Sunday, December 22, 2013

Joyeux Noël

Musique - "I'm Dreaming of Home" by the Scottish cast of Joyeux Noël
I've said it before, but Joyeux Noël is one of my very favorite Christmas movies. I find WWI fascinating and the Christmas Truce of 1914 that this film is about is my favorite part of the war. I feel like WWI was the last war when men were still gentlemen. I cannot fathom a Christmas truce occurring in the world that existed after the Great War.

This film always makes me cry because you see how terrible war is and how beautiful love and human kindness are. Seeing these men kill each other one day and then stop the next because it's Christmas Eve is a very moving thing. Watching them realize that the enemy really isn't so different from they are restores my faith in humanity.

Because this film is so wonderful and because I'm watching it right now, I'd like to share some photos from real life Christmas Truces that occurred the winter of 1914:
If you're interested in finding out more about the Christmas Truces all along the front in 1914, I'd highly recommend the book Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce by Stanley Weintraub.