A Midnight Clear [Blu-ray]

Director: Keith Gordon Keith Gordon

Overview

Based on a novel by William Wharton, A Midnight Clear is set in the Adriennes Forest in December of 1944. A group of American GIs, all of whom have been together a bit too long, cling to the vestiges of their peacetime interests to remain sane. None are brilliant soldiers, though Will Knot Ethan Hawke is the one who exhibits the strongest leadership qualities. Billeted at a chateau, the soldiers begin hearing strange noises emanating from a graveyard, the handiwork of a group of mischievous German soldiers. The two enemy camps draw closer to one another as Christmas approaches, due in great part to the influence of GI Vince "Mother" Wilkins Gary Sinise. A sudden, impulsive hostile act results in the wholesale -- and unnecessary -- slaughter of the German soldiers. Though the exteriors are convincingly mid-European, the film was actually lensed in Utah.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/26/2020
UPC:	0826663208436
Original Release:	1992
Rating:	R
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:48:00
Sales rank:	20,696

Special Features

NEW "A Look Back At A Midnight Clear" with writer/director Keith Gordon, and stars Ethan Hawke, Frank Whaley and Arye Gross; Audio commentary by Keith Gordon and Ethan Hawke; Deleted scenes with commentary with Keith Gordon; And More!; 1080p High Definition; English SDH subtitles

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ethan Hawke	Will Knott
Gary Sinise	Mother Wilkins
Peter Berg	Bud
Kevin Dillon	Mel
Arye Gross	Stan
John C. McGinley	Maj. Griffin
Larry Joshua	Lt. Ware
Frank Whaley	`Father' Mundy
Curt Lowens	German Soldier
Rachel Griffin	Janice
Tim Shoemaker	Morrie
Kelly Gately	Young Hero German
Bill Osborn	Sargeant
Andre Lamal	German
David Jensen	Sergeant Hunt
Mark Isham	Composer

Technical Credits

Keith Gordon

Keith Gordon	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Bill Borden	Producer
Dale Pollock	Producer
Marc Abraham	Executive Producer,Producer
Armyan Bernstein	Executive Producer,Producer
Tom Rosenberg	Executive Producer,Producer

Editorial Reviews

One of the most unusual and engrossing World War II movies ever made, A Midnight Clear transcends the genre by virtue of its keen insight and quiet eloquence. This leisurely paced adaptation of William Wharton’s unforgettable novel begins in the eerie Ardennes forest during the winter of 1944, as a group of young, inexperienced American soldiers carry out a reconnaissance mission. They play a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game with German soldiers who, apparently aware that theirs is a lost cause, indicate some willingness to surrender if they can save face. At this point, the screenplay by director Keith Gordon (The Chocolate War) diverges from the tried-and-true paths of most war movies and moves toward an altogether unexpected conclusion. Gordon depicts war as an exercise in surrealism to which insanity is a reasonable if not inevitable reaction. His setting reinforces this view; the snow-covered forest seems to hold mysteries beyond human ken, and it makes an oddly suitable backdrop for the patently unreal conflicts that ensue. The cast is uniformly excellent: Ethan Hawke is especially good as the young squad leader whose authority is challenged in ways he never imagined, while Kevin Dillon, Peter Berg, Arye Gross, and Gary Sinise portray the other soldiers with equal subtlety. Gordon’s modest film -- released theatrically in 1992 and promptly banished to video-store shelves -- is no jingoistic, flag-waving shoot-’em-up. Rather, it’s a provocative, bitterly ironic parable guaranteed to linger in memory long after viewing.