Table of Contents
What is the movie The Ugly American about?
American ambassador Harrison MacWhite (Marlon Brando) travels to a Southeast Asian country on a peacekeeping mission. Torn between rival factions, the turbulent nation is on the brink of civil war. But MacWhite’s powers of analysis allow him to view the political situation only in the simplest terms: as a struggle between communism and democracy. And, by the time the ambassador is finally able to see the political upheaval as a something more complicated, it may already be too late.
The Ugly American/Film synopsis
Where does the term the ugly American come from?
Pejorative term for Americans traveling or living abroad who remain ignorant of local culture and judge everything by American standards. The term is taken from the title of a book by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer.
Who is known as the ragtime kid in Chapter 10 The Ragtime Kid?
Chapter 10: The Ragtime Kid Edwin B. Hillandale, a US Air Force liaison officer, became fascinated by Filipino culture and language after being stationed there in 1952.
What does the phrase ugly American mean?
The commonly used phrase “ugly American” has come to depict an overseas American who is too loud, too ostentatious, or too arrogant (or all three). The popular expression emerged from the title of a novel published 60 years ago. It caused a sensation, the way that few books have in U.S. history.
Is the Ugly American based on a true story?
For the film based on the novel, see The Ugly American (film). The Ugly American is a 1958 political novel by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer that depicts the failures of the U.S. diplomatic corps in Southeast Asia . The book caused a sensation in diplomatic circles and had major political implications.
Who are the actors in the Ugly American?
The Ugly American is a 1963 American adventure film directed by George Englund, written by Stewart Stern, and starring Marlon Brando, Sandra Church, Eiji Okada, Pat Hingle, Judson Pratt and Arthur Hill.
What is the purpose of the Ugly American?
The Ugly American is a notable work of anti-war commentary, taking its place among novels like Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse-Five. The novel hosts a large cast of characters. Many of them receive their own story but make minor reappearances in the stories of the other characters.
Who is the hero of the Ugly American?
The “Ugly American” of the book title refers to the book’s hero, plain-looking engineer Homer Atkins, whose “calloused and grease-blackened hands always reminded him that he was an ugly man.”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWuA7Iot8fc