The Quiet American (2002)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers (WGA):

Graham Greene (novel)
Christopher Hampton (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

7 February 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Romance | War

Tagline:

In war, the most powerful weapon is seduction.

Plot:

An older British reporter vies against a young American for the affections of a Vietnamese beauty.

Plot Keywords:

Saigon | Vietnam | Journalist | Murder | Love Triangle

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 12 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Thomas Fowler
Brendan Fraser	...	Alden Pyle
Do Thi Hai Yen	...	Phuong
Rade Serbedzija	...	Inspector Vigot (as Rade Sherbedgia)
Tzi Ma	...	Hinh
Robert Stanton	...	Joe Tunney
Holmes Osborne	...	Bill Granger
Quang Hai	...	General Thé
Ferdinand Hoang	...	Mr. Muoi
Pham Thi Mai Hoa	...	Phuong's Sister
Mathias Mlekuz	...	French Captain
Kevin Tran	...	Watch Tower Soldier
Lap Phan	...	Watch Tower Soldier
Tim Bennett	...	American Photographer
Jeff Truman	...	Dancing American
Hong Nhung	...	House of 500 Girls' Singer
Ha Phong Nguyen	...	Muoi's Henchman (as Nguyen Ha Phong)
Navia Nguyen	...	House of 500 Girls' Woman
Lucia Noyce	...	American Woman
Hiliary Douglas	...	American Woman
Daniel Hung	...	Assassin
Kim Hoan Nguyen	...	Assassin
Mai Nguyen Trinh	...	Assassin (as Trinh Mal Nguyen)
Pham Trong	...	Assassin
Tran Do Luc	...	Vietnamese Policeman
Cong Nguyen	...	Vietnamese Guard (as Nguyen Cong Ly)
George Mangos	...	French Soldier
Natasha Hunter	...	French Singer
Martine Monroe	...	French Singer
José De la Vega	...	Hotel Continental Maitre d'
Roland Rohrer	...	Vieux Moulin Maitre d'
Susan Parry	...	French Woman
Anh Dung Nguyen	...	Mechanic in Muoi's Garage (as Nguyen Anh Dung)
Peter Holdsworth	...	Pyle's Bodyguard
Ngoc Tuan Hoang	...	L'arc en Ciel Band
Trece Lambatan	...	L'arc en Ciel Band
Erwin Abarico	...	L'arc en Ciel Band
Jun Javier	...	L'arc en Ciel Band
Van Phuoc Nguyen	...	L'arc en Ciel Band
Mark Szeto	...	L'arc en Ciel Band
Askar Nurlanov	...	L'arc en Ciel Band
Douglas Gallagher	...	L'arc en Ciel Band
Nicholas Parry	...	L'arc en Ciel Band
Vov Dylan	...	L'arc en Ciel Band
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Khoa Do	...	Vietnamese Policeman (uncredited)

Directed by
Phillip Noyce

Writing credits (WGA)
Graham Greene		(novel)
Christopher Hampton		(screenplay) and
Robert Schenkkan		(screenplay)

Produced by
Staffan Ahrenberg	....	producer
Steve E. Andrews	....	associate producer
Antonia Barnard	....	line producer
Moritz Borman	....	executive producer
Matthias Deyle	....	producer: IMF
Guy East	....	executive producer
Oliver Hengst	....	line producer
William Horberg	....	producer
Roland Loubet	....	co-producer
Kathleen McLaughlin	....	co-producer
Anthony Minghella	....	executive producer
Sydney Pollack	....	executive producer
Eyal Rimmon	....	co-producer
Chris Sievernich	....	executive producer
Nigel Sinclair	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Craig Armstrong

Cinematography by
Christopher Doyle

Film Editing by
John Scott

Casting by
Christine King

Production Design by
Roger Ford

Art Direction by
Anne Beauchamp
Ian Gracie		(supervising art director)
Jeffrey Thorp		(as Jeff Thorp)

