dimanche 24 octobre 2004

Saigon green So. Should you trip over the body of 'The Quiet American ('Un américain bien tranquille'), may I recommend close attention to the bomb attacks in central Saigon? I mean Philip Noyce's latest film of the book, starring Michael Caine and a surprising Brendan Fraser. I cheated. Played the episode twice on first absorbing it. Or thought I'd "absorbed it". Discovered to my delight that the DVD extras include a 20-minute 'Anatomy of a Scene'. The key one. Six cameras, soundtrack genius and Vietnamese "extras" and helpers including a man who was there the day of those 1952 explosions. I watched the whole rented film again. It's rare that film-makers give you such a fine "howdunnit" of a whodunnit. It's rarer still that a movie is better than the book. Graham Greene didn't think much of the famous earlier attempt. He'd have been proud of Noyce & co. 10:03:45 PM  link   your views? []

nick b. 2007 do share, don't steal, please credit under artistic licence terms; contributing friends (pix, other work) retain their rights.