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Summary: A Midnight Clear - A Review
Review: In this "pacifist" drama, director Keith Gordon tells the story of William Wharton's autobiographical novel by following a small intelligence patrol on the German front in 1944. The film is moving and thought provoking, but not a war movie for every man. The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive on the Western Front. Under Hitler's direct orders the German Army transferred men and materiel from the Eastern Front, permitting the Russians to gain ground at the rate of 100 miles per day. The plan was to break through the Allied lines and push to the sea at Antwerp and Lieges. The attack began on December 16, 1944. The Germans broke through in the Ardennes Forest making a huge bulge in the Allied lines. The allies were not able to turn the Germans back until January 16, 1945. The Battle of the Bulge cost 77,000 Allied casualties and 220,000 German casualties. This is the background for the story of a World War Two American intelligence unit posted to a remote location of the Ardennes Forest at the time of the Battle of the Bulge. At Christmas the American soldiers receive a message from a German Army unit that it wants to surrender. The hitch is that the Germans want it to appear that they were overwhelmed to make sure that there will be no reprisals to their families back in Germany. The movie shows the soldiers trying to work this out. They fail. Some American soldiers are killed and the German unit is wiped out The story of the film unfolds slowly. The audience has time to get to know each of the characters and their motivations. This makes the film more intimate, because the audience feels closer to the film and the characters. The beauty of the imagery and scenery adds to the pleasure of the film. The scenery serves to add to the overall message and the feeling of Christmas. The sea of snow is so real and wonderful; I could almost feel the wind on my cheeks. The truth is that this movie is not about war; it is about peace. The Germans want peace, and the Americans want peace. The story is highly moving and full of hope. The Americans are presented with a situation where they can show compassion for their fellow men and practice what they have been taught. The GI's can "love thine enemy" and be the guardians of peace. The story sounds sappy and there is not a lot of fighting involved, so it is really a war movie for the smart person. The film also gives a sympathetic view of the average non-Nazi German. The movie shows the fear felt by soldiers and the difficulties in establishing trust between enemies. It shows that German soldiers had feelings too. This movie is deeply upsetting in the way that any good war movie should be. It brings several elements of the horror of war into clear perspective.
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Summary: "The world in solemn stillness lay, to hear the angels sing"
Review: December 1944--A team of rookie American soldiers are put to the test as they go on a mission to the German Front. They don't really know whether they really believe in putting their lives at stake, and soon they happen upon a group of German soldiers in the forest. They discover, however, that the German soldiers don't want to fight any more than they do, and so a tentative truce is called between the soldiers as they spend Christmas together. One deadly mistake, however, soon leads to a terrible tragedy that will haunt young Private Will Knott for the rest of his life.This is a deeply moving and highly underrated anti-war film that's not even available on DVD. It's a lot more complex and less grisly than "Saving Private Ryan". I was a little surprised at some of the similarities in this film to the classic anti-war novel __All Quiet on the Western Front__ by Erich Maria Remarque. But that's a good thing; all the characters are so well developed and do such a great job of displaying their emotions (my personal favorite was Gary Sinise as "Mother"). The dialogue is thoroughly thought-provoking, especially the lines spoken by "Mother" in the scene with the painting; how "somebody cared" and "somebody made something...probably not even for money, but for love" in a time when so many people "wonder if there is any love left." There are also a few humorous lines here and there (like when everyone started calling Private Will Knott by the name of "Won't"), and the scene with the bathtub is sure to tug at your heartstrings. Also, the ending isn't as predictable as you may think it might be. If you're looking for an unusually non-violent and tender anti-war drama, and if you don't mind the unhurried pace, frequent dialogue, and relatiely little action, then I can't think of a better film for you to see this holiday season. "A Midnight Clear" is a masterpiece. Rated R, mostly for language. There are a few brief images of war violence, but no prolonged gore. There is also a scene involving an encounter between the soldiers and a prostitute, but there's no nudity. I guarantee this film wil be unlike any other you've ever scene, and now is the perfect time to see it. Merry Christmas to all.
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Summary: A Dreamlike Presentation of War's Harsh Reality
Review: As I saw this film and Castle Keep again recently, I thought about Stanley Weintraub's book Silent Night in which he discusses a brief period prior to Christmas in 1914, on the battlefields of Flanders, when German and British soldiers spontaneously agreed to declare a truce and suspend fighting, thereby defying their commanding officers. Centuries ago, knights and their attendants would work with their enemies to clear a field for combat the next day. Such cooperation had an obvious practical value. That's not what interests Weintraub as he examines a temporary truce during one of the bloodiest wars ever fought. It had little (if any) practical or tactical value but it did (and does) suggest a human need which transcends military obligations. However, war is war. After a brief respite, the carnage inevitably resumes. A Midnight Clear was directed by Keith Gordon and is based on William Wharton's autobiographical novel. Rather than featuring a star such as Burt Lancaster (as in A Midnight Clear), the lead roles in this film are played by those normally seen in supporting roles. For example, Kevin Dillon, Ethan Hawke, and Gary Sinise. They and all others in the cast are first-rate. Basically, here's the situation. An elite U.S. Army intelligence unit is given a reconnaissance mission in the Ardennes Forest in December of 1944, just before the Battle of the Bulge. The men in the platoon may be far from home as Christmas approaches, lonely and miserably cold, but they retain a certain playful spirit comparable with what Robert Altman celebrates in M.A.S.H. They encounter a German unit and then.... While seeing this film the first time and then again recently, I felt as if I were dreaming that I had returned to the 1940s in a time machine, to Belgium near the end of World War Two. Credit Tom Richmond's cinematography with creating an uncommonly beautiful setting for the savage combat which occurs there, as does John Mathieson during the "Hell Unleashed" sequence early in Gladiator. The dreamlike atmosphere continues throughout as the men suspend and then resume their own involvement in the war. This is a haunting film, at times an exquisitely lovely film, but also one which raises some serious questions. Why not throw snow balls instead of grenades, then treat each other to a round of drinks? Why not celebrate Christmas together, exchanging gifts and singing carols, as their ancestors once did on Christmas Eve in 1914, on the battlefields of Flanders? Doesn't all that make much more sense than killing each other? Of course.
