History Film / JoyeuxNoel

* SwitchToEnglish: Whenever the three lieutenants speak with each other. {{Justified}} as English is the only language the three men have in common. When the French and German lieutenants meet, the language of choice is French, which the German speaks fluently, being married to a Frenchwoman and all.

* DecoyProtagonist: The film opens with Jonathan and William getting ready to go to war, with Father Palmer following reluctantly. It seems like the brothers will be our main characters, but the next time we see them, William is dying from a bullet wound and Jonathan fades into the background. If there is one protagonist in the EnsembleCast, it's Horstmayer, who is met the last of all the main characters.

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

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

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

* 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]].
* ForeShadowing: Jonathan's frequent [[TraitorShot Traitor Shots]] and SanitySlippage shots [[spoiler: make it all the more logical that he's the one who guns down the French Lieutenant's orderly.]]

* FromTheMouthsOfBabes: {{Invoked}} in the opening scenes mentioned above, when French, British and German children are made to recite propaganda poems. On the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, the French poem sounds idealistic enough, but the British and German poems are extremely cynical.

* HeroicBSOD: Jonathan [[spoiler: when his brother dies.]]

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

* 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."]]

-->'''Bishop''': "Christ our Lord said, 'Think not that I come to bring peace on earth. I come not to bring peace, but a sword.' The Gospel according to St. Matthew. Well, my brethren, the sword of the Lord is in your hands. You are the very defenders of civilization itself. The forces of good against the forces of evil. For this war is indeed a crusade! A holy war to save the freedom of the world. In truth I tell you: the Germans do not act like us, neither do they think like us, for they are not, like us, children of God. Are those who shell cities populated only by civilians the children of God? Are those who advanced armed hiding behind women and children the children of God? With God's help, you must kill the Germans, good or bad, young or old. Kill every one of them so that it won't have to be done again. The Lord be with you."
-->'''All''': "And also with you."
-->'''Bishop''': "May God Almighty bless you. The Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost. Amen."
-->'''All''': "Amen."

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Anna is the only woman in the film. {{Justified}} by the setting.

%%* TruceZone
%%* UnfriendlyFire

* TheMeanBrit: The Royal Scots Fusiliers Major is a [[HairTriggerTemper bad-tempered]] tyrant who at one point [[EstablishingCharacterMoment berates Father Palmer for his efforts to rescue a wounded soldier]].

[[caption-width-right:300:''[[{{Tagline}} France 1914. A moment of humanity that made history.'']]

[[caption-width-right:300:''[[Music/{{Sabaton}} A moment of peace in a war that never ends]].'']]

[[caption-width-right:300:''[[Music/Sabaton A moment of peace in a war that never ends]].'']]

Hearing such words from the mouths of children is of course horrible, explicitly showing us how the war developed on ethnic and national rivalries or hatred. The film proceeds, introducing us to its British, French and German characters who join up as the war breaks out. William and Jonathan, two Scottish brothers, along with their priest, Father Palmer, who joins as a chaplain, French Lieutenant Audebert and German tenor Nikolaus Sprink who is engaged to a Danish soprano, Anna Sørensen, reluctant to see him go. The characters are sent to the Western Front and face each other in the trenches.

%%* DressingAsTheEnemy: [[spoiler:Private Ponchel, Lieutenant Audebert's orderly. It ends badly.]]

* ForeShadowing: Johnathan's frequent [[TraitorShot Traitor Shots]] and SanitySlippage shots [[spoiler: make it all the more logical that he's the one who guns down the French Lieutenant's orderly.]]
%%* FriendlyEnemy / GoKartingWithBowser: Sort of the whole point.

* BilingualDialogue: And occasionally Trilingual Dialogue.

* BlingOfWar: In particular, the French.

* ChekhovsGun: The Clock, Lieutenant Audebert's sketchbook, and the song the Scots taught the Germans.

* DressingAsTheEnemy: [[spoiler:Private Ponchel, Lieutenant Audebert's orderly. It ends badly.]]

* FriendlyEnemy / GoKartingWithBowser: Sort of the whole point.

* MagicMusic: Of a sort. Sprink's singing certainly casts a spell.

* ManlyTears: Many are shed, not only by the characters, but the audience as well.

* SinisterMinister: The aforementioned bishop.

* NotSoDifferent: Each side realizes that the other is not any different than themselves during the Christmas truce. It's especially highlighted when Nikolaus sang Silent Night and the Scottish bagpipers joined in, with everyone listening intently, all because of their love of music.

* FromTheMouthsOfBabes: {{Invoked}} in the opening scenes mentioned above, when French, British and German children are made to recite poems. On the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, the French poem sounds idealistic enough, but the British and German poems are extremely cynical.

* ChildrenAreInnocent: {{Subverted}} in the opening scenes mentioned above, when French, British and German children are shown reciting extremely xenophobic, warmongering poems (although it's not really their fault).

* GoodVersusGood: With two sides of people fighting for their countries justice and yet still show the kindness to their enemy so they can make peace for Christmas day. They then hate when they have to continue fighting their enemy even after they made friendships with others.

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

* GoodVsGood: With two sides of people fighting for their countries justice and yet still show the kindness to their enemy so they can make peace for Christmas day. They then hate when they have to continue fighting their enemy even after they made friendships with others.

* 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."]]

%%* SpiritedYoungLady: Anna.

* ChristianityIsCatholic: Considering that Presbyterianism is the predominant Christian denomination in Scotland, it's a little odd that all the clergy who appear in the film are Roman Catholics.

** The châtelains assume that Danish Anna is German. She does initially address them in German, before switching to French. [[FakeNationality And the actress is German]].

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Quite {{Justified}} by the setting.

* SwitchToEnglish: Whenever the three lieutenants speak with each other.{{Justified}} as English is the only language the three men have in common. When the French and German lieutenants meet, the language of choice is French, which the German speaks fluently, being married to a French woman and all.

* ScrewDestiny: More of a "screw the church," but Father Palmer definitely has this after he overhears the above sermon, leaving his cross on a stand as he walks out the door.

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