Merry Christmas – a movie about war and humanity: recommended!

[Adaryn]

The "Christmas truce" is a term used to describe several brief unofficial cessations of hostilities that occurred on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day between German and British or French troops in World War I, particularly that between British and German troops stationed along the Western Front during Christmas 1914. In 1915 there was a similar Christmas truce between German and French troops, and during Easter 1916 a truce also existed on the Eastern Front.

Based on the true story of the Christmas Truce, "Merry Christmas" takes place in the trenches in France, in december 1914. It depicts the Christmas truce between German, French and Scottish soldiers, as well as the way this truce, seen as a "rebellion", was handled by the pathocrats who sent these men to death.
Apart from a few liberties, most of what is depicted really happened (if you see the movie, the story of the cat executed for collaborating with the enemy is true :O )

Here's the trailer (sorry, couldn't find a better one)
http://www.spike.com/video/joyeux-noel-merry/2693014

A very good movie!

 

[Qbone]

I wonder if it is about the same story.

http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/archive-2006-1231-christmas_in_the_trenches.htm

:)

 

[Adaryn]

Very interesting article!

Actually these Christmas truces happened in several places of the war front. In the movie, it happens in Northern France's front, between French, Germans and Scots. I think the story draws from several anecdotes that happened in different places during Xmas 1914.

Restless in their trenches, covered in mud, and eating the same rations every day, some soldiers began to wonder about the un-seen enemy, men declared monsters by propagandists.

· We hated their guts when they killed any of our friends; then we really did dislike them intensely. But otherwise we joked about them and I think they joked about us. And we thought, well, poor so-and-sos, they're in the same kind of muck as we are.

Despite psychopathic propaganda, men don't lose their humanity...

Yet many soldiers enjoyed meeting the un-seen enemy and were surprised to discover that they were more alike than he had thought.

... because of the psychopathic propaganda aiming at dividing humans.

They talked, shared pictures, exchanged items such as buttons for food stuffs. An extreme example of the fraternization was a soccer game played in the middle of No Man's Land between the Bedfordshire Regiment and the Germans. A member of the Bedfordshire Regiment produced a ball and the large group of soldiers played until the ball was deflated when it hit a barbed wire entanglement.

This strange and unofficial truce lasted for several days, much to the dismay of the commanding officers. This amazing showing of Christmas cheer was never again repeated and as World War I progressed, the story of Christmas 1914 at the front became something of a legend.

This experience has been the most practical demonstration I have seen of 'Peace on earth and goodwill towards men.