Set Decoration by
Kerrie Brown
Jennifer Alisa Kornkosar

Costume Design by
Norma Moriceau

Makeup Department
Maree McDonald	....	hair stylist
Maree McDonald	....	makeup artist
Anita Morgan	....	hair stylist
Anita Morgan	....	makeup artist
Ben Nye Jr.	....	key makeup artist
Ben Nye Jr.	....	makeup artist: Mr. Fraser
Margaret Stevenson	....	hair styles supervisor
Margaret Stevenson	....	makeup artist: Mr. Caine
Margaret Stevenson	....	makeup supervisor
Cheryl Williams	....	key hair stylist
Nadine Wilkie	....	additional makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Catherine Bishop	....	unit production manager
Jane Maguire	....	post-production supervisor
Andy Pappas	....	unit manager
Volker Schauz	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Steve E. Andrews	....	first assistant director (as Steve Andrews)
Lucy Cooper	....	additional assistant director: Vietnam
Nhat Minh Dang	....	second unit director
China De La Vega	....	additional assistant director: Vietnam
Tran Viet Duc	....	second assistant director: Vietnam
Todd Embling	....	third assistant director
Wilbur Gonzalez	....	additional assistant director: Vietnam
Glen Graves	....	additional assistant director: Vietnam
Jacinta Hayne	....	second assistant director
Du Hai Lam	....	third assistant director: Vietnam
Jennifer Leacey	....	second assistant director: prep
Tran Thi Bich Ngoc	....	second assistant director: Vietnam
Johnny Pacialeo	....	additional assistant director

Art Department
Sean Ahern	....	foreman
Ian Bickerton	....	lead hand
Gary Cameron	....	miniatures
Alex Chomicz	....	art depertment assistant
Richie Dehne	....	property master
Beverley Dunn	....	property buyer
Roger Gillespie	....	plaster foreman
Greg Hajdu	....	construction coordinator
Elaine Kusmishko	....	assistant designer
Marian Long	....	lead set dresser
Simon McCutcheon	....	assistant set decorator
Karyn-Lee 'Lilly' Miyoshi	....	assistant property master
Andy Robinson	....	set finisher
David Russell	....	storyboard artist
Ben Walsh	....	graphic artist
Tony Williams	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Christian Bass	....	dialogue editor
David Donaldson	....	sound designer
Diana Flores	....	adr mixer
Mark Franken	....	sound effects editor
Peter Gleaves	....	adr mixer
Antony Gray	....	supervising sound editor
Frank Lipson	....	sound effects editor
Linda Murdoch	....	dialogue editor
Andrew Neil	....	re-recording mix assistant
Livia Ruzic	....	dialogue editor
Roger Savage	....	sound re-recording mixer
Guntis Sics	....	production sound mixer
Michael Thompson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gareth Vanderhope	....	sound designer
Gareth Vanderhope	....	sound effects editor
Mark Ward	....	dialogue editor
Andy Wright	....	assistant re-recording mixer (as Andrew Wright)

Special Effects by
Rodney Burke	....	special effects technician
Steve Courtley	....	special effects coordinator
Ray Fowler	....	special effects technician
Richard Georgeson	....	special effects technician
Leo Henry	....	special effects technician
Robert Porter	....	special effects technician
Arthur Spink Jr.	....	special effects technician
Peter Stubbs	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Charlie Armstrong	....	2D visual effects supervisor
Mark Barber	....	digital compositor
Aaron Barclay	....	digital compositor
Niki Bern	....	digital compositor
Dan Breckwoldt	....	Data I/O operator
Fiona Crawford	....	visual effects producer
Jonathan Dixon	....	digital liaison
David Dulac	....	3D supervisor
Grant Freckelton	....	matte painter
Morgane Furio	....	Inferno artist
Michael Halford	....	matte painter
Mark Harmon	....	digital grading
Phillip Lang	....	compositor
Kirsty Millar	....	2D visual effects supervisor: Animal Logic
Lisa-Anne Morris	....	visual effects editor
Ken Phelan	....	opticals
Murray Pope	....	visual effects supervisor
Dane Rapaport	....	data operations manager
Robert Sandeman	....	digital grading
George Zwier	....	digital compositor
Ben De Luca	....	systems administrator (uncredited)

Stunts
Marky Lee Campbell	....	stunt performer
Nash Edgerton	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Ashley Fairfield	....	stunt double
Nigel Harbach	....	stunts
Alex Kuzelicki	....	stunts
Rocky McDonald	....	stunt supervisor (as Douglas McDonald)

Camera and Electrical Department
Phil Bray	....	still photographer
David Burr	....	additional photographer
Jasmine Yuen Carrucan	....	second assistant camera
Mark Goellnicht	....	additional Steadicam operator
Lee Mariano	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Brett Matthews	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Matthew Nettheim	....	still photographer
Huu Tuan Nguyen	....	camera operator: second unit
Luke Nixon	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Troy Paschini	....	grip
Brad Shield	....	Steadicam operator
Brad Shield	....	director of photography: second unit
Paul Thompson	....	key grip
Anthony Tulloch	....	best boy

Casting Department
Miura Smith	....	casting coordinator: USA

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Elly Kamal	....	costume coordinator
Kerry Thompson	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Kerri Aungle	....	negative cutter
Jason Ballantine	....	first assistant editor
Kirsty Bruce	....	assistant editor
Arthur Cambridge	....	color grader
Olivier Fontenay	....	color grader
Alan Hansen	....	digital colorist
Josie Mason	....	post-production coordinator
Anna McDonnell	....	post-production coordinator
Chris Plummer	....	first assistant editor
Royce Smith	....	color timer (uncredited)

Music Department
David Donaldson	....	music programmer
Matt Dunkley	....	conductor
Matt Dunkley	....	orchestrator
Geoff Foster	....	score recordist
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Guy Gross	....	composer: additional music
Simon Leadley	....	additional music recordist
Julie Pearce	....	music editor
Christine Woodruff	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
David MacDonald	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Mark Bamford	....	production lawyer
Linda Benjamin	....	executive
Nick Byrne	....	security: Mr. Fraser
Richard Connors	....	location manager: Vietnam
Emma Cooper	....	unit publicist
Jane Corden	....	financial controller
Miranda Culley	....	executive assistant: Mr. Noyce
Kerry Fetzer	....	caterer
Emma Ford	....	personal assistant
Katie Gordon	....	freight coordinator
Jackie Howard	....	assistant choreographer
Shannon Kors	....	executive assistant: Mr. Horberg
Sonia Kruger	....	choreographer
Josie Mason	....	production secretary
Cory McCall	....	executive assistant: Ms. McLaughlin
Anna McDonnell	....	production secretary
Steve McGillen	....	digital mastering
Deborah McNamara	....	title designer: main title
Nigel McNulty	....	production lawyer
Victoria Mielewska	....	dialect coach
Cuong Ngo	....	translator
Cian O'Clery	....	cast production assistant
Cian O'Clery	....	production runner
John 'Cha Cha' O'Connell	....	choreographer (as John O'Connell)
Donna Ostroff	....	assistant: Mr. Pollack
Mikki Pallas	....	assistant: Mr. Fraser
Daniel Pritchard	....	assistant accountant
Rachel Proudlove	....	assistant accountant
Paul Ranford	....	production coordinator
Jacquie Robertson	....	unit nurse
Zeynep Selcuk	....	assistant: Ms. Barnard
Clare Shervington	....	production coordinator
Leoni Strickland	....	production assistant
Stephen Taylor	....	production accountant
Brett Thornquest	....	post-production accountant
Anh Hoa Tran	....	director's advisor: Vietnam
Anh Hoa Tran	....	liaison
Anh Hoa Tran	....	translator
Kerryn Vallence	....	assistant: Mr. Caine
Kristin Witcombe	....	script supervisor
Michael J. Harker	....	completion bond representative (uncredited)
Jason Mack	....	security officer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. 2. Produktions KG
• Intermedia Films
• Mirage Enterprises
• Pacifica Film
• Saga

Distributors

• Miramax Films (2002) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2003) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (Argentina)
• Buena Vista International
• Filmes Lusomundo
• Intermedia
• Medusa Distribuzione
• Paradise Group (2002) (Russia) (all media)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Pyramid (Russia)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2003) (Germany) (video)

Special Effects

• Animal Logic
• Atlab (digital effects) (as Atlab Australia)
• GMD (additional visual effects)

Other Companies

• Air Lyndhurst Studios  original music recorded at (as Air Lyndhurst)
• Atlab  digital grading (as Atlab Australia)
• De Lane Lea Sound Centre  adr recording: United Kingdom (as De Lane Lea)
• Frame, Set & Match  high definition film grading
• Frame, Set & Match  video mastering
• Metro Voices  choir
• Negative Cutting Services  negative matching
• Optical & Graphics  end titles
• Optical & Graphics  subtitles
• Panavision Australia  camera equipment provided by
• Panavision Australia  lighting equipment: Australia (as Panavision Lighting)
• Premier Lighting  lighting equipment: Australia
• Soundfirm  sound post-production facilities
• Spectrum Films International  picture post-production facility
• Spectrum Films International  post-production facilities
• Trackdown Digital  additional music recording
• Twickenham Film Studios  adr recording: United Kingdom
• Video-8 Broadcast  rushes telecine transfer
• Who Dares  security and Safety

Also Known As:

Der stille Amerikaner (Germany)
The Spy (Philippines: English title)
Un Américain bien tranquille (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for images of violence and some language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Germany | USA | UK | Australia | France

Language:

English | French | Vietnamese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18PL | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:PG | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 (bw) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Da Nang, Vietnam

Company:

IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. 2. Produktions KG

Trivia:

When Thomas Fowler first introduces Phuong to Alden Pyle, the song "J'ai Deux Amours" (Literally, "I Have Two Loves") can be heard being performed in the background.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Before the end titles, we are treated to headlines in The Times from the 1950s, over Fowler's byline. In English, "adviser" is spelled with an "e". None of the fictional Fowler, his real creator Graham Greene, and The Times (at least of the time in which the story is set) would have spelled it "s-o-r". This is a common solecism these days, sad to say.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Thomas Fowler: [voiceover] I can't say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman's voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you're looking for, you will find here...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Mademoiselle de Paris

Michael Caine Superb in Vietnamese Drama...

THE QUIET AMERICAN, Phillip Noyce's adaptation of the Graham Greene novel, is among that small subgenre of films (THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY, UNDER FIRE, SALVADOR) where journalists, writing in war-torn countries, discover conspiracies that undermine everything they've come to accept as true. These films are inevitably controversial, as they deal with actual places and historical events, and they demand an open mind, as they often portray governments in a less-than-flattering light. While the revelations of the stories aren't always entirely true, each film of this group are well-crafted, and certainly thought-provoking.

The film is told as a flashback, as the corpse of murdered American Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser) is found, floating in the Mekong, in 1952. During the French police investigation, the story unfolds...

Thomas Fowler (Oscar-nominated Michael Caine) is a veteran British journalist ("I prefer reporter," he jokes), writing in Saigon as the French fought the Communists in Indochina. Jaded and complacent, he only sporadically submits an article, devoting his time to a mildly hedonistic lifestyle, and his beloved mistress, beautiful young Phuong (portrayed by the stunning, if not overly talented Vietnamese actress, Do Thi Hai Yen). When young Pyle arrives, purportedly joining the American mission to treat eye disease among the Vietnamese, the older man is immediately impressed by his quiet, respectful, almost naive innocence. Introducing the American to Phuong, Pyle is immediately attracted to her, and, upon discovering Fowler already has a wife, in England, he begins wooing the girl, much to the chagrin of the reporter.

As his paper is threatening to return Fowler to England, taking him away from Phuong, he announces he is involved in a major story in the north, and leaves to investigate reports of Communist activities. What he finds is a massacre, with responsibility denied by both sides. Joined by Pyle ("I didn't want to propose to Phuong behind your back"), the pair barely make it back alive. Although the 'official' story blames the Communists for the deaths, Fowler doesn't believe it, and begins investigating in earnest.

A new military leader emerges, General Thé, opposed to both the French and the Communists, and Caine suspects his forces as the true perpetrators of the massacre. Visiting the elusive general's headquarters, he finds Pyle running a clinic, and the General apoplectic when he asks who is providing the arms and funds for his army. Again, with Pyle's assistance, he barely escapes with his life...and a growing suspicion that the United States is taking a less than neutral role in the intrigue...

While the film's climax will come as a surprise to no one, and the 'love triangle' lacks much spark (other than from Caine, who is totally believable when he confesses that without Phuong he would "start to die"), the film is engrossing, throughout. Brendan Fraser, as the enigmatic title character, does a very credible job in a complex role, after a somewhat shaky first meeting with Caine. The lack of chemistry between him and Hai Yen could easily be explained away as a natural reticence from her character towards any man saying "I love you", in a society where sexual favors are easily purchased. She seems far more comfortable and believable in her scenes with Caine, despite their major age difference.

Ultimately, the film is a triumph for Michael Caine, who again proves why he is one of the finest actors of his generation. As a man who goes from indifferent complacency to active participant by the film's climax, he is never less than superb.

This is certainly one of the better films of 2002!