The Ugly American

"The most explosive adventure of our time!"

Aug 1 1963 Approved 2h 0m
Adventure, Drama, Thriller

An intelligent, articulate scholar, Harrison MacWhite, survives a hostile Senate confirmation hearing at the hands of conservatives to become ambassador to Sarkan, a southeast Asian country where civil war threatens a tense peace. Despite his knowledge, once he's there, MacWhite sees only a dichotomy between the U.S. and Communism. He can't accept that anti-American sentiment might be a longing for self-determination and nationalism. So, he breaks from his friend Deong, a local opposition leader, ignores a foreman's advice about slowing the building of a road, and tries to muscle ahead. What price must the country and his friends pay for him to get some sense?

Plot

An intelligent, articulate scholar, Harrison MacWhite, survives a hostile Senate confirmation hearing at the hands of conservatives to become ambassador to Sarkan, a southeast Asian country where civil war threatens a tense peace. Despite his knowledge, once he's there, MacWhite sees only a dichotomy between the U.S. and Communism. He can't accept that anti-American sentiment might be a longing for self-determination and nationalism. So, he breaks from his friend Deong, a local opposition leader, ignores a foreman's advice about slowing the building of a road, and tries to muscle ahead. What price must the country and his friends pay for him to get some sense?

Written by

William J. Lederer, Eugene Burdick, Stewart Stern

Directed by

George Englund

Cast

Marlon Brando, Eiji Okada, Sandra Church

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Universal International Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

1 win & 3 nominations

Scores
# of Votes
2,614