History Film / JoyeuxNoel

* LostInTranslation: Inverted. In the original multilingual cut, the Crown Prince's comment to Horstmayer didn't actually hint at any antisemitism - he was only commenting on the fact that Iron Crosses were now awarded "to just about anyone now" (or, in Horstmayr's case, 'cowards').

* LostInTranslation: Inverted. In the original multilingual cut, the Crown Prince's comment to Horstmayer didn't actually hint at any antisemitism - he was only commenting on the fact that Iron Crosses were now awarded "to just about anyone now" (in his case, 'cowards').

* SwitchToEnglish: Whenever the three lieutenants speak with each other.{{Justified}} as English is the only language the three men have in common.

* NotSoDifferent: People on all sides show this as they celebrate the holidays together.
** In a more frightening example, the bishop toward the end is an anti-German bigot, who advises that all be killed "because they are different". For someone who's anti-German, that rhetoric [[ANaziByAnyOtherName sounds awfully similar to what many Germans will be saying several years from then]]....

'''''Joyeux Noël''''' (''Merry Christmas'') is a 2005 film depicting the RealLife Christmas Truce of 1914, in the first year of WorldWarI.

** TruthInTelevision: Stretcher bearers often were the most badass men of the unit and often suffered the highest casualties because their job was to take injured men out of battle to the back line for treatment. While it was illegal to intentionally fire on them, they carried no weapons and were often victims of artillery fire.

* BitterSweetEnding: [[spoiler:Every unit is reprimanded for their fraternization and are all split up to fight in new areas, but the Germans singing in the train at the end proves that they will never forget the humanity they showed their enemies.]]

** {{Justified}} with the Scots, as they're from the Highlands, an area of Scotland that remains largely Catholic.
** Somewhat {{justified}} in that most French and many Germans are Catholic and they would know what to do in a Catholic mass, although, in this case, the German lieutenant is [[spoiler:Jewish]].
* ChristmasMiracle
* ColdSniper: Jonathan.
* CuteKitten: The Germans and the French use a cat to send messages back and forth across the lines.
** [[spoiler:Which perhaps ends badly for all involved. General Audebert, the French lieutenant's father, tells his son at the end of the movie that the cat has been found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death, with a very serious face (this was based on a real incident, and the cat ''was'' shot). This might count as a [[KickTheDog Shoot The Cat]] moment, along with the scene where the German Kronprinz crushes the harmonica featured prominently when everyone was singing Christmas carols.]]

* ForegoneConclusion: None of the characters are very likely to survive the carnage of the next four years, but in particular, Horstmayer is [[spoiler: Jewish]]. And in what appears to be a thinly-veiled allusion to his eventual fate should he survive the war, the last scene of the film shows the Kronprinz, [[spoiler: a future Nazi sympathiser, apparently making an anti-Semitic comment before sending Horstmayer and his men to Eastern Europe in cattle cars]]. Yeah.
** [[spoiler:Whether the Kronprinz was to become an actual Nazi sympathiser is a bit questionable. Many German monarchists and right-wingers would side with the Nazis in 1920s, as he did, only to violently oppose them in the 1930s and 1940s-including the plotters of the July 20th Incident. It is known that both the Kronprinz and the former Kaiser were appalled by the violent antisemitism of the Nazis by 1930s, and furthermore, in the movie itself, the Kronprinz makes no explicit mention of Horstmayer's Jewishness, at least in the US version of the film, only that Horstmayer is undeserving of the medal that he wears.]]

* KicktheDog: Or, crush the harmonica under the boot, by the Kronprinz as he dresses down the German soldiers who are being reassigned to the Eastern Front.
** [[spoiler: And when the French general, who is also the French lieutenant's father, reveals that the cat was caught with a message from the Germans and has been found guilty of treason.]]

* MistakenNationality: When Nikolaus goes "over the top" singing Adeste Fideles, he finishes by calling out, "Guten Abend Engländer!", to which an amused Scot replies, "Good evening, Germans. But we're not English, we're Scottish!"
** The châtelains assume that Danish Anna is German. To be fair, she does initially address them in German, before switching to French. [[FakeNationality And the actress is German]].

