Silent Night (2002 film)

Silent Night
Directed by Rodney Gibbons
Produced by Rory J. Aylward
Steven Hewitt
Irene Litinsky
Michael Prupas
Steven Jay Rubin
Written by Roger Aylward
Starring Linda Hamilton
Matthew Harbour
Romano Orzari
Alain Goulem
Martin Neufeld
Mark Antony Krupa
James McGowan
Michael Elkin
Michael Sinelnikoff
Cassian Bopp
Harald Winter
Narrated by Michael Sinelnikoff
Music by James Gelfand
Cinematography Eric Cayla
Edited by Vidal Béïque
Distributed by Artisan
Release dates
2002
Running time
100 Minutes
Country Canada Canada
Language English

Silent Night is a fact-based 2002 television film set on Christmas Eve in 1944, during World War II.

Plot

A German mother, Elisabeth Vincken (Linda Hamilton), who had already lost her eldest son in the Battle of Stalingrad and whose husband is a cook serving in the German army, and her son, Fritz, are seeking refuge in a cabin near the front lines in the Ardennes forests region of western Europe. They are invaded by three American soldiers and then soon after three German soldiers, and after much resistance the mother manages to convince the enemy soldiers to put aside their differences for one night and share a Christmas dinner. The Germans were planning to kill the Americans, but eventually they and the American soldiers share their rations to make a proper Christmas dinner. This includes homemade cookies and other goodies. Throughout the night the Americans and Germans befriend each other, despite the fact that they will eventually have to return to the war. The next morning an American MP soldier comes and is surprised by what he sees. As he learns of what has happened he turns his rifle on the American soldiers and begins talking with the Germans. Realizing the officer is really a German soldier who has infiltrated the American lines, the Americans surrender and the three German soldiers get their weapons. The German infiltrator then orders the three other soldiers to execute the Americans. Just before he is about to shoot the mother, one of the German soldiers knocks him out, saving her. The soldiers depart, with the Americans taking the German infiltrator as a prisoner of war, and also one of the Germans, who is only fourteen - neither side wants him to die in a future battle. The Germans also return to their side. All say good bye and wish each other good luck for the rest of the war. In the present day, an elder Fritz (Michael Sinelnikoff) is visited by Private Jimmy Rassi's grandson, Christopher, with Fritz handing over Rassi's dogtags.

Cast

Award nominations

Silent Night was nominated for four Gemini Awards in 2003:

Notes

External links