The Ugly American (1963)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

George Englund

Writers:

William J. Lederer (novel) &
Eugene Burdick (novel) ...

Release Date:

2 April 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The most explosive adventure of our time!

Plot:

An intelligent, articulate scholar, Harrison MacWhite, survives a hostile Senate confirmation hearing...

Plot Keywords:

Civil War | Senate Confirmation Hearing | Nationalism | Ambassador | American Abroad

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Runtime:

Germany:115 min | USA:120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Courthouse Square, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Another Gay Movie (2006)

Consider the time frame

This film is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Burdick and Lederer, but departs from the novel in some significant particulars that I won't get into here. I think it is important to view this film as a period piece. Released in 1963 before the assassination of JFK and the escalation of the war in Viet Nam, the story retains a certain degree of naiveté about the role of the United States in the world and the perceptions of the United States that existed in other countries. This film would have looked quite different had it been shot in 1968 or 1969, by which time the country had long since shed any illusions about the nation's role in the world. In some ways, this provides a kind of still photo of the United States just prior to the Kennedy assassination and the tumultuous sequence of events that unfolded afterward. For that reason, this is a fascinating period piece that survives Brando's chewing on the scenery and a screen play that departs in unfortunate ways from the outstanding novel.