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Summary: A Midnight Clear is one of the best WW2 movies ever.
Review: It shows the horrors of war very realistically. It also shows the sadness, unsureness and yes even the humor of men in war. This plot was very interesting; not the most original but a first of its kind I've seen from Hollywood. Ethan Hawke pulls off a strong preformance as a 19 yr. old Intelligence and Reconnaisance sergeant who doesn't really want to be in the war. Gary Sinise, Frank Whaley and the rest are wonderful too. Seeing this movie made me want to read the book (also *very* excellent, read it!) The screenplay, as I saw after reading the novel, most of the time literally took the words off the page and put them into the script. A very rare thing amongst movie adaptions. I put this movie in my top 3 strictly-militant-point of view movies of WW2 from the American side. 1. Saving Private Ryan 2. When Trumpets Fade 3. A Midnight Clear In short, WATCH THIS MOVIE!
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Summary: Haunting & Heartbreaking
Review: Maybe one day this film will make it to DVD; until then we'll have to be content with the tape. This "small" 1991 movie is one of the most touching war films ever, featuring a terrific cast led by Gary Sinise and Ethan Hawke. This WWII story follows six young soldiers of an American Intelligence & Recon squad sent deep into the Ardennes Forest by their manic commander (a fabulously over-the-top performance by John C. McGinley) to await an impending German assault. There is a climactic event to the story that is so unexpected and powerful you will never forget it. Filled with beautiful imagery and a fantastic, haunting score by Mark Isham, this film is definitely not an upbeat experience, but ultimately offers a statement on the triumph of friendship and the utter degrading effects of war on the human spirit.
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Summary: A Great War Movie
Review: This movie illustrates the power of subtlety and restraint in the screenplay and action. Of course there is gunplay, it is a war movie, but there is a point to it all. The message is much more powerful than the medium in this rare case. I heartily urge anyone who has not seen this movie to do so and buy it. It is one of the best of the best.
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Summary: A Midnight Clear
Review: Not a typical war movie and difiniteley not a "feel good" story.
This is not a war movie crammed with unlikely battle scenes, heroic "citizen soldiers", or wisecracking warriors. The action is sparse and concentrated in just a few, brief minutes of the film. The casting is near perfect as is the acting and photography. It is definitely an anti-war movie, but the producer and writer do not hit the viewer over the head with this message. It is a very powerful movie in spite of what must have been a relatively low budget. Highly recommended for the serious, thoughtful, viewer.
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Summary: Truly, one of a kind!
Review: If you ever want to begin to understand what war "feels" like, then by all means buy this movie and watch it again and again. Most "war movies" are full of special effects and by their shear "mass" try to put forth their particular point of view. Usually their purpose is to merely enterain or to make a point, which is usually fairly apparent. They may try to convey how terrible combat is, or how courageous our soldiers are. Films such as "When Trumpets Fade" and "Band Of Brothers" come to mind, not to mention the many "war films" made during or just after W.W.II which were pretty transparent in their morale building efforts. All these movies in the end seem to somehow fall short in conveying just how a lone combatant "feels" as he is caught up in some gigantic madness over which he has absolutely no control. It is in conveying this elusive "feeling" that this small simple film is truly unique. Everything that happens in this film was claimed to be completely true according to the author of the book on which the film is based. He was one of the soldiers involved in the story and only wrote the book as a "novel" because of the obvious problems of getting consent from all the individuals involved after such a long period of time. While I would normally be a little suspicious of such a claim, in this case I wholeheartedly believe it. The adage that truth is stranger then fiction certainly applies here as I really don't think anyone would set out to write such a "small" and strange tale. Also, it is obvious that it is the story itself, along with some excellent acting, that carries the film as I don't really think the director had any real idea what he had in this film. The "voice over" he does with one of the actors in the film clearly shows that while he truly liked the film, he honestly doesn't realize how "special" it really is. Buy the DVD and watch it staight thru with as few interruptions as possible. It will wash over you and you will have some small insight into life, death and war.
Rating: 
Summary: good
Review: this is a good move and it could have happened.in world war 1 the same thing happened with the germans and the americans.but the mission they are sent on is not your average mission that you would be doing.but over all its a good movie that you should see.i give it a B.
Rating: 
Summary: honestly? Very Average
Review: Cheap production values, average filming, average actors...
I bought it, I will sell it, really do not bother...
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