Released in November on DVD by Columbia TriStar, A Midnight Clear is a crisp, intelligent, and tragically underknown WWII drama that came and went in 1992. It centers on a squadron of American soldiers in the French Ardennes Forest, near the German border, in December 1944. The madness of war is shown right off the bat: the men have been handpicked for this "intelligence" mission because they all have high IQ's. The squad (a fine ensemble including Ethan Hawke, Kevin Dillon, Arye Gross, Frank Whaley, and Gary Sinise in his first feature film) holes up in an empty French mansion and discovers a small German platoon nearby.

The absurdities mount - a tossed grenade turns into a snowball fight, and on Christmas Eve the two sides join to sing carols together - and it eventually becomes clear that the Germans wish to surrender, but only after a fake skirmish so it will appear to the oncoming German army that they fought bravely. Director Keith Gordon, who went on to helm Waking the Dead and the current The Singing Detective, coaxes great performances from his ensemble, strikes just the right visual balance of satire and drama, and ends up with poetry. Though small and contained, the story builds to a powerful climax worthy of the great war pictures.

While it may be full of strange, even implausible, events, novelist William Wharton (Birdy) based this tale on fact, and Gordon adapted the book to the screen almost verbatim, retaining most of the mysterious incidents and rich dialogue. According to Gordon's and Hawke's commentary on this disc, WWII veterans responded very positively to this picture, especially to the casting of such young actors in the leading roles. As Hawke points out, the average age of a sergeant in WWII was 20, and these kids were quite vulnerable, scared, and in over their heads, something which is not often depicted in films of WWII. Gordon also mentions that Battle of the Bulge veterans are sure this visually beautiful movie was shot in Europe - actually, it was shot in snowy Utah, at times just feet from major highways. (The $4.5 million budget didn't allow for a trip to Europe.)

The commentary track is quite intelligent, and Hawke's passion for this film really comes through. "This was the first thing after Dead Poets Society that I really wanted," he says, "and I think it's still my favorite script that I've ever read. I don't remember ever wanting to do a job as much as I wanted this film." Gordon and Hawke also discuss the rehearsal process quite insightfully and point out the interesting fact that most of the lead actors in A Midnight Clear have gone on to direct films themselves. This is no surprise, says Gordon, since they were all clearly invested in the whole process of making this film rather than just in their own lines or parts. Also listen for Gordon describing the difficulty of lighting large fields of snow at night, and on shooting the scene in the Germans' shack; it was shot in the middle of the night but lit from the outside to appear like day, a simple yet amazing effect when you look at the scene.

There are also ten deleted scenes on the DVD, with commentary by Gordon. Some are of poor quality because the footage wasn't well-preserved, but several contain quite beautiful moments.

The only problem here, and it's shameful, is that the film is presented "fullscreen" rather than in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. At least the movie wasn't shot in panavision, so the cropped effect isn't as problematic as it might have been, but still, a future widescreen release is a must. Until then, this will do fine. The film, full of tenderness and humanity, is still a must-see.

To order A Midnight Clear, go to TCM Shopping.

by Jeremy Arnold