The Quiet American
Listening: Zwan, Mary Star of the Sea
Cirque Du Soleil, Dralion
Last night Steve and I went to see the Quiet American. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a really high rating and they were right. The movie was good; it was disturbing and haunting and very hard to watch. The movie effortlessly metonymizes Viet Nam with the woman character, Phuong, who is the object of both Michael Caine and Brenden Fraser’s affection. The best review I read is from Kamera.Com in the UK. They like the film because it pushes us away from the tired “Miramax orientalism.” That’s a phrase I like. Miramax orientalism. But nobody seems to be talking about what it means to turn Viet Nam into a mistress or prostitute. Probably because it’s so much a part of our “me so horney, me love you long time” consciousness. Given our current chicken-hawk climate, the film’s anti-American sentiment is important, but that doesn’t make it any less orientalist.
Incidentally, the movie was initially shelved because of 9/11 but Caine pushed for a release so he could qualify for Oscar consideration. All the reviews, of course, focus on Caine’s performance, which was brilliant. I suppose it’s overstating the obvious, though, to point out that in all the discourse about the movie, its anti-American sentiments, the performances by Caine and Fraser, the character Phuong and the actress portraying her are pretty much ignored. Viet Nam/woman as plot device, setting, scene for male conflict is replayed in all the reviews and the subtle and quiet controversy the movie raised.
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