2008 Woodie Awards
Movie Review: "Joyeux Noel"
In an article attempt, Joyuex Noel is a corny depiction of a tragic era
C.W. Soule
Issue date: 5/2/06 Section: Arts and Entertainment
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The Movie begins with eloquent flare as three children stand at the front of three different classrooms and recite oaths of war. Each child does so in his native language (German, French and English) and each child depicts their enemy as an aggressor that justifies their declaration of war.
With the belief that God is on their side, each child declares emphatically that it is the responsibility of their great country to eradicate their enemy from the face of the earth.
The following scenes depict the beginning of World War One in a perfunctory manner. The film shows young men in their different European countries and shows only the moment that war is declared, leaving out all relevant scenes that could have explicated upon the plot.
The bulk of the film is about a frontline trench at which Scottish, German, and French divisions are poised before a brutal assault. The allied lieutenants lead their men in to a frontal assault on the Germans. The cinematography of the attack was very poor. There were random explosions and split second scenes that did not describe what was transpiring on the battlefield.
In the assault, one of the Scottish men was shot and his brother went to him in a touching moment and kissed him before he abandoned him to his death. This death was marked by irony, since it had been the dead older brother who had been excited and jubilant to go to war.
The death of him so early in the movie showed the deep tragedy of war and the death of youthful euphemism, but it was premature. There should have been more character development before the death of the Scotsman, since his death played such a crucial development in the role of other characters in the film.
After a brief and flighty interpretation of the horrors of war, the bulk of the movie then explored a more humane side of warfare. On Christmas eve the front line called a cease fire after a Prussian soldier sang in a deep tenor voice different carols. Although the message was refreshing, the execution of it was hard to believe.
With the belief that God is on their side, each child declares emphatically that it is the responsibility of their great country to eradicate their enemy from the face of the earth.
The following scenes depict the beginning of World War One in a perfunctory manner. The film shows young men in their different European countries and shows only the moment that war is declared, leaving out all relevant scenes that could have explicated upon the plot.
The bulk of the film is about a frontline trench at which Scottish, German, and French divisions are poised before a brutal assault. The allied lieutenants lead their men in to a frontal assault on the Germans. The cinematography of the attack was very poor. There were random explosions and split second scenes that did not describe what was transpiring on the battlefield.
In the assault, one of the Scottish men was shot and his brother went to him in a touching moment and kissed him before he abandoned him to his death. This death was marked by irony, since it had been the dead older brother who had been excited and jubilant to go to war.
The death of him so early in the movie showed the deep tragedy of war and the death of youthful euphemism, but it was premature. There should have been more character development before the death of the Scotsman, since his death played such a crucial development in the role of other characters in the film.
After a brief and flighty interpretation of the horrors of war, the bulk of the movie then explored a more humane side of warfare. On Christmas eve the front line called a cease fire after a Prussian soldier sang in a deep tenor voice different carols. Although the message was refreshing, the execution of it was hard to believe.
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