Eve. They realized it was not exactly appropriate to allow acts of war during this day known to represent, peace, love, and joy. On a quiet and still Christmas Eve night, a German soldier began to sing 'Stille Nacht', the German translation of 'Silent Night', soon each group of soldiers joins in on the song and before you know it the men are all assembled together out in the open land unarmed. They share champagne with one another, stories about their families, songs, and possessions. The soldiers, generals, and all decided Christmas would be the one day for them to put their differences aside and celebrate together. Prepare yourself, because this entire movie is not entirely spoken in English, the characters speak in French, German, and Latin as well. I love that the directors chose to do this because it allows the movie to be a true representation of the people involved in this event along with the languages that they spoke. I am someone who is actually quite fond of foreign movies as well as TV shows, so I don't mind the subtitles much. There's not too much action in this movie, so I believe that the subtitles don't take away from the visual aspect of the movie. Like every movie, there were things I thought the makers could have improved upon. In the beginning of the movie, when they introduced the countries that were represented in the war, I was not entirely clear on which uniforms and emblems belonged to which country. Some of the uniforms as well as characters looked pretty similar, so it was not until the men came together that I was able to differentiate the groups. Another thing, that I was most disappointed about, was how the story concluded. I loved the story line very much, but I believe that there was a better way to sum up the plot altogether. The movie ended in a way that made me think, was there just not enough information provided to be able to come up with a more complex ending? Right after we were given the chance to see this wonderful reunion and celebration between these ferocious enemies, the movie transitioned right into the ending scene where each group of soldiers left on a train to go their separate ways. That was it. Once the credits began to roll up on the screen, I was slightly confused because just like any movie viewer, I had gotten to know these characters and wanted to know what the rest of their lives consisted of. I would have been just fine with a few descriptions about the main characters and the lives they lived throughout the rest of the war. I believe that these were very minor issues and as a whole I thought the movie was depicted well and left me with a hopeful feeling. My favorite scene from the movie is the moment where the soldiers are together laughing and celebrating with each other. This particular scene is what I believe to be the director's proudest moment. I was given a completely different perspective on World War I. I relate this event, which happened over one hundred years ago, to the many unfortunate situations we have faced in the world since then. Even though many devastating events continue to happen on a daily basis, Joyeux Noel's Christmas scene made me hopeful for humanity, because even in the darkest moments of war, people were still able to recognize the joy and peace of this blessed day. This particular movie regarding World War I was probably the best one for me to see. I typically have a hard time watching war movies, mainly because I disagree with the violence that comes with war, but this story did its best to stray away from the typical violence in your average war movie. Joyeux Noel was an excellent movie. I would give this movie nine out of ten stars. I thought it was cast well and every component involved did a job well done when it came to tugging at the heartstrings.

GusF Based on the Christmas truce of 1914, this is an excellent, thought- provoking and often very moving film with a powerful message of humanity. Contrary to the propaganda at the time and, in some cases (rather worryingly), more recently, the First World War was not fought for the sake of freedom. It was fought for the sake of the vaulting ambition of imperialists on both sides. There was not a great difference between fighting for Liberty, Equality, Fraternity / King and Country or Kaiser and the Fatherland, something which is illustrated very effectively throughout the film. As in reality, the British, French and German political and military leaders in their ivory towers came down very hard on their subordinates when they learned of the truce. There is one rather unbelievable development but the film is otherwise very well written and directed by Christian Carion. This is the first French film that I have seen but only about a third of it was actually in French with the remainder being in English or German. It was a co-production with Britain, Germany, Belgium and Romania, which is rather appropriate given the film's positive attitude towards international cooperation.Daniel Brühl, one of the few actors in the film with whom I was already familiar, gives the best performance as the German Lieutenant Horstmayer. The commander of the German 93rd Infantry Regiment may be a bit of a slow-burner compared to some of the other characters but he eventually develops into the most interesting character in the film. Horstmayer initially seems to be the stereotypical German military marionette. However, he is shown to be a good and decent man when he agrees to the Christmas Eve ceasefire with the Scots and the French. Although he is Jewish, he is deeply moved by the impromptu Christian service held in No Man's Land and involving soldiers from all three nationalities. He is initially contemptuous of the tenor turned private Nikolaus Sprink, played quite well by Benno Fürmann, but he warms to him after the truce. Horstmayer often speaks lovingly of his wife of two years, something to which the Scottish and French can relate, and in a poignant moment it is revealed that she is French.Guillaume Canet is likewise excellent as Horstmayer's French counterpart Lieutenant Camille René Audebert. In his first scene, he is as apprehensive as his men prior to a major assault on the German trenches, becoming physically sick as he has been through it before and knows just what to expect. However, this is not the only thing that he is worried about as his wife is living in Lens in the occupied part of France and he has not had contact with her in months. She was heavily pregnant when they last spoke and he does not even know whether she has given birth to a boy or a girl. Audebert has a nice relationship with his aide-de-comp Private Ponchel, who starts out as a comic relief character but has one of the most moving scenes in the film when he describes his daily ritual of 10 o'clock coffee with his beloved mother. Danny Boon excels as Ponchel, displaying a flair for both drama and comedy. During the truce, Audebert and Horstmayer seem to bond more than any of the other soldiers and it is suggested that the two would have been friends if they had met before the war. Carion announced recently that is thinking of a sequel focussing on the two of them after the war and I really hope that he does make it as it is an excellent idea. There are so many things that could be explored, not least the discrimination that Horstmayer would face as a Jew once the Nazis rose to power.Canet's then wife Diane Kruger has the only substantial role of any woman in the film as Sprink's fiancée and fellow opera star Anna Sørensen from neutral Denmark. While Kruger is a wonderful actress, I found it incredibly hard to believe that a woman would have been allowed into the trenches under any circumstances in 1914. She does have a pass from Kaiser Wilhelm II but this is merely a plot device designed to make it seem plausible. Carion was essentially trying to shoehorn a woman into the plot so that it would not be entirely male dominated but it does not work at all as it just rings false. I would have preferred it if they had kept the exploration of the pain of separation from loved ones more subtle, as in the examples that I mentioned earlier. The film also has strong performances from Gary Lewis as the Scottish priest Father Palmer, Steven Roberston as Jonathan, Alex Ferns as Lt. Gordon, Bernard Le Coq as the French general (whose identity I correctly guessed), Ian Richardson as the jingoistic, racist Bishop and Thomas Schmauser as the German heir apparent Crown Prince Wilhelm, the only historical character in the film.Overall, this is an excellent anti-war film which illustrates that people are basically the same in spite of national borders and different languages. In that sense, it is surprisingly upbeat and perhaps even a little life affirming. For the season that's in it and given the subject matter, I feel that it is appropriate to wish a Joyeux Noël, Frohe Weihnachten and Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it and peace and goodwill to everyone else.