** PetTheDog: ''One'' of the figures of high command ([[spoiler: Audebert's father]]), ends up accepting that he and his son's view differ on the matter and, when learning that [[spoiler: he has a grandson now, says "Let's both try to survive the war for his sake."]]

* ScrewTheWarWerePartying: A heartwarming example.

* SpiritedYoungLady: Anna.

* ThatsAnOrder: Several times.
* TruceZone
* UnfriendlyFire

* WarIsHell

The film begins with French, English and German school boys reciting xenophobic, jingoistic poems:

-->'''French boy''':\\

-->'''British boy''':\\

-->'''German boy''':\\

''Joyeux Noël'' (''Merry Christmas'') is a 2005 film depicting the RealLife Christmas Truce of 1914, in the first year of WorldWarI.

--->'''French boy''': Child, upon these maps do heed this black stain to be effaced
--->Omitting it, you would proceed yet better it in red to trace
--->Later, whatever may come to pass promise there to go you must to fetch the children of Alsace
--->Reaching out their arms to us
--->May in our fondest France Hope's green saplings to branch
--->And in you, dear child, flower
--->Grow, grow, France awaits its hour.

--->'''British boy''': To rid the map of every trace
--->Of Germany and of the Hun
--->We must exterminate that race
--->We must not leave a single one
--->Heed not their children's cries
--->Best slay all now, the women, too
--->Or else someday again they'll rise
--->Which if they're dead, they cannot do.

--->'''German boy''': We have one and only enemy
--->Who digs the grave of Germany
--->Its heart replete with hatred, gall and envy
--->We have one and only enemy
--->The villain raises its murderous hand
--->Its name, you know, is England.

* WorldWarI

[[spoiler: The next day, after Jonathan guns down a German, the fighting resumes. Audebert and Gordon are rebuked by their generals for the fraternization, while the Germans are sent to the Eastern Front. At the end, a Scots Catholic bishop preaches to new Scottish Highlander troops, giving them an ultra-patriotic bloodthirsty message of being on a "crusade" against the inhuman Germans. At this Father Palmer turns away in dismay.]]

* ActorAllusion: The French lieutenant compliments his German counterpart on his excellent French compared to his poor German. The German lieutenant responds "but your wife is not German." Guillaume Canet, the actor who played the French lieutenant, was married to the German actress (and a co-star in the film) DianeKruger at this time.
* BadassPreacher: While he was as a stretcher bearer and not a soldier... Father Palmer was undeniably Badass. He went into no man's land ''twice'' to save someone's life without a thought.
** TruthInTelevision: Stretcher bearers often were the most badass men of the unit and often suffered the highest casulties because their job was to take injured men out of battle to the back line for treatment. While it was illegal to intentionally fire on them they carried no weapons and were often victims of artillery fire.

* BraveScot: Well, naturally. Special mention to Father Palmer, who doesn't quite fit the stereotype (being a non-combatant), but is nonetheless incredibly courageous in his efforts to save wounded soldiers and in bringing a few days' peace to the battlefield.
* ChekhovsGun: The Clock, Lieutenant Audebert's sketchbook, & the song the Scots taught the Germans.
* ChildrenAreInnocent: Subverted in the opening scenes mentioned above, when French, British and German children are shown reciting extremely xenophobic, warmongering poems.

** Somewhat justified in that most French and many Germans are Catholic and they would know what to do in a Catholic mass, although, in this case, the German lieutenant is [[spoiler:Jewish]].

* ColdSniper: Jonathan

** [[spoiler:Which perhaps ends badly for all involved. General Audebert, the French lieutenant's father, tells his son at the end of the movie that the cat has been found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death, with a very serious face. This might count as a [[KickTheDog Shoot The Cat]] moment, along with the scene where the Prussian Crown Prince crushes the harmonica featured prominently when everyone was singing Christmas carols.]]

