The film was released in April of 1963....and starred Marlon Brando....nuff said. It did not receive any Golden Globe or Academy Award nominations nor do well at the box office....but the 1958 book that the film was based on was a best seller....and one of the most influential political novels ever. My opinion of the film? The screenplay was beyond extraordinary....where the viewer had the time to take in every line....in the thoughtful and at times profound dialogue. Brando as I inferred....was terrific. The Ugly American....the book....was meant to be by its authors William Lederer and Eugene Burdick....the conscience of America circa 1960....it tried valiantly....and made its mark....but ultimately failed...."We're keeping the oil."
I'm going to give the ultimate spoiler in this post in case you think you may want to see the DVD. The setting is a fictitious Southeast Asian nation but it is Vietnam. Brando is the new ambassador who believes that developing the natural resources of the country will ensure democracy....and stop the communist domino effect. His great friend from their service in World War II is the most popular figure in the country....but with no official position....who leads the renewal revolutionary movement that just wants Sarkhans to determine the future of the Sarkhanese.
Here's the spoiler....Brando....Ambassador MacWhite....in one of his finest performances....finds out at the end of the film that he has been wrong....even though his intentions were good. His great friend....played by Japanese actor Eiji Okada.....also wonderfully acted.....finds out that he also was wrong. Both were good men....with differing opinions....but both were duped in one way or another. There is a third important character....the Prime Minister of Sarkhan.....played by a Thai actor.....again wonderfully acted....who in real life would years later become the Prime Minister of Thailand!
At the very end of the film....after Ambassador MacWhite realizes the mistakes that he made....still a good and principled man....and being interviewed by American reporters in Sarkhan....looks into the camera....and is about to give experienced advice about American foreign policy to Americans watching back home. The camera cuts to a typical home in America with the television on....and a man standing there watching MacWhite being interviewed after an explosive climax in Sarkhan's political situation. We all....the film's viewers....are waiting to hear his advice....when the man in that typical American home.....bored with this political news....walks over to the television.....and turns it off.....The End!
I review this film here for one reason. We are that man who just walks over and turns the television off....because it demands a little too much of his attention. We're not interested in what would happen if China collapses....we just want what's ours....or if war breaks out in the Middle East....or even in the entire world. We on our side are not interested in Donald Trump's past....and circumnavigate his present....to ensure his future. We're more interested about where Tom Brady goes than the national debt....and not concerned at all that Trump was outraged by the figure during the campaign but is now sending it into orbit. We in evangelicalism are not really interested....anymore....in church history.....or doctrine....ugh....divisive....and especially not warnings of any sort.....unless it's something that might hinder our best life now. We in effect just walk over and turn off the information.
I'm going to give the ultimate spoiler in this post in case you think you may want to see the DVD. The setting is a fictitious Southeast Asian nation but it is Vietnam. Brando is the new ambassador who believes that developing the natural resources of the country will ensure democracy....and stop the communist domino effect. His great friend from their service in World War II is the most popular figure in the country....but with no official position....who leads the renewal revolutionary movement that just wants Sarkhans to determine the future of the Sarkhanese.
Here's the spoiler....Brando....Ambassador MacWhite....in one of his finest performances....finds out at the end of the film that he has been wrong....even though his intentions were good. His great friend....played by Japanese actor Eiji Okada.....also wonderfully acted.....finds out that he also was wrong. Both were good men....with differing opinions....but both were duped in one way or another. There is a third important character....the Prime Minister of Sarkhan.....played by a Thai actor.....again wonderfully acted....who in real life would years later become the Prime Minister of Thailand!
At the very end of the film....after Ambassador MacWhite realizes the mistakes that he made....still a good and principled man....and being interviewed by American reporters in Sarkhan....looks into the camera....and is about to give experienced advice about American foreign policy to Americans watching back home. The camera cuts to a typical home in America with the television on....and a man standing there watching MacWhite being interviewed after an explosive climax in Sarkhan's political situation. We all....the film's viewers....are waiting to hear his advice....when the man in that typical American home.....bored with this political news....walks over to the television.....and turns it off.....The End!
I review this film here for one reason. We are that man who just walks over and turns the television off....because it demands a little too much of his attention. We're not interested in what would happen if China collapses....we just want what's ours....or if war breaks out in the Middle East....or even in the entire world. We on our side are not interested in Donald Trump's past....and circumnavigate his present....to ensure his future. We're more interested about where Tom Brady goes than the national debt....and not concerned at all that Trump was outraged by the figure during the campaign but is now sending it into orbit. We in evangelicalism are not really interested....anymore....in church history.....or doctrine....ugh....divisive....and especially not warnings of any sort.....unless it's something that might hinder our best life now. We in effect just walk over and turn off the information.
