Joyeux Noel

Unfolding slowly, then building in momentum like the hymns themselves, this entire sequence is tremendously affecting.

You can't watch this film without thinking about modern wars and about how much easier it is to demonize a foe when language and customs are more at odds.

For all their friendship and yuletide charity, the men must return to battle, and the miracle of Christmas does little to alter the course of war. By the end of it, they must decide if they've witnessed their own grand illusion.

Some might castigate its unabashed sentimentality, but I found myself moved, especially when I recalled that this was supposedly the war to end all wars.

It's a respectful, sobering tribute to the flickering of humanitarian spirit amid the darkest days of conflict and, as such, surely a Christmas film for the ages.