* ForegoneConclusion: None of the characters are very likely to survive the carnage of the next four years, but in particular, Horstmayer is [[spoiler: Jewish]]. And in what appears to be a thinly-veiled allusion to his eventual fate should he survive the war, the last scene of the film shows the Kronprinz, [[spoiler: a future Nazi sympathiser, apparently passing an anti-Semitic comment before sending Horstmayer and his men to Eastern Europe in cattle cars]]. Yeah.
** [[spoiler:Whether the Prussian Crown Prince was to become an actual Nazi sympathiser is a bit questionable. Many German monarchists and right-wingers would side with the Nazis in 1920s, as he did, only to violently oppose them in 1930s and 1940s--including the plotters of the July 20th Incident. It is known that, both the crown prince and the former Kaiser were appalled by the violent anti-semilitism of the Nazis by 1930s, and furthermore, in the movie itself, the Crown Prince makes no explicit mention of Horstmayer's Jewishness, at least in the US version of the film, only that Horstmayer is undeserving of the medal that he wears.]]

* GotVolunteered: Sprink mentions this specifically but most of the other soldiers as well.

* InsigniaRipOffRitual: Subverted. The Kronprinz just pokes his cane at it.

* KicktheDog: Or, crush the harmonica under the boot, by the Prussian Crown Prince as he dresses down the German soldiers who are being reassigned to the Eastern Front.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Quite [[JustifiedTrope Jusitified]] by the setting.

* SwitchToEnglish: Whenever the three lieutenants speak with each other. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] as English is the only language the three men have in common.

** [[spoiler:Which perhaps ended badly for all involved. General Audebert, the French lieutenant's father, tells his son at the end of the movie that the cat has been found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death, with a very serious face.]]

* ActorAllusion: The French lieutenant complements his German counterpart on his excellent French compared to his poor German. The German lieutenant responds "but your wife is not German." Guillaume Canet, the actor who played the French lieutenant, was married to the German actress (and a co-star in the film) DianeKruger at this time.

* ActorAllusion: The French lieutenant complements his German counterpart on his excellent French compared to his poor German. The German lieutenant responds "but your wife is not German." Guillaume Canet, the actor who played the French lieutenant was married to the German actress (and a co-star on the film) DianeKruger at this time.

** [[spoiler:Whether the Prussian Crown Prince was to become an actual Nazi sympathiser is a bit questionable. Many German monarchists and right-wingers would side with the Nazis in 1920s, as he did, only to violently oppose them in 1930s and 1940s--including the plotters of the July 20th Incident. It is known that, both he and the former Kaiser were appalled by the violent anti-semilitism of the Nazis, and furthermore, in the movie itself, the Crown Prince makes no explicit mention of Horstmayer's Jewishness, at least in the US version of the film, only that Horstmayer is undeserving of the medal that he wears.]]

* BraveScot: Well, naturally. Special mention to Father Palmer, who doesn't quite fit the stereotype (being a non-combatant), but is nonetheless incredibly courageous in his efforts to save wounded soldiers.

** [[spoiler:Whether the Prussian Crown Prince was to become an actual Nazi sympathiser is a bit questionable. Many German monarchists and right-wingers would side with the Nazis in 1920s, as he did, only to violently oppose them in 1930s and 1940s--including the plotters of the July 20th Incident. It is known that, both he and the former Kaiser were appalled by the violent anti-semilitism of the Nazis, and furthermore, in the movie itself, the Crown Prince makes no explicit mention of Horstmayer's Jewishness, at least in the US version of the film.]]

** Somewhat justified in that most French and many Germans are Catholic, although, in this case, the German lieutenant is [[spoiler:Jewish]].

2005 film depicting the RealLife Christmas Truce of 1914, in the first year of WorldWarI.

* GermanicDepressives: Lieutenant Horstmayer is a strict and by-the-book figure, who sees the Kaiser's Christmas trees and Anna's presence as frivolous annoyances. [[IGotBetter He gets better]].