The trailer gave me the impression that the events on Christmas Eve is the grand finale of the movie so when I saw that scene coming just about an hour into the movie, I was a little surprised, happily so. The miracle continued into Christmas day, and beyond.
But I must back up a little and plead ignorance. The miraculous events that took place on Christmas Eve in 1914 may not be as widely known to the world as some might think. This was the European arena of the first "World War", which was in fact essentially a European war, a war that means far less than WWII to the world outside Europe, even English speaking North America and Australia. And after all, it's over 90 years ago.
The story is unquestionably worth telling and judging from the unadorned style of the storytelling, it would seem that it was told quite truthfully. The sweeping panoramic aerial shot and grandiose music at the start conjures up sort of a Lord of the Rings feeling, but it gets down to earth soon, introducing the key characters and bringing the audience to the battlefield.
While the events were the best manifestation of the Christmas spirit, there is also a embedded love of music which, strangely, brought to my mind the "banjo duet" scene in "Deliverence". Far-fetched as it may sound, there are similarities in having music as the bridge that breaks the ice of communication.
Happening over 90 years ago, this is a miracle founded on a common Christianity heritage, which traverse national and language barriers. The movie makers did make a small point that it was beyond Christianity, by showing how a Jewish German soldier was moved. It is also realistic that the miracle did not touch every single person - for the Scottish soldier, the loss of a beloved brother was just too great.
But it was heart-warming that the miracle did not stop at the magical Christmas Eve, but continued on into the glaring reality of the bright Christmas Day, and beyond, in a relatively simpler world at the turn of the last century. Today, a miracle of this magnitude would require a lot more. It would be a huge challenge to just write a fictional script, let alone find a true story. I am hoping that Steven Spielberg will take up this challenge.
But I must back up a little and plead ignorance. The miraculous events that took place on Christmas Eve in 1914 may not be as widely known to the world as some might think. This was the European arena of the first "World War", which was in fact essentially a European war, a war that means far less than WWII to the world outside Europe, even English speaking North America and Australia. And after all, it's over 90 years ago.
The story is unquestionably worth telling and judging from the unadorned style of the storytelling, it would seem that it was told quite truthfully. The sweeping panoramic aerial shot and grandiose music at the start conjures up sort of a Lord of the Rings feeling, but it gets down to earth soon, introducing the key characters and bringing the audience to the battlefield.
While the events were the best manifestation of the Christmas spirit, there is also a embedded love of music which, strangely, brought to my mind the "banjo duet" scene in "Deliverence". Far-fetched as it may sound, there are similarities in having music as the bridge that breaks the ice of communication.
Happening over 90 years ago, this is a miracle founded on a common Christianity heritage, which traverse national and language barriers. The movie makers did make a small point that it was beyond Christianity, by showing how a Jewish German soldier was moved. It is also realistic that the miracle did not touch every single person - for the Scottish soldier, the loss of a beloved brother was just too great.
But it was heart-warming that the miracle did not stop at the magical Christmas Eve, but continued on into the glaring reality of the bright Christmas Day, and beyond, in a relatively simpler world at the turn of the last century. Today, a miracle of this magnitude would require a lot more. It would be a huge challenge to just write a fictional script, let alone find a true story. I am hoping that Steven Spielberg will take up this challenge.