The Christmas Truce

[Willy Van der Linden]

Thanks to the IAC I have some new British friends. In April I met Geoff Harrison
of the Preston Movie Makers. He will help me with my next film. He has found
a good narrator for my documentary. Geoff has given me some films. One of
them is called "The Christmas Truce". In 1914 the German and British soldiers
stopped fighting in the trenches for some time because it was Christmas.
They even played football together. The film is wonderful and I told Geoff
that the Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres might be interested in it. Today
I was in Ypres and I talked to one of the big bosses of the museum. He was
quite surprised about the quality of the short film (about 6 minutes). He
said that it is "war poetry in motion". However he can't show the film in
the museum permanently. The music in "The Christmas Truce" is fantastic and
it's very important for the power of the film. There will be a mixture of
different sounds in the museum and that's not good for "The Christmas Truce",
he said. I think he's right. Anyway, the film will be shown in September
or October when some lectures will be given in the Museum. It will be shown
as an introduction or an intermezzo. I'm sure that the Preston Movie Makers,
the students and the professor who worked on "The Christmas Truce" will be
very pleased with it.

[Ned C]

If you want to get a feel for the horror of WW1 and hear the songs of the
period watch the feature film "Oh what a wonderful war", the first film Richard
Attenborough directed.

Ned C



"Willy Van der Linden" <forums@theiac.org.uk> wrote:

Thanks to the IAC I have some new British friends. In April I met Geoff
Harrison
of the Preston Movie Makers. He will help me with my next film. He has found
a good narrator for my documentary. Geoff has given me some films. One of
them is called "The Christmas Truce". In 1914 the German and British soldiers
stopped fighting in the trenches for some time because it was Christmas.
They even played football together. The film is wonderful and I told Geoff
that the Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres might be interested in it. Today
I was in Ypres and I talked to one of the big bosses of the museum. He was
quite surprised about the quality of the short film (about 6 minutes). He
said that it is "war poetry in motion". However he can't show the film in
the museum permanently. The music in "The Christmas Truce" is fantastic
and
it's very important for the power of the film. There will be a mixture of
different sounds in the museum and that's not good for "The Christmas Truce",
he said. I think he's right. Anyway, the film will be shown in September
or October when some lectures will be given in the Museum. It will be shown
as an introduction or an intermezzo. I'm sure that the Preston Movie Makers,
the students and the professor who worked on "The Christmas Truce" will
be
very pleased with it.

[ian gardner]

"Willy Van der Linden" <forums@theiac.org.uk> wrote:

Thanks to the IAC I have some new British friends. In April I met Geoff
Harrison
of the Preston Movie Makers. He will help me with my next film. He has found
a good narrator for my documentary. Geoff has given me some films. One of
them is called "The Christmas Truce". In 1914 the German and British soldiers
stopped fighting in the trenches for some time because it was Christmas.
They even played football together. The film is wonderful and I told Geoff
that the Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres might be interested in it. Today
I was in Ypres and I talked to one of the big bosses of the museum. He was
quite surprised about the quality of the short film (about 6 minutes). He
said that it is "war poetry in motion". However he can't show the film in
the museum permanently. The music in "The Christmas Truce" is fantastic
and
it's very important for the power of the film. There will be a mixture of
different sounds in the museum and that's not good for "The Christmas Truce",
he said. I think he's right. Anyway, the film will be shown in September
or October when some lectures will be given in the Museum. It will be shown
as an introduction or an intermezzo. I'm sure that the Preston Movie Makers,
the students and the professor who worked on "The Christmas Truce" will
be
very pleased with it.

