Midnight Clear, A

Synopsis
In 1944, a six-man American intelligence and reconnaissance unit is sent by their reckless major on a mission in a remote part of the Ardennes forest on the German front. Isolated in a remote villa in the dead of winter, they wind up developing a cryptic relationship with a small band of German soldiers nearby who've all but given up on the war effort. The disillusioned soldiers come face-to-face with one another in a beautifully filmed series of events, sharing Christmas carols, snowball fights, and a mutual desire to stay alive. Ethan Hawke stars as Will Knot, the young leader of the American unit who agrees to fake a battle with the German soldiers, who want to surrender peaceably but save their reputation. The cast includes Gary Sinise, Peter Berg, Kevin Dillon, Arye Gross, and Frank Whaley as Will's fellow recon officers. Against the hauntingly beautiful landscape of the Alpine tundra, the young men must face their darkest fears while trying to escape the horrors of war. This powerful and quietly stylish ensemble drama features lyrically beautiful voice-overs delivered by Hawke as he questions the validity of war and his spiritual place in the world. The film is based on the autobiographical novel by William Wharton.

Production Notes
The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and the 1992 Santa Barbara International Film Festival and Venice Film Festival.

Shooting began in Utah on February 4, 1991; completed March 25, 1991.

Director-screenwriter Keith Gordon was nominated for the 1992 Independent Spirit Award for best screenplay by the IFP/West.

Technical advice was provided by C'est la Guerre Inc. Snow management was provided by Arlan Kohler and Phil Sharp.

Novelist William Wharton also wrote BIRDY. Alan Parker's film adaptation of the book stars Matthew Modine and Nicholas Cage.

Reviews
"...Intelligently provocative..." (Rolling Stone)

"...Very fine....A MIDNIGHT CLEAR looks gorgeous without being pretty. It's anything but..." (New York Times)

"...Sensitive, bright and supremely moral....With a clear eye, the movie shows us midnight...." (Los Angeles Times)

"...[A] haunting parable..." (Chicago Sun-Times)

4 stars out of 5 -- "A young, then-unknown cast -- Ethan Hawke, Gary Sinise, Kevin Dillon, Peter Berg -- impress, and Gordon treats his material with appreciative respect." (Total Film)