The First Silent Night: The Christmas Carol That United the World (2014)

The First Silent Night: The Christmas Carol That United the World

2014

Documentary

Synopsis

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.

Credits

Director

Peter Beveridge

Cast

Martin Hochleitner as Self - Historian and curator of the Salzburg Museum

Max Gurtner as Self - Curator of the Stille Nacht Museum

Renate Ebeling-Winkler as Self - Vice President of the Silent Night Society

Simon Callow as Self - Host - Narrator

Werner Thuswaldner as Self - Historian and author

Crew

Ziggy Beveridge (Associate Producer)

Peter Meakin (Cinematography)