The Quiet American

The film depicts a 1952 stunning and mysterious city called Saigon that is gotten hold of by the Vietnam War of the communists in pursuit of freedom from the French colonialists. Alden Pyle who is a not only an intellectual but also an idealistic and principled U.S medical aids worker. He is also a supporter of York Harding’ s theory, which maintain that both the communist and colonialists can not solve the issues of a foreign nation like Vietnam, but a third force would. The third force incorporates traditions in which Pyle becomes a member. He makes friends with Thomas Fowler, who is a London Times journalist. He has been covering the Vietnam War for more than two years and swore to remain neutral. He leads a humble life with his mistress, Phuong. The two meet coincidentally in a Saigon hotel named the Continental where Pyle dances with Phuong, the most beautiful woman in Saigon in her twenties. Fowler does not want to return to London and looks for excuses to remain in Vietnam. Fowler‘s attractive mistress, Phuong becomes caught up in a love affair with Pyle and Fowler. As a result great revelations come up and eventually results to murder. The story resolves around love, infidelity, murder and most significantly, the starting point of the American engagement in the Vietnam War.

When Pyle becomes involved with Phuong, there is a conflict, which declines a possibility of Fowler to remain neutral. The Americans (Pyle) pursue to safeguard the gorgeous woman from the hands of the communists to the point of being taken away from the European master recognized as Fowler. Fowler is the narrator and becomes an observer during the war, who vowed not to take any sides. Pyle stands up for America as well as its foreign policies during the war, meant to safeguard their own interests. He therefore promises Phuong marriage as well as security. Fowler’s discovery that Pyle was involved in the bombings prompts him to take side. He pioneers his confrontation with the help of Hinh, his personal assistance who stabs Pyle to death. This allows Phuong to go back to his former lover, Fowler, but when the French police commander becomes aware that Fowler had facilitated Pyle’s murder, he does nothing since there lacks evidence.

“Sooner or later one has to take sides if one is to remain human” are the words that Hinh directs to Fowler to prompt him to act. The statement summarizes the thematic concern of the story and it is reflected in the acts of both of Pyle and Fowler. During the start of the story, Fowler boasts of being neutral as an objective observer whose work is to report on the happenings of the war to the London Times. He therefore, achieves this by taking opium to remain detached from the reality. He put efforts to avoid being judgmental on the occurrences or individuals and tries to take things as they come. Due to his profession as a journalist, this is essential. However, this does not always happen since reality proves otherwise. It downs to him of the extent of the damage that the war has cost on the local people and the nation as a whole due to the French forces. This is especially when the 200 pound bomb in Saigon downtown killed a number of children and women, which he realize that it was facilitated by Pyle. He realizes the seriousness of the matter and decides to take it in his own hands.

Fowler chooses to be with the Vietnamese girl by killing Pyle, which symbolizes his siding with the Vietnam while rejecting the enemy (American) whose aim is to facilitate his own interest at the cost of the locals. Pyle is the quiet American whose missions remain underground. However, this cost him his life due to his involvement in bombing of various women and children and most importantly, being caught up in a love affair with Fowler’s own girlfriend. Phuong, who stands for Vietnam is only in pursuit of security and less concerned with love. She is egocentric and pursues her own interests, which Fowler dislikes and therefore takes her for granted. However, Pyle promised to protect her but this is interrupted when he is murdered. Phuong has no choice but to go back to her old lover for security while her emotions are out of question. In my opinion, this depicts the effects of superpowers such as the U.S and Britain and their interference with the developing world such as Vietnam. It depicts that England was once a great colonial power but was overtaken by the U.S, following the Second World War. Symbolically, this is when Fowler (British) has his beautiful girlfriend (Vietnam) taken away from him by Pyle (America), who has covert actions that are despised by Fowler. Fowler sees Americans as symbolized by Pyle as politically weak and at the same time as treacherously idealistic and therefore plans to destroy them.