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Friday night’s movie fix was the powerful anti-war Joyeux Noel (2005), written and directed by France’s Christian Carrion, nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. It captures a famous 1914 incident from WWI, an unofficial, spontaneous cease fire on Christmas Eve when, according to an article by Erin Moore at erraticus.co, “enemy soldiers emerged from filthy, freezing, trenches, exchanged gifts, sang carols and shared meals of humble rations. In some places, the celebration went on for days…” Unfortunately, none of the articles I scanned are satisfying in terms of the historical accuracy of the tale, in part because the event has been mythologized. One aspect, although moving, seems pure cinema, without basis in fact. A beautiful German opera singer, played by Diane Kruger, manages to visit her lover, a tenor, at the front. She sings Ave Maria, dubbed by Natalie Dessay, at an impromptu mass said by a Scottish priest. Still, one wants to believe it. The narrative’s heart is always in the right place, men finding common ground, learning the error of their prejudicial ways. The fallout that occurs, commanders belittling the men in the field, seems to have actually occurred. Many were transferred elsewhere. The conflict would rage until 11/’18. Although the film was not a box office success, it has gained admirers since its release. 31,000+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 7.7 on a scale of ten. Although English is used often, much of the dialogue is in French and German and requires the reading of subtitles. It might even be said that it is necessary for the English of the Scots, LOL. Those who prefer action should pass, as the lone battle sequence occurs early. It is not as nearly as graphic as that of recent war movies such as Saving Private Ryan (1998). Bean counters might not like that everyone is white and, for the most part, Christian. Here’s a still:

Headline from foxnews.com out of Vermont: “State sees more border apprehensions in 3 months than past 2 years combined.” Kudos.

Also from FN, eye opening news from the hockey world: “Rangers bail on wearing LGBTQ-themed warmup jerseys on Pride Night.” Kudos.

Another mild 2023 January day, perfect for selling stuff curbside. My thanks to the two ladies who bought five books in Russian between them, and to the young artist who purchased an awesome pictorial on Impressionism; and to whoever purchased Class of ‘67 and Coincidence at Amazon this week. I wonder if they came from two of the 40 or so visitors classmates.com gleefully announced in its emails to me.

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