The Ugly American (1963)

The new U.S. Ambassador (Marlon Brando) to Sarkhan (a fictional Southeast Asian country) is a longtime friend to a Sarkhanese revolutionary (Eiji Okada, HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR) who fears U.S. intervention that would make his country a puppet for U.S. interests. Based on the novel by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer and directed by George Englund. An overtly political film about U.S. interference in Southeast Asia was a rarity in 1963. The few films dealing with the subject usually made Americans the heroes and the communists the bad guys. Although Okada's revolutionary is duped by the communists, the onus falls the indifferent "ugly" Americans who don't even attempt to understand the country and its people that they are trying to "help". This indifference and naivete contributes to the disastrous tragedy that befalls everyone. It's not one of Brando's best performances but he's decent. The film is prescient in its look at U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Curiously, the film received unexceptional reviews and its political message dismissed when it was originally released. It's one of those films posterity has been kind to. The effective underscore is by Frank Skinner (WRITTEN ON THE WIND). With Arthur Hill, Pat Hingle, Sandra Church, Jocelyn Brando, Reiko Sato and Carl Benton Reid.