A Midnight Clear

"At the frontlines of life, near the end of innocence, came the beginning of manhood."

1992 1h 48m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

🍅

88%

FRESH

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 133🍅88%Rotten Tomatoes★7.1IMDB · 10,272

DramaWarHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1944 France, an American Intelligence Squad locates a German Platoon wishing to surrender rather than die in Germany's final war offensive. The two groups of men, isolated from the war at present, put aside their differences and spend Christmas together before the surrender plan turns bad and both sides are forced to fight the other.

“At the frontlines of life, near the end of innocence, came the beginning of manhood.”

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Cast

Peter Berg
Bud Miller
Kevin Dillon
Mel Avakian
Arye Gross
Stan Shutzer
Ethan Hawke
Will Knott
Gary Sinise
Vance 'Mother' Wilkins
Frank Whaley
Paul 'Father' Mundy
John C. McGinley
Major Griffin
Larry Joshua
Lieutenant Ware

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Keith Gordon
Writers: Keith Gordon
Languages: German, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

34 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Keith Gordon, shot by Tom Richmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Isham. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Don Brochu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Peter Berg and Kevin Dillon and Arye Gross carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "At the frontlines of life, near the end of innocence, came the beginning of manhood.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0102443 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Keith Gordon directs. Tom Richmond behind the camera. Mark Isham scores. Don Brochu cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

134 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
3Directed by Keith Gordon, shot by Tom Richmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Mark Isham. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Don Brochu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Peter Berg and Kevin Dillon and Arye Gross carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "At the frontlines of life, near the end of innocence, came the beginning of manhood.".
8IMDB entry: tt0102443 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Tom Richmond
Original score: Mark Isham
Editing: Don Brochu
Production design: David Nichols
Costume design: Barbara Tfank
Makeup / hair: Gina Homan
Sound: David Parker
Stunt coordinator: Steve M. Davison
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: A Midnight Clear (1992)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 10,272 votes
MPAA: R
US box office: $1,526,697

Awards

1 nomination total

Also by

Keith Gordon

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2021-11-25
★ 7/10
Christmas is near on the snowy Western Front in WW2 In the beginning stages of the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, a reconnaissance patrol is sent ahead in the Ardennes forest on the border of France and Germany where they encounter some German soldiers. Who will survive to celebrate Christmas? “A Midnight Clear” (1992) is an obscure artistic WW2 movie focusing on a patrol in the wintery sylvan landscapes of the Battle of the Bulge. It’s more realistic than the surreal “Castle Keep” (1969), but it reminds me a little of that arty flick. While a couple of scenes could’ve been more convincingly executed and some elements of the story are unlikely or weird, it’s almost an exact recounting of author William Wharton’s actual experiences (he wrote the 1982 novel the script was based on). Director/scriptwriter Keith Gordon desperately wanted to plainly state “This is a true story” at the beginning, but the lawyers wouldn’t allow it. As such, the supposed disclaimer during the end credits is vaguely worded for legal reasons. Speaking of Keith, you may remember him as the protagonist in “Jaws 2” (1978) and, especially, “Christine” (1982). In any case, I appreciated the wintery war ambiance in the woods with cast members from “Platoon” (Kevin Dillon and John C. McGinley), “Dead Poets Society” (Ethan Hawke) and “Forrest Gump” (Gary Sinise). I also liked the inventive approach, the music, and the depiction of this handful of young men united in a struggle of life and death. While the middle starts to get a little tedious and questionable there is a turning point and, from there, the film is quite compelling. The film closes with a haunting rendition of "It Came upon a Midnight Clear" by Sam Phillips as the credits scroll. I felt moved and reflected. The movie runs 1 hour, 48 minutes, and was shot in the Park City area of north-central Utah. GRADE: B

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