Strange though this may
sound, sometimes the quality of a work of art doesn’t really matter. It’s a
very rare instance when this is the case, but then how can you take quality
over ideology in Joseph Mankiewicz’s 1958 adaptation of Graham Greene’s classic
novel?
The film is quite
good, possibly. Not as good as the 2002 version (even though you could argue
that Michael Redgrave’s performance rivals that of Michael Caine), but
definitely a success if you can disengage yourself from the blatant mutilation
of Greene’s book which in Mankiewicz’s case was turned into an American
propaganda film.
Except one can't, and shouldn't. With The Quiet American this is simply
unforgivable, and I’m willing to completely disregard Redgrave’s brilliant
acting. The quality didn’t suffer, it was abused.
