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 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:

watching tv | american | spy | germany | nazi | 

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Taglines:

Howard W. Campbell, Jr., is the most patriotic American in the Third Reich.

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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 USA:

$48,661, 3 November 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$392,362

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

Originally announced by producers Irwin Winkler and Bob Chartoff in 1972.

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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

References The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)

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Soundtracks

Tabula Rasa
Composed by Arvo Pärt
Performed by Gidon Kremer, Tatiana Grindenko and Alfred Shnitke (as Alfred Schnittke)
ECM New Series 1275
Courtesy of ECM Records
Used by arrangement with European America Music Dist. Corp., Agent for Universal Edition Vienna,
publisher and copyright holder

User Reviews

A Deeply Moving Film

There are numerous films relating to WW2, but Mother Night is quite distinctive among them: In this film, we are introduced to Howard Campbell (Nolte), an American living in Berlin and married to a German, Helga Noth (Lee), who decides to accept the role of a spy: More specifically, a CIA agent Major Wirtanen (Goodman) recruits Campbell who becomes a Nazi propagandist in order to enter the highest echelons of the Hitler regime. However, the deal is that the US Government will never acknowledge Campbell's role in the war for national security reasons, and so Campbell becomes a hated figure across the US. After the war, he tries to conceal his identity, but the past comes back and haunts him. His only "friend" is Wirtanen, but even he cannot do much for the avalanche of events that fall upon poor Campbell...

The story is deeply touching, as we watch the tragedy of Campbell who although a great patriot, is treated by disdain by everybody who surrounds him. Not only that, but he also gradually realizes that even the persons who are most close to him, have many secrets of their own. Vonnegut provides us with a moving atmosphere, with Campbell's despair building up and almost choking the viewer.

Nolte plays the role of his life, in my opinion; he is even better than in "Affliction", although in both roles he plays tragic figures who are destined to self-destruction. Sheryl Lee is also excellent, and the same can be said for the whole cast in general.

I haven't read the book, so I cannot appraise how the film compares to it. In any case, this is something of no importance here: My critique is upon the film per se, and the film wholeheartedly deserves a 9/10.