hall895 If war is futile the trench warfare style of fighting which defined World War I is the most futile of all. Men dug into trenches a few hundred yards apart waiting until the men of one side are ordered to come up out of the trenches and charge at the enemy. Ordered to their deaths as these men are inevitably slaughtered. In this movie the Germans on one side and the French and Scottish on the other are fighting over a tiny, inconsequential strip of land in eastern France. The war was never going to be won or lost here. But men would die here. And for what? The film begins, rather brilliantly, with scenes of children from each of the three countries reciting patriotic speeches about their country's superiority and the inherent evilness of the enemy. And then we meet the soldiers. These aren't evil men. These are young men who just want to survive. Young men ordered off to war by men who sit comfortably far away from the front lines, protected from the savagery and true cost of war. The men in the trenches have retained their humanity. Their leaders, as will become painfully obvious by the film's end, have lost theirs.The remarkable events depicted in this film actually did happen. Sure there are some things changed and embellished to make a true story into a movie but the heart of the story remains. And what a story it is. Soldiers stopping the senseless killing and laying down their arms to come together to celebrate Christmas. In doing so they come to realize they have more in common with the enemy than they would have imagined. Bonds are formed. Which will of course make going back to slaughtering one another somewhat difficult. But that is a concern that is reserved for the movie's end. How good is the movie that leads towards that inevitably uncomfortable ending? Pretty good indeed. It's a heartwarming story. Character development is rushed or, in some cases, nonexistent which is a little disappointing. More time spent getting to know these soldiers would make us so much more emotionally invested in their fate. But the movie still manages to pack a serious emotional punch. Once the story sets itself up there are times where things move a little slowly and the movie seems to get bogged down a little. But for whatever little quibbles you may have with the film the good far outweighs the bad. The performances are uniformly excellent, the cinematography is wonderful and the message is inspiring. There is so much more that can bring us together than there is that can tear us apart. The men in the trenches figured this out. If only their leaders had done the same.

TheLittleSongbird Joyeux Noel seemed like an ideal seasonal movie. Already in the Christmas spirit I ventured to watch it, and finished the film with a feeling of hope and tears down my face. It is an incredibly moving film, with a subject matter that anyone would identify with, which is explored intelligently and broodingly here. The cinematography, lighting, costumes and settings are appropriately moody yet very beautifully done, the script is emotionally complex and never overly-preachy and the story is compelling and moved and haunted me a long while after. The characters are believable, no offensive stereotypes or clichés as such here, and the cast particularly Diana Kruger give dynamic performances. And I have to mention the soundtrack, simply divine and one of the best I've heard recently. Oh and for fans of Natalie Dessay and Rolando Villazon, they sing here, and wonderfully might I add, very understated and fitting with not a too original interpretation or over-tensed note in sight. In conclusion, a treasure. 10/10 Bethany Cox