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) (as Kurt Vonnegut), Robert B. Weide (screenplay)

Stars:

Nick Nolte, Sheryl Lee, Anthony J. Robinow

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nick Nolte	...	Howard Campbell
Anthony J. Robinow	...	Prison Warden
Michael McGill	...	Prison Official
Shimon Aviel	...	Guard Bernard Liebman
Bill Corday	...	Campbell's Father
Bronwen Mantel	...	Campbell's Mother
Brawley Nolte	...	Young Howard Campbell
Sheryl Lee	...	Helga & Resi Noth
John Goodman	...	Major Frank Wirtanen
Louis Strauss	...	Old Jewish Man
Zach Grenier	...	Joseph Goebbels
Richard Zeman	...	Rudolph Hoess
Thomas Hauff	...	SS Officer
Jeff Pufah	...	Young German Soldier
Norman Rodway	...	Werner Noth

Storyline

Howard W. Campbell Jr., an American living in Germany since childhood, is recruited by the United States to become an informer during the upcoming Second World War. What he does become, is one of the leading anti-semitic news broadcasters of Nazi Germany. After the fall of Hitler's Germany, Campbell's government friends arrange for a quiet life in the United States. His life is quiet until a complex web of spies and neo-Nazis draws him back into the life which he once led. Eventually captured by the Isralies, Campbell's one defense was: "I was an American Spy."

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Plot Keywords:

watching tv | reference to franklin d. roosevelt | american | spy | germany | 

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Taglines:

Be careful what you pretend to be.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a scene of sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Frank Wirtanen" is the name of the man who used to sell Christmas trees to the Vonnegut family.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Prison Warden: Do you prefer German or 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 any questions?
Howard W. Campbell Jr.: No, this is great. Thanks for everything.

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Connections

Featured in The Movie Show: Episode dated 30 April 1997 (1997)

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Soundtracks

Fratres
Composed by Arvo Pärt
Performed by Tasmin Little and Martin Roscoe
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

Best adaptation of a Vonnegut book

Before this, the flawed "Slaughterhouse Five" was the best. But this screen adaptation of "Mother Night" is very true to the book and keeps the comedy, mystery, and tragedy intent. Thankfully it wasn't Hollywood-ized or idiotized a la the movie of "Breakfast of Champions." Another good thing about this movie is that you don't have to be familiar with the book to follow it (as I think you do for Slaughterhouse Five). That's probably true of Breakfast of Champions also but they did such a bad job of that you're better off just reading the book and not seeing the movie! Nick Nolte did an excellent job in this film.

Details

Official Sites:

Fine Line Features

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Yiddish

Release Date:

1 November 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mother Night

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$48,661, 3 November 1996

Gross USA:

$403,701

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$403,701

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fine Line Features, New Line Cinema, Whyaduck Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1