Director Keith Gordon took a small role in Les complices (1994) so he could get this script to Nick Nolte, whose agents thought the project was "too small."
While they are hiding out, Campbell (Nick Nolte) says to Resi and George, "In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart," a direct quote from "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank.
"Frank Wirtanen" is the name of the man who used to sell Christmas trees to the Vonnegut family.
The character Howard W. Campbell Jr. is used by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in the novel Slaughterhouse Five, and makes an appearance in the movie of the same name, although in reference to a part of Campbell's life not included in the film version of Mother Night.
The film is based on a story by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.. Director Keith Gordon previously starred in À fond la fac (1986), in which the actual Vonnegut had a brief appearance.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.: Towards the end of the film when Campbell (Nick Nolte) stands frozen in the street one of the people who pass by him in slow motion is the author of the book the film is based on (the man with a mustache in a beige suit and a blue shirt with a tie.)