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

20140.0 / 1050 min

Documentary

Overview

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.

Cast

Simon Callow

Self - Host - Narrator

Werner Thuswaldner

Self - Historian and author

Martin Hochleitner

Self - Historian and curator of the Salzburg Museum

Renate Ebeling-Winkler

Self - Vice President of the Silent Night Society

Max Gurtner

Self - Curator of the Stille Nacht Museum

Crew

Peter Beveridge

Producer

Peter Beveridge

Director

Wayne Osborne

Editor

Peter Meakin

Cinematography

Mark Hadley

Writer

Mark Hadley

Researcher

Werner Thuswaldner

Researcher

Ziggy Beveridge

Associate Producer

Helen Piazza

Production Assistant

Yoomin Lee

Colorist

Blake Guy

Sound Editor

Tim Dwyer

Sound Assistant

Peter Beveridge

Supervising Sound Editor

Wayne Osborne

Title Designer

Bruce Copp

Graphic Designer

Wayne Osborne

Graphic Designer

Bryan Reinhart

Still Photographer

Kevin Caldwell

Still Photographer