Mother Night (1996)

An American spy behind the lines during WWII serves as a Nazi propagandist, a role he cannot escape in his future life as he can never reveal his real role in the war.

Director:

Keith Gordon

Writers:

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (novel), Robert B. Weide (screenplay)

Stars:

Nick Nolte, Sheryl Lee, Alan Arkin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nick Nolte	...	Howard Campbell
Sheryl Lee	...	Helga Noth / Resi Noth
Alan Arkin	...	George Kraft
Bernard Behrens	...	Reverend Dr. Lionel Jones
Anna Berger	...	Epstein's Mother
Arye Gross	...	Dr. Abraham Epstein
Norman Rodway	...	Werner Noth
Frankie Faison	...	Robert Sterling Wilson
Gerard Parkes	...	Father Patrick Keeley
Vlasta Vrana	...	August Krapptauer
Zach Grenier	...	Joseph Goebbels
Kirsten Dunst	...	Young Resi Noth
Anthony J. Robinow	...	Prison Warden
Michael McGill	...	Prison Official
Shimon Aviel	...	Guard Bernard Liebman

Storyline

Howard W. Campbell, Jr., an American expatriate playwright, Nazi radio propagandist, and Allied spy, writes his memoirs during his pre-trial confinement in 1961 Haifa and learns that people are what they pretend to be.

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Plot Keywords:

american | spy | nazi | germany | escape | 

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Taglines:

The truth is more shocking than the uniform he wears... HE WAS AN AMERICAN SPY.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a scene of sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Fine Line Features

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Yiddish

Release Date:

1 November 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Confessione finale

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$48,661 (USA) (1 November 1996)

Gross:

$363,905 (USA) (6 December 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fine Line Features, New Line Cinema, Whyaduck Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Keith Gordon took a small role in I Love Trouble so he could get this script to Nick Nolte, whose agents thought the project was "too small."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Prison Warden: Do you prefer German of English?
Howard W. Campbell Jr.: English.
Prison Warden: You are to write down your memoirs for the Haifa Institute. for the documentation of war criminals. You have three weeks to complete your memoirs before your trial begins. Do you have a any questions?
Howard W. Campbell Jr.: No, this is great. Thanks for everything.

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Connections

Followed by Breakfast of Champions (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten"
Composed by Arvo Pärt
Performed by Bournemouth Sinfonetta, Richard Studt, director
Courtesy of EMI Classics
Under license from EMI Capitol Music Special Markets
Used by arrangement with European America Music Dist. Corp., Agent for Universal Edition Vienna,
publisher and copyright holder

User Reviews

Sometimes oversentimental, but overall very good

I haven't yet read the Kurt Vonnegut book this was adapted from, but I am familiar with some of his other work and was interested to see how it would be translated to the screen. Overall, I think this is a very successful adaptation of one of Vonnegut's novels. It concerns the story of an American living in Germany who is recruited as a spy for the US. His job is to ingratiate himself with high ranked Nazi's and send secret messages to the American's via his weekly radio show. But when the war ends he is denounced as a war criminal but escapes to New York, where various odd plot twists await.

If Mother Night has a problem it's that it tends to get a little too sentimental at times. But for most of the film the schmaltz is kept to a minimum and the very strange plot is carried through with skill and aplomb. And there are some fabulous moments of black comedy involving three right wing Christian fundamentalists and a very highly ranked Nazi in a prison cell. Very much recommended.