Mother Night according to me

A stark, gray prison comes into view as Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" plays in the background. This is the first scene in the movie Mother Night, based on the book of the same title by Kurt Vonnegut. As we meet Howard Campbell, he is being escorted to a cell in an Israeli prison to await trial for crimes against the Jewish people during World War II. There, as he begins writing his memoirs, we are initiated into the secret world of Howard W. Campbell Jr., "the last free American."

Mother Night combines all the elements that make a movie interesting--intrigue, romance, and comedy. The central story of a spy's efforts to regain his life after World War II is intertwined with an intense love story. Comic characters--the Black Fuehrer of Harlem and Dr. Lionel Jones--appear in the second half of the film to relive some of the unrelenting gloom that settles over the film. Mother Night compels the viewer to reflect upon his or her own beliefs about the morality of Campbell's actions. It makes one seriously consider the validity of the old saying, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." It also offers insight into the very essence of life and love. These things, as well as creative filmmaking, make Mother Night a film that will not soon be forgotten.

Mother Night chronicles the life of Howard Campbell, an American living in Germany. A successful playwright, he is married to an equally successful actress, the young and beautiful Helga Noth. When the Nazis rise to power in Germany at the beginning of World War II, Campbell is asked by the American government to infiltrate the propaganda agency of the German government. He agrees, even though he could never be recognized after the war for his efforts. In the propaganda agency, he broadcasts a radio program under the name, Howard W. Campbell Jr., "the last free American." During this program he not only spreads Nazi propaganda, but also sends messages, including news of his wife's death while performing for Nazi troops, to the American government through an intricate code of pauses, coughs, and voice inflections. After the war Campbell attempts to lose himself in New York. He remains nameless, just another face in the crowd, until his cover is blown by Dr. Lionel Jones, an admirer of Campbell as well as the editor of The White Christian Minuteman, a Neo-Nazi newspaper. Campbell is forced to fight for his life and for the lives of those he loves.

One of the most striking aspects of Mother Night is its creative use of color. Campbell's flashbacks are vibrant with color, while his present is a menage of grays, whites, and blacks. This suggest that Howard Campbell's emotional life exists largely in his past, not his present. In his present Campbell has nothing to live for--he has lost his wife, he is an outcast from society, and he is plagued by tormenting guilt. But his past holds his "nation of two." This "nation of two," in which Campbell and Helga are the only member, was his reason for living. Love made his life of deceit and suspicion livable. This reinforces one of the themes of the film that love is the flavor of life. In Campbell's flashbacks the intensity of the colors provides insight into the state of his heart. When his love is strongest, the colors are vivacious and alive. Helga's bright red lipstick, cheerful parties, and movements through the city streets are full of color and life. During the times of his life when love is but a fond memory, Campbell is surrounded by drab browns and muted tans. His apartment, his furnishings, and even his clothes are dull and lifeless. This, however, is not the only way creative filmmaking helps emphasize certain aspects of the film.

Another way the director uses different techniques to make the viewer focus on a specific facet of the story is the rather theatrical use of lights. During important moments of Mother Night, spotlights are used to focus the audience's attention of what is happening. For example, when Reisi is speaking to Howard before she takes the pills that will kill her, a light focuses on her face. This is very common during stage performances, but it is rarely seen in movies.

"You must be careful what you pretend to be because in the end you are who you're pretending to be." This is the overwhelming message of Mother Night. One cannot pretend to be something without eventually becoming it in reality. Howard Campbell pretends to be a loyal Nazi. And therefore, in a sense, he is. Warner Noth, Campbell's father-in-law reinforces this notion when he tells Campbell that it was the radio program that instilled Nazi values and ideals within him. Campbell comes to realize that despite the good he may have done the United States and the Allied forces, he did immeasurable evil to the Jewish people. With this immense guilt, Campbell trudges through his existence, a mere spectator in life. Campbell lives in his past. Even after years have gone by, he still eats alone, across the table from a picture of his beloved Helga. However, Howard Campbell shows signs of awakening from his depressed stupor when Dr. Lionel Jones shows up, bringing Helga, Campbell's supposedly dead wife, with him. Helga later confesses to him that she is actually Helga's younger sister, Reisi. Campbell is at first shocked, but he has already fallen in love with her. But then, Howard Campbell's world begins to fall apart. Dr. Jones, after learning of his existence, printed an articles about Campbell in the newspaper, The White Christian Minuteman. This alerts the rest of the world of his whereabouts. He becomes the target of massive anti-Nazi violence--his house is wrecked and he is threatened. He and Reisi are chased in a dilapidated building where she, feeling their lives will last no longer, pleads with him to take a pill that will kill them. he refuses, but she proceeds and takes the pill. Campbell manages to escape, but slowly he comes to realize that he has nothing to live for and when the full realization of this hits him, Campbell comes ot a dead stop in the middle of a busy sidewalk. He has no reason or motivation to take a step in any direction. Only when questioned by a police officer, does he begin to walk again. He then turns himself in to the Israeli government, which has been trying to extricate him from the United States to stand trial for his war crimes.

In prison, having received a letter from the American agent who first recruited him as a spy saying that he would testify that Campbell had indeed been a spy for the American government, Howard Campbell hangs himself with the very typewriter ribbon he had used to type his memoirs. Howard Campbell was tired. His soul, his very being, was tired of the oppressing guilt brought on by his service to the Nazi regime. And somewhere inside of him, Howard Campbell felt he deserved death. The idea that one is that he pretends to be was so embedded in his mind, that he--as a rational, intelligent man--knew he had helped the Nazi cause through his radio program; for this he felt he deserved to die.

Mother Night is a film that offers great insight into the nature of life, and, more importantly, love. It uses creative techniques to emphasize that life without love is a farce. It combines many elements, from romance to action, to communicate a captivating and powerful message. The story of Howard W. Campbell Jr., "the last free American," is one that sheds light on the very essence of what it means to be human.