That bloke Paul Mccartney did that song `Pipes of Peace`. A lovely song and
an excellent video acting out the scene. A nice story. Another song is Rolf
Harris `Two little boys`.

ian gardner

[Geoff Harrison]

"Willy Van der Linden" <forums@theiac.org.uk> wrote:

Thanks to the IAC I have some new British friends. In April I met Geoff
Harrison
of the Preston Movie Makers. He will help me with my next film. He has found
a good narrator for my documentary. Geoff has given me some films. One of
them is called "The Christmas Truce". In 1914 the German and British soldiers
stopped fighting in the trenches for some time because it was Christmas.
They even played football together. The film is wonderful and I told Geoff
that the Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres might be interested in it. Today
I was in Ypres and I talked to one of the big bosses of the museum. He was
quite surprised about the quality of the short film (about 6 minutes). He
said that it is "war poetry in motion". However he can't show the film in
the museum permanently. The music in "The Christmas Truce" is fantastic
and
it's very important for the power of the film. There will be a mixture of
different sounds in the museum and that's not good for "The Christmas Truce",
he said. I think he's right. Anyway, the film will be shown in September
or October when some lectures will be given in the Museum. It will be shown
as an introduction or an intermezzo. I'm sure that the Preston Movie Makers,
the students and the professor who worked on "The Christmas Truce" will
be
very pleased with it.

I would just like to make it clear that Preston Movie Makers were not involved
in the production of "The Christmas Truce". The film was filmed as a project
for media students at Staffordshire University under the direction of Professor
Ray Johnson.

Professor Ray Johnson was the guest speaker at this years Burnley Film Festival
and this piece of film along with others was used to illustrate his lecture.
The film in slow motion and with a powerful music track portrays this moment
in time. A moment that would never be repeated after Christmas 1914.

We are indeed very pleased to be helping Willy with his latest project "Breendonk".
In fact we have a great relationship with Blackburn Drama Group who provide
actors/actresses for our productions and it is their members who are involved
with the dialogue for Willys film.

We are very pleased with this new friendship and on Sept 14th we will "premier"
our latest production, "Night Flight to Essen", the story of a Halifax Bomber
and the fate of its crew, at our clubrooms. On this evening we will also
be showing two of Willys films, "Travels with Yoda" and "Until you Smile",
two wonderful films. After watching "Travels with Yoda", I sometimes think
that Willy is secret agent for the Cotswold Tourist Board!!

Geoff Harrison.

[Willy Van der Linden]

"Geoff Harrison" <geoffharrison@dsl.pipex.com> wrote:

"Willy Van der Linden" <forums@theiac.org.uk> wrote:

After watching "Together with Yoda", I sometimes think
that Willy is secret agent for the Cotswold Tourist Board!!

Oh no, not at all, Geoff ! About one year ago one of our forum friends suggested

the following thing : why don't you offer this film to the British Tourist
Board and ask them to give some money to an institute that raises funds for
cancer appeal or something else. After having spoken about it to my English
friend Brian who lives in Devon I asked him to write a letter to the BTA.
In it I offered that film to raise funds for the Gloucestershire Fire Brigade.
Of course it means "commercializing a film" and in that case they also had
to pay for copyright in England. Afterwards they could make as many copies
as they wanted. They could sell this film in all Tourist Offices in the Cotswolds.
They could earn quite a lot of money with it. Peraps all B&B's in the Cotswolds
would have bought one. One of the B&B-ladies who helped me with this film
said that it was an excellent film for her guests. She asked me the permission
to make copies. In her luxury B&B there is a DVD-player in every room ! I
sent a copy with Dutch subtitles to the BTA in Cirencester, but apparently
they were not interested in it. I was quite surprised. I think it's because
I don't show Cirencester in the film. In their brochures they call it 'the
capital of the Cotswolds'. In my opinion that's exaggerated. Cheltenham ...
That's the capital of the Cotswolds, but Cirencester ... I intended to film
the local Roman Museum in Cirencester,the only local tourist attraction,
but at that time it was closed. They were renovating the rooms. An other
problem could be : the film was made by a Belgian ! This may give uneasy
feelings. I have that experience. That's a pity of course. Many English friends
helped me with this film. My actor Colin Howett for instance, he is from
Evesham. He's a real Cotswoldian. Sorry to tell you this : I know England
much better than many English people. I'm not very modest now, but it is
true. In the County of Kent for instance I don't have to use a map or a GPS-system
anymore. I used to be a teacher for foreign students of English of course.I
was just like a English teacher who teaches French. But that was in the "Middle
Ages". No, I'm not a secret agent for the Cotswold Tourist Board !
Willy