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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
William J. Lederer (novel) &
Eugene Burdick (novel) ...
more
Release Date:
2 April 1963 (USA) more
Tagline:
The most explosive adventure of our time! more
Plot:
An intelligent, articulate scholar, Harrison MacWhite, survives a hostile Senate confirmation hearing... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
25 Most Disturbing Movies #8: Cannibal Holocaust
(From GreenCine. 6 November 2009, 11:07 AM, PST)
AFF09: Stewart Stern and 'The Ugly American'
(From Slackerwood. 26 October 2009, 6:30 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
now that the Vietnam War has happened... more (14 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Marlon Brando | ... | Ambassador Harrison Carter MacWhite | |
| Eiji Okada | ... | Deong | |
| Sandra Church | ... | Marion MacWhite | |
| Pat Hingle | ... | Homer Atkins | |
| Arthur Hill | ... | Grainger | |
| Jocelyn Brando | ... | Emma Atkins | |
| Kukrit Pramoj | ... | Prime Minister Kwen Sai | |
| Judson Pratt | ... | Joe Bing | |
| Reiko Sato | ... | Rachani, Deong's Wife | |
| George Shibata | ... | Munsang | |
| Judson Laire | ... | Senator Brenner | |
| Philip Ober | ... | Ambassador Sears | |
| Yee Tak Yip | ... | Sawad, Deong's Assistant | |
| Carl Benton Reid | ... | Senator at Confirmation Hearing | |
| Simon Scott |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
Germany:115 min | USA:120 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Canada:14A (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15
Filming Locations:
Fun Stuff
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Save the Last Dance 2 (2006) more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (14 total)
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"The Ugly American" was released right before the Vietnam War started (depending on which stage of it), and now it seems more relevant than ever. Harrison MacWhite (Marlon Brando) becomes ambassador to the Southeast Asian nation of Sarkhan, which is on the verge of civil war between the Communists and the pro-US government. In Sarkhan, MacWhite begins to suspect that US intervention in this country might be prompting people to rebel. While he refuses to accept it, the situation becomes more and more tense, and MacWhite's officially neutral position becomes less and less sustainable.
You can't say for certain what the movie's political message is, but we might take MacWhite's speech at the end as a good reminder. Either way, this is one of the many movies that showed how great an actor Marlon Brando was.