To which Audebert replied, “Don’t feel you have to invade Paris to get a drink round my house!” The German commander named Horstmayer said in his thick accent, to the French lieutenant, Audebert, “When we take Paris and it will all be over, you can invite me up for a drink at your house in rue Vavin!” The former enemies communicated as best they could, some knew each other’s language. This cat was heedless of the war and wandered from side to side, making friends with both.īut the friendship between warring sides went beyond mere pleasantries, the next morning, each side warned each other of artillery shelling that they knew was coming and sheltered each other in their trenches to avoid being hit. They exchanged photos, addresses, chocolate, champagne, other small gifts, and played football (soccer) together. They realized that they had more in common than they realized.Ī physical manifestation of this was shown in the film with a cat that both sides claimed as their mascot. Such a contrast! – Singing in the same trenches where that very afternoon the sound of war raged.Ĭoaxed into peace by the universal warmth of this song, the warring sides ventured out of their trenches and agreed on an unofficial truce, which in some places lasted for ten days. The Scots answered with a bagpipe accompaniment, and soon all three sides were singing the same song together in trenches 100 meters apart from each other. On Christmas Eve the German side began to sing Silent Night. This was a well documented incident at one of the first battles of WWI, involving some 3,000 soldiers from the Scot, French, and German sides. “ Joyeux Noel” is based on a historical moment of kindness that occurred in France on Christmas Eve in 1914. It reveals how understanding, friendship, and a common love for music can turn enemies into friends. Instead of showing mere battle brutality, it weaves a story of humanity from the lives of three soldiers on opposing sides of the battlefield.
I would like to believe he was influencing me.Ī film by writer/director Christian Carionĭiane Kruger, Bruno Furmann, Guillaume Canet, Daniel Bruhl, Bernard LeCoq, Ian Richardson, and Alex Ferns I wondered if he had something to do with my interest in it.
He never talked about the war to me so I never knew until my brother told me. After this article was published, my brother wrote me and mentioned that our grandfather, who was fighting on the German side, had told him that he was involved in this incident at Christmas.
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