Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas)

Film Title: Joyeux Noel (French) / Merry Christmas (USA)
Year: 2005
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (originally R, but was changed on appeal)
Length: 116 minutes
Film Genre: Drama / War / History / Foreign
Director: Christian Carion
Producer: Christophe Rossignon
Writer: Christian Carion
Players:
Benno Furmann as Nikolaus Sprink
Diane Kruger as Anna Sorensen
Guillaume Canet as Lieutenant Audebert
Alex Ferns as Gordon
Daniel Bruhl as Horstmayer
Gary Lewis as Father Palmer
Plot: The recounting of a Christmas truce on the front lines of World War I. Scottish, French and German soldiers share the joy of Christmas, much to the chagrin of their commanding officers.
Acting: The three unit commanders - Scottish Gordon, French Audebert and German Horstmayer - are a superb onscreen trio, but one character stands out from the rest. Gary Lewis' Father Palmer is the true hero of a story filled with heroes.
Cinematography: Not much to brag about, but there is nothing to complain about either.
Visual: There are not a lot of special effects, but probably because the movie is set in World War I.
Audio: Sweeping war-movie music with ebbing symphonies are interpersed throughout the film. The singing in the film steals the show though. Sorensen and Sprink make up a performing duo on and off the stage. The couple are a soprano and a tenor in German opera and share a love interest. They entertain the amassment of troops and bring an emotion to the front line that has been suppressed by the hate which surfaces in war.
When I watched it last: Last Night
What to watch for: Lewis' sermon.
What to watch out for: A bedroom scene with very brief nudity; some blood (it is a war movie, or at least a movie that occurs during a war).
IMDB Rating: 7.7 out of 10
Roger Ebert Rating: 3 out of 4 stars; "[T]his moment of peace actually did take place, among men who were punished for it, and who mostly died soon enough afterward. But on one Christmas, they were able to express what has been called...the brotherhood of man."
The Cinema Standard Overall Score: 8.3 out of 10; Though I didn't write much on this film, it is definitely a must see, especially near Christmas time.
--Reviewed by Brady