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<B>Nazi themed 'Mother' fits into the tortured artistry of 'The World'</B><P>
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<FONT SIZE=4><B>By Josh Herr</B><BR></FONT>Staff Critic
<FONT SIZE=4><B>By Will Geeslin</B><BR></FONT>Contributing Critic
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<FONT SIZE=4><B><I>The Whole Wide World</I><BR>Sony Pictures Classics</B></FONT><P>
Loving someone is never easy, no matter who they are. There is always a certain amount of compromise, anger and pain that go hand in hand with all the joy of a relationship.The Whole Wide World explores the ups and downs of this kind of relationship in a movie that is enchanting without being sappy and thoughtful without being slow.
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Director Dan Ireland brings the story of Novelyne Price to the screen. Price was a school teacher who fell in and out of love with noted pulp writer Robert E. Howard in Texas in the 1930s. Shortly after meeting him, Price is simultaneously drawn to and repulsed by the flamboyant Howard.
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Her repressed friends hound her for her interest in the nonconformist, but she can't help but be attracted to him.
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As their relationship progresses, she begins to wonder whether she can deal with all his eccentricities. Through the years, she gradually comes to accept that she will never be more important to him than writing, or his manipulative, invalid mother.
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Vincent D'Onofrio is outstanding as Howard. He gravitates between extremes of moods.
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He sometimes can be a pig, stating his controversial and misanthropic opinions rather loudly and publicly, but all the while the wonder of a child can be seen beneath his blustering exterior.
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D'Onofrio has always been a great actor, but Hollywood has all but ignored him. Hopefully this performance, combined with his best actor award from the acclaimed Cannes Film Festival, will make them realize what they are missing.
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In the part of Novelyne Price is Renee Zellweger, recently seen in Jerry Maguire. With this film, Zellweger proves she is more than a cute face. Her portrayal of Price is the highlight of the movie. Her enchanting presence plays off of the towering D'Onofrio with a joy that can be felt in every scene.
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Price matches wits with Howard, forcing him to see the truth behind his bluster and to deal with a reality he tries to escape.
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Every scene they share together is filled with indescribable tension and joy as the pair decide whether they will love or hate one another.
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When the ending finally comes, it is the most bittersweet scene I can remember in recent film history.
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My best advice to you is to grab someone you love, take them to see this and bring a box of tissues.
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<FONT SIZE=4><B><I>Mother Night</I><BR>Fine Line Features</B></FONT>
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Mother Night is a story about a poor player who can never quite leave the stage after his strutting has ended. It portrays the life of Howard W. Campbell Jr. (Nick Nolte), who is recruited by a shadowy, American, "Deep Throat-esque" figure named Frank Wirtanen (John Goodman) to infiltrate the Nazi propaganda machine during World War II.
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He becomes one of the most well-known radio personalities for the Third Reich, imploring Americans to throw off the yolk of Jewish rule and to oust their "dictator," Franklin Delanor Rosenfeld. Unbeknownst to the Nazis, Campbell is simultaneously broadcasting information to the Allies during his reports.
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Given that this is an adaptation from a Kurt Vonnegut novel of the same name, one expects contrasts and contradictions.
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The audience is not disappointed as the opening sequence shows Campbell being led into a dreary, bleak prison that is shot in black and white, while the cheery, reassuring voice of Bing Crosby tells us he is dreaming of a "White Christmas."
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The film has elements of intrigue, black comedy and serious drama. It falters at times in the combination of serious drama and Vonnegut-esque farce. The story is interesting, though, and the few sections where the film seems unsure of whether it is a farce or a drama does little to take away from its success.
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Nolte's performance echoes his role of Lionel Dobie, the painter in Martin Scorese's segment in New York Stories, and gives a convincing portrayal of Campbell. On the other hand, Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer in "Twin Peaks,") has some truly wonderful scenes as Helga Noth, Campbell's German wife.
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The film also has Kirsten Dunst, who played the child vampire from Interview with the Vampire, as Helga's younger sister.
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Stylistically the film flourishes. It switches from black and white in the prison scenes to color everywhere else.
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Also, there is an Impressionist sequence where the subjectivity of Campbell's love for his wife is shown through slow motion and lighting.
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A powerful shot is when Campbell watches a film of himself giving a pro-Nazi propaganda speech. The image on the screen is superimposed onto the post-war Campbell for great dramatic effect. Campbell's struggle to resurrect an identity distinct from his Nazi persona is the essence of the film, as is his internal battle with the possibility that he did more to perpetuate the Holocaust than prevent it.
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Indeed he must wonder whether or not he would have confessed his espionage to the Nazis had Hitler emerged victorious.
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Acts II and III of the film are simply riveting, as Campbell falls further into the abyss his romantic patriotism has created.
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Campbell succinctly states the simple moral of the film: "You must be careful what you pretend to be because in the end you are what you pretend to be."
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<B>Photo: </B><B>HEATED MOMENT</B> Texas native Renee Zellweger stars as Novalyne Price and Vincent D'Onofrio portrays Robert E. Howard in 'The Whole Wide World.'
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<B>Photo furnished</B> <BR>
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