The Christmas song everyone knows has a secret past that'll wreck you.
Renowned actor Simon Callow traces the 200-year history of Silent Night, traveling to Oberndorf and Salzburg to uncover the carol’s humble beginnings. The film follows the lives of Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber, two impoverished Austrian children whose paths converged in a small church, where Gruber’s melody joined Mohr’s lyrics to create the world’s most beloved carol. Born from hardship and hope after the Napoleonic wars, Silent Night transformed a quiet night’s story into a universal message of peace.
Acting
Simon Callow's narration feels like Christmas dinner storytelling
Production
Gorgeous Austrian locations that'll trigger immediate travel envy
Director
Peter Beveridge
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The original manuscript was lost for nearly 100 years until an early arrangement was discovered in 1995 in Mohr's belongings.
Silent Night was sung simultaneously in French, English and German by troops during the 1914 Christmas Truce of WWI—literally stopping a war for one night.
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