Summary

When war breaks out in the lull of summer 1914, it surprises and pulls millions of men in its wake. Nikolaus Sprink, exceptional tenor at the Berlin Opera House, will have to give up his prestigious career and the one he loves: Anna Sorensen, soprano and singing partner... Palmer, Anglican priest, has volunteered to follow Jonathan, his young church aide. They leave Scotland, one as a soldier, the other as a stretcher-bearer… Lieutenant Audebert has had to leave his wife, pregnant and bedridden, to fight the enemy. But the Germans now occupy the small town of Northern France where the young bride has probably given birth. Unless the worst has happened…. Having no news is the suffering which haunts Lieutenant Audebert’s every night…And Christmas arrives, with it’s snow and multitude of family and army presents. But the surprise won’t come from inside the generous parcels which lie in the French, Scottish and German trenches.That night, a momentous event will turn the destinies of Nikolaus, Anna, Palmer and Audebert around. Because the unthinkable will happen: rifles will be left at the bottom of the trenches to go, candle in hand, to see those opposite, shake their hands, exchange a cigarette and a piece of chocolate, wish them "Merry Christmas"... This movie is inspired by a true story, which occurred in the trenches of the World War I battlefield on Christmas Eve in 1914. When war breaks out in the lull of summer 1914, it surprises and pulls millions of men in its wake. Christmas arrives, with its snow and multitude of family and army presents. But the surprise won’t come from inside the generous parcels which lie in the French, Scottish, and German trenches. That night, a momentous event will turn the destinies of four characters : an Anglican priest, a French lieutenant, an exceptional German tenor and the one he loves, a soprano and singing partner. During this Christmas Eve, the unthinkable happens : soldiers come out of their trenches, leaving their rifles behind to shake hands with the enemy. = = = = = = = = = = = "Yes, Fraternizing definitely took place during the Great War" By Marc Ferro We fought for four years from 1914 to 1918. The debate about that war still rages on eighty years later… First we tried to justify that the enemy was responsible, and then to foist the shame on the political leaders. Or perhaps the butchery happened because of incompetent and glory-seeking military leaders. Then there was the tragedy of the soldiers who lived through the horror. They were victims of history. On the eve, hadn’t they declared war on the war? But that didn’t stop them from participating and killing in large numbers. How does one choose between enthusiasm, consent, and coercion? Let’s review the events. In 1914, after several months of marching and counter-marching, the soldiers found themselves brusquely and cruelly immobilized in make-shift trenches. Suddenly the enemy took on form. He had a face, and sometimes a first name. The enemy trenches were often very close, sometimes as close as four meters. These enemies were men, like you and I. Whenever there was the smallest break, they would sing, drink, and laugh. During these moments, they would send each other chocolates and cigarettes. Yes, fraternizing happened on Christmas of 1914 and Easter of 1915. It was the first stirrings, a way to take advantage of the lull in combat. A muffled cry for peace, perhaps. Years passed, hearts and bodies harden. And when there was more fraternizing, specifically when with the Russians after the fall of the Czar in February 1917, this time it wasn’t merely a call for peace, but a call for Revolution. Marc Ferro is a co-director of the Anneles, director of research at l’Ehess (School of Higher Studies for the Social Sciences), a specialist in World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the history of cinema. He has also directed and hosted Histoires parallèles, a program for the television channel Arte. Recognized the world over, he came to public attention with his major biographies of Nicholas II and Pétain, his studies on the Russian Revolution, and of course his reflections and writings on history and colonization.