Film Forum

France, 1941
Directed by Christian-Jaque
Starring Harry Baur, Raymond Rouleau, Robert Le Vigan, Fernand Ledoux
Approx. 105 min. 

“Carolers and tinsel; the perfect setting for Christmas Eve in a snowy mountain village. But when a body is discovered, dressed as Santa, the hysteria soon spreads and accusations fly. The first film produced by German controlled Continental Films, who regulated film production under the Occupation, this is more than a fireside mystery for a chilly night... a parable for collaboration, subversively [portraying] a perilous moment in French history.” – L’Alliance

'Who Killed Santa Claus?': The Night Before Christmas in Occupied France – The New York Times

Presented with support from The George Fasel Memorial Fund for Classic French Cinema

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Reviews

 “Despite the trimmings, a thriller. The French cinema in its glory.”  
– David Shipman, The Story of Cinema

“One of the quintessential films of the Occupation.”
– Stephen Harvey, Museum of Modern Art

“A SPARKLING NEW RESTORATION... At once bizarrely lighthearted and grimly sentimental, the 1941 French film may be the strangest seasonal fare since noir-master Robert Siodmak’s CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY.”
– J. Hoberman, The New York Times

“Part Yuletide fable, part murder mystery... as childlike joy and innocence live alongside the melancholy of adults whose memories haunt the snow-covered landscape like ghosts. Armand Thirard’s bewitching cinematography enhances the film’s fairytale quality, capturing the emotionally charged haze that descends on Christmas. While [the film has] a classic happy ending, it also feels like a not-so-subtle message to the audience to not give up hope.”
– Stephanie Monohan, Screen Slate