The Quiet American
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Movie Reviews of The Quiet American
Movie Review: could have been 6 stars
Summary: 5 Stars
By far the best movie I have seen recently. I do not believe the producers understood Pyle. In the film Pyle pretends to be innocent (possibly CIA training?) but in the book he is innocent. It is Isabel Archer vs Gilbert Osmond turned inside out. The book is not a polemic it is literature and the figure of Henry James lurks behind it. Greene's essays on James are splendid and he understands what it means to "affront a destiny" The filmakers have made a splendid film. Greene wanted to protest American involvement in Vietnam but he wished to write literature and take up tat theme of America vs Europe which James explored so masterfully. And so Fowler does not make the noble choice the producers would have it--there is something corrupt in him. Neither is Pyle a masquerade--he is an innocent like Strether who misunderstands Mmn de Vionnet in The Ambassadors--only Strether is benign. Greeene departs from James by fearing innocence. Greene turns the trope of innocents abroad around. Pyle was no charicature in the book but another and malignant Jamesian possibility.
This having been said The Quiet American is the finest movie I have seen in a long time.
Movie Review: Lost Love In A Lost Time
Summary: 5 Stars
Although Michael Caine was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, this film went largely unnoticed. That's a shame, as it presents a true love story from a period of time in a place largely ignored - 1952 Vietnam. Thomas Fowler (Michael Caine) is a married British journalist who is in love with a beautiful young Vietnamese woman and writes for the British press. He has found his true paradise. Director Philip Noyce is able to bring out the humid, romantic nuance of war-torn Vietnam. An American physician named Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser) appears out of nowhere and confesses his love for Fowler's lover. What ensues is a seemingly gentlemanly sparring for the affections of Phuong (Do Thi Hai Yen). As the story unfolds, we find that Pyle is not all he seems, Fowler is less lazy than previously thought and Phuong is torn (with lots of help from her selfish sister). The revelations come slowly and subtly and the back-drop of the early fifties Vietnam is hypnotizing. By the end of the film, the surprises are revealed and nothing is what it had seemed, although the viewer is left with the nagging thought of what will happen after this?Movie Review: A movie based on a book that is actually as good as the book
Summary: 5 Stars
First off all those people bashing the movie for its story line need to go read the book of the same title by Graham Greene. The story is deep and complex if the viewer would only take the time to pay attention to the details. This movie is not one that you put in then watch in a numbed state with a stupefied glaze over your face. This is one of the few movies out there that stays true to the book for which it is based upon. This is a great movie if you take it for what it is and an even better movie if you understand the history of Vietnam and the political situation of Vietnam in the 1950's. Michael Cain does an excellent job of Fowler a correspondent for the London Times who is in Vietnam to cover the rising tension. He believes it is his job to simply report what he sees and hears; not to put any spin on it. Brendan Frasier plays Pyle a young and naive American economic attaché who believes in a "third force" to run Vietnam. Then there is Phuong who by all means represents Vietnam rising from the ashes. So this is a great movie and an even better movie if you read the book.Movie Review: Caine Shines
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Quiet American" is a languid and eminently watchable film. I recommend it to all viewers interested in Vietnam and the acting of Michael Caine who plays the lead character, Thomas Fowler.
The film is based on the book by Graeme Greene and it set in the Vietnam of 1952 when French colonial rule was collapsing and the influence of America was correspondingly rising. The country is slowing slipping into chaos from which it will not even begin to emerge for a generation. Some countries are seemingly inflicted with a role in world history that they would rather not experience. Vietnam is one such country.
The film is a wonderful production and owes much to the direction of Phillip Noyce who covers his subject matter with great care. The result is a beautiful but tragic film. Thomas Fowler rises above mediocrity to become a truly successful journalist while the rank opportunism of the US government is exposed for all to see. Vietnam slowly slips into a mire of tragedy. The film, however, is a great result. Make an effort to see it!
Movie Review: The First Casualty of War is Always the Truth!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a tremendously powerful film, one that should be required as a part of any high school or college American history class curriculum. Conservatives will hate it (too bad!) and the rest of us will be moved, and deeply troubled, by it's many implications. You might even shed a tear or two, like I did.
Graham Greene, who's book this movie is adapted from is one of my heroes. He was a household name in the 60's and early 70's. And, he deserves to be one again! Haven't we learned a thing from Viet Nam? Or, are we Americans all suffering from amnesia? Pentagon Papers anyone? Remember the notorious "Domino Theory?" If we don't save Vietnam from Communism the whole of Asia will go down the drain, and then those blasted Commies will someday be knocking at our door!
Oh, the grand "Big Lie" strikes again in the 2000's! Why did so many of us believe our Federal government would "never" mislead the public on the reasons for the Iraq War? But here we go again, repeating history. We are such fools, it's truly amazing!