A MUST SEE

I'm pretty fortunate that most of the movies/DVDs/shows I watch are of above-average quality. I've used some of the best resources in magazines/friends/the internet to ensure that I filter out the garbage the best that I can and I try to catch as much of the good stuff as possible.

Once in while, though, I watch something that makes me feel changed after watching it. Once in a while, I watch something that so moves me, I'm not sure if I will ever be the same again.

In the waning hours of 2006, I watched one of those movies.

Joyeux Noel ("Merry Christmas") was one of the most beautiful, powerful things I've witnessed in a long time. This movie (now on DVD) told the story of the infamous "Christmas Truce" in World War I.

I heard about the truce a few years ago, and I found the whole thing amazingly unbelievable. On Christmas Eve, 1914, enemies put down their guns, rose from their trenches and celebrated Christmas together. Naturally, the Powers That Be didn't want word getting out about the unwarlike behavior, so actual proof that the truce occurred is hard to come by. But there is proof.

Enough proof that writer/director Christian Carion was able to piece together accounts and create this wonderful (fiction, but "based on real events") film.

In the movie, German forces face French and Scottish troops, and, in a miraculous series of events, they end up coming out of the trenches and meeting each other. They share stories, show pictures of their loved ones to each other, even play football (soccer) against one another on Christmas Eve and through Christmas. They allow each other to bury their dead on the day Christ was born and come together to celebrate the birth of their savior. Even though their states are enemies, the humanity of the individuals allowed them to find peace with each other-- even if it was for only a day.

I won't go it it any more (I'm tearing up just thinking about the movie-- not that it's sad-- it's just that wonderful), so as not to spoil anything. But, seriously, rent this movie. It's amazing.

The movie itself is worth the time, but it really behooves one to also watch the Interview with Director Christian Carion in the special features area after watching the movie. He goes over the history and research (in a very lively way) he put into the preparation of the movie. He also shares anecdotes he discovered (and wove into the story) and proves just how much truth is in the fiction of the movie.

Full disclosure alert: the movie is a French film, and the director (wisely) chose to have the characters speak in their own languages, so the Scots speak English, the French speak French and the Germans speak German. The non-English languages are subtitled. But you cannot let that deter you. Man-up and watch (read) this movie.

I have given a large number of "highly recommend"s in this blog, but this gets my highest. I have not watched or read anything this excellent in the entire year of 2006.

If you find it half as profound as I have, you will find you've changed a little inside as well.