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The writer Graham
Greene (1904-1991) worked for British intelligence during World War II which presumably
gave him exposure to espionage and other undercover sorts of activities in which
governments, particularly governments at war, engage. Greene's religious convictions (he
converted to Catholicism) also were the grounding for a strong sense of morality. His
writing reflects both of these aspects of his background, often taking the form of
adventure stories in which well-developed characters confront issues of right and wrong,
with all the shadings in between.
The Quiet American, very much in the Greene mold, takes place
in an exotic, colonial locale (Viet Nam) and its hero, Thomas Fowler, has the decadent,
disaffected attitude that infects Greene's expatriates. In Phillip Noyce's new film based
on the novel, Michael Caine plays Fowler and delivers a definitive performance in the
role. Fowler is a British correspondent, getting by doing barely enough work to keep his
post, smoking opium, and maintaining an emotional distance from the events around him,
with the exception of his Vietnamese mistress, the beautiful Phuong (Do Thi Hai Yen) with
whom he is very much in love. But Fowler has a wife back home who, as a Catholic, will not
give him a divorce. Phuong's sister worries about the insecure nature of her attachment.
Enter a young American, Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser), sporting a crew
cut, nerdy glasses, and a straight arrow sort of awkwardness. Pyle claims to be on a
medical aid mission for the United States government, but as they become friends Fowler
realizes that Pyle's up to something more. To further complicate matters, Pyle falls in
love with Phoung, too.
These two contrasting characters schematically fall into place as the
cynical Old World colonialist and the idealistic, but naive, American, indulging in the
new colonialism--butting into the business of other sovereign states out of motivations of
perceived national self-interest. Their competition for Phuong is a microcosm of their
competing ideals and perceptions of morality about Viet Nam itself.
Noyce's script leans somewhat on voiceovers, but nonetheless is cogent
and delivers the story with a strong narrative drive. Using saturated colors and dark
lighting, he also catches the hot and humid atmosphere of the country, a genuine sense not
only of a geographical place, but also of a place on the verge of anarchy. The potential
for blatant polemic is always present in a film such as this one; Noyce intelligently
keeps the political verbalizing to a minimum and lets the events define the themes.
The primary weakness, which is not fatal to the film, but keeps it from
being a much stronger work, is in the performance of Brendan Fraser. He doesn't invest the
character with the kind of sharp intelligence that such an operative would be expected to
have. Nor is his romantic interest in Phuong convincing for a moment; he talks it, but he
doesn't exhibit the passion to which his words profess. The result is that protagonist and
antagonist are unevenly matched and the resulting imbalance reduces the effectiveness of
the whole.
The Quiet American was ready for release at about the time of
the 9/11 attacks. Mirmax made the decision to postpone its release in view of the
sensitivity of the film's themes, which put American intervention in Viet Nam in a
negative light. A delay is understandable, but with better than a year gone by and general
release planned for sometime in 2003, Miramax seems to be either milking the issue for
publicity (they did screen it in New York and Los Angeles to qualify for Academy awards)
or, even worse, caving in to national pressures set by the tone of the current
administration which characterizes any criticism of the government's actions as
unpatriotic and interfering with anti-terrorist efforts.
The Quiet American is surely critical of United States actions
in Viet Nam, especially the sort of covert activity to which the public isn't privy. In
retrospect, few would argue that our involvement there was anything but a major failing of
American foreign policy. Instead of silencing the lessons of the not-so-distant past, the
issues raised by The Quiet American are important to have as part of any debate
as to what future interventions the U.S. undertakes. To avoid such issues is to capitulate
to a government that currently seeks ever greater powers and fewer citizen protections
than at any time in American history.
In The Quiet American Miramax has an intelligent, high quality
film that is timely and pertinent to today's headlines. Now they need the courage to put
it before the public.
- Arthur Lazere
