The Quiet American
Release Date:
November 22, 2002
Limited release
This second adaptation of Graham Greene's novel restores the political motivations that the 1958 film version excised as it weaves the tale of a love triangle set amidst America's growing involvement in Viet Nam.
Of course, the French were there first, trying to liberate South Viet Nam from the encroaching Communism from the North, and The Quiet American takes place during this time in the early '50s. Jaded British journalist and opium junkie Thomas Fowler narrates the story, which unfolds mostly in flashback after the murder of Alden Pyle, the eponymous American, an idealistic young man who, like much of Viet Nam, is more complicated than he seems on the surface. First rebuffed and later befriended by Fowler, he becomes a romantic rival for Fowler's Vietnamese mistress, Phuong. Fowler and Pyle compete for Phuong's affections against a backdrop of the covert activity that eventually led to America into the Viet Nam War.
The Quiet American premiered at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival, and is now set for a limited release on November 22, 2002. It has received generally positive reviews, with several critics commenting on this version's more complete depiction of the political intrigues that were a major theme of Greene's novel. Given the talent involved and the subject matter, one would expect to see this film featured in the year-end awards, which should improve its chances of finding an audience in the theaters. (Stephanie Star Smith/BOP)
Vital statistics for The Quiet American |
| Main Cast |
Michael Caine, Brendan Fraser, Do Thi Hai Yen, Yen Do Hai |
| Supporting Cast |
Rade Serbedzija, Tzi Ma, Robert Stanton (II), Holmes Osborne, Pham Thi Mai Hoa, Quang Hai, Ferdinand Hoang, Mathias Mlekuz |
| Director |
Phillip Noyce |
| Screenwriter |
Christopher Hampton, Robert Schenkkan |
| Distributor |
Miramax |
| Awards |
Awards page for The Quiet American
|
|
Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture |
|
|
|
|
|
Tweet
