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

The First Silent Night: The Christmas Carol That United the World (2014) is a documentary film directed by Peter Beveridge.

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