Joyeux Noël (French for Merry Christmas) is a 2005 anti-war film directed by Christian Carion. France, December 1914. In a comparatively confined space of just a few hundred square meters, Franco-British and German units lie ready to fight in the freezing cold. They all have only one wish, that finally there should be an end to the killing. On Christmas Eve, however, when music resounds from the other trench, the troops on both sides decide to put aside their weapons for a short period and celebrate together. This fictionalized account is based on the true story of the Christmas truce of 1914. Most of the plot is inspired by the actions of the German tenor Walter Kirchhoff, whose singing in December 1914 caused troops in the French trenches to stand up and applaud.
The following weapons were used in the film Joyeux Noël:
Handguns
MAS Mle. 1892
At the beginning of the movie, French Lieutenant Audebert (Guillaume Canet) is seen with an Mle 1892 Revolver during the attack on German lines.
Revolver d'ordonnance modèle 1892 - 8x27mmSR
Lieutenant Audebert makes a quick ammo check before the assault.
After briefing his men, he readies them for what will come next. The collar insignia shows that he belongs to the 26th Infantry regiment.
Audebert leads the charge through the German trench.
Luger P08
Two Luger P08s can briefly be seen as Oberleutnant (1st Lt.) Horstmayer (Daniel Brühl) unloads various arms.
Luger P08 - 9x19mm Parabellum
He takes one of them to remove the magazine.
Webley Mk. VI
Leftenant Gordon (Alex Ferns) keeps a Webley Mk VI revolver in his brown leather holster.
Webley Mark VI - .455 Webley
The Major (
Christopher Fulford) informs Lt. Gordon about the situation. The bottom of the grip is seen with the lanyard with the string. Judging by the uniforms (especially the Glengarry bonnet), these are the Royal Scots Fusiliers.
Rifles
Berthier Mle. 1907/15
French soldiers including Ponchel (Dany Boon), Le couturier (Mickey Dedaj), Gueusselin (Lucas Belvaux), and Morallec (Philippe Beautier) use Berthier Mle. 1907/15 rifles. The appearance of this rifle in 1914 is an anachronism in two ways, first, the Mle. 1907/15 was introduced in early 1915 to colonial troops and the French Foreign Legion and second, regular French infantrymen were not equipped with these rifles until 1916 due to the shortage of Lebel 1886 rifles that should be used instead in this movie set in 1914. Some captured Berthier rifles are carried by German soldiers after the attack.
Fusil Berthier Modèle 1907/15 - 8x50mmR Lebel
Ponchel awaits his
mon lieutenant outside the shelter.
Before attacking, he takes deep breaths to steady himself. Oddly enough, Lt. Audebert gave the order to cycle the bolts which leads to the assumption that the rifles are not loaded since no ejected casings are visible. This would also mean, among other things, that only two cartridges would be left in the magazine, which would be disadvantageous during the following battle. This order is just to show the viewer that things are now getting serious.
"En avant!"French soldiers going over the top with
Rosaline bayonets attached to their rifles.
A French soldier dies with Mle. 1907/15 in hands which offers a close view of the receiver and the bolt handle. The rifle seen behind him is not equipped with a bayonet which is strange, because every soldier executed the order to fix their bayonets before leaving the trench.
Le couturier's Berthier lies next to him as he and Lt. Audebert witness a strange action in No Man's Land.
While in a crate between the lines, Gueusselin holds his Berthier at the ready as Sprink walks by. The ejecting hole of the 3-round magazine is visible. Note the modern military trigger discipline, which would become standard practice many years after WWI.
Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk. III*
The Lee-Enfield No.1 Mk.III* is the standard rifle for Scottish soldiers. While the use of the SMLE is correct, it is worth mentioning that the Mk III* variant without the magazine cut-off was introduced one year later. The two brothers Jonathan (Steven Robertson) and William (Robin Laing) wield SMLEs throughout the movie.
Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mark III* - .303 British
The soldier next to the letter-writing Jonathan cleans the extracting bolt-handle. The box magazine is also removed for cleaning purposes.
Father Palmer (
Gary Lewis) walks by a soldier carrying an SMLE over his back.
A Scot fires his SMLE in the air to play a trick on his commanding officer.
Scottish soldiers armed with SMLEs getting out of the German trench.
A close-up of the rifle's muzzle and front sight.
Three soldiers were ordered by the Major to aim at a single German crossing No Man's Land. Note the right ones have fluted box-shaped strikers while the one on the left has an earlier rounded striker.
Other soldiers agree not to carry out the shoot-to-kill order. The safeties can be seen
Jonathan chambers his SMLE after taking the shot.
Mauser Gewehr 1898
Nikolaus Sprink (Benno Fürmann), Oskar (Alexander Wüst), Otto (Otto Beckmann), and other German soldiers are armed with correct Gewehr 98 rifles. Oberleutnant Horstmayer discharges various Gewehrs while burying the dead. The matching Seitengewehr 98/05 bayonets are seen but never fixed to them.
Early Mauser Gewehr 1898 - 7.92x57mm Mauser
Late Mauser Gewehr 1898 - 7.92x57mm Mauser
Sprink following an officer to the rear has a Gewehr 98 slung over his shoulder.
Horstmeyer cycles the bolt-handle to eject a spent casing, after this, he will lock it and put it aside.
A detailed view of the
Lange Visier rear sight on another picked up Gewehr. Also, note the black and white ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd class on Horstmeyer's uniform button.
A view of the muzzle, front sight, and the parade hook.
After making an important decision, Sprink and Anna (
Diane Kruger) stand at the edge of the French trench. Note the smooth stock which is a feature of an early Gewehr 98.
Mauser Puška vz. 98/22
Some post-war Czechoslovak Vz. 98/22 Czech Mausers are also used by German soldiers like Jörg (Frank Witter). These Mausers have flat tangent sights instead of the Lange Visier. It may be an anachronism, but it is a better choice than Turkish models or Karabiner 98ks that have been used several times in WWI films.
Puška CZ Brno 98/22 - 7.92x57mm Mauser
A German soldier reports the situation to OLt Horstmeyer while keeping his eyes on the battlefield.
Jörg's Mauser lies in a trench loop-hole.
A front view of the same rifle.
Two Mausers being carried by a German soldier; the upper one is a late Gewehr 98 with a grasping groove and the lower one is the Czechoslovak Mauser. Note the different rear sights of the two rifles.
The Czech Mauser carried over Jörg's back, who wears a
Krätzchen M1910 field cap.
Machine Guns
FN MAG 58 (Maxim MG 08/15 mockup)
An anachronistic FN MAG 58 mocked up as a Maxim MG08/15 is used by German soldiers. It is identifiable by the barrel at the center of the water jacket and the bullets feed from the left. This mock-up, however, is still incorrect for Winter 1914, where the original Maxim MG08 would be more accurate.
FN MAG 58 - 7.62x51mm NATO
Maxim MG 08/15 - 7.92x57mm Mauser, for comparison
German soldiers repel the Franco-Scottish attack with the mockup MG08/15 - the different position of the muzzle in the water jacket and different front sight can be seen here.
The left receiver is visible as Sprink picks up his gear.
The closest view of the MAG in the trench. Note the unusual cut-out and tube present in the faux MG08/15 stock. The big red "93" on the
Pickelhaube spiked helmet stands for the German
Anhaltische Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 93.
Vickers Mk. I
The rear part of a Vickers machine gun is briefly seen in the Scottish trench.
Vickers Mark I - .303 British
The Vickers is seen in the right background manned by an attentive soldier after the trick while the camera is pointed at the giggling Leftenant Gordon.
Hotchkiss Mle. 1914
Also seen very briefly is a Hotchkiss M1914 transported by two French soldiers.
Hotchkiss Modèle 1914 with tripod - 8x50mmR Lebel
A French soldier transports the Hotchkiss, which allows a view of the handguard.
Le couturier holds the barrel.
Grenades
Citron Foug Mle. 1916
The French soldier Gueusselin (Lucas Belvaux) arms himself with several Citron Foug modèle 1916 grenades. This grenade is an anachronism because it was introduced 2 years later.
Citron Foug modèle 1916 with 1st Model cap
Gueusselin holds one grenade before the attack.
Later, on Christmas Eve, he takes two grenades when he volunteers for a reconnaissance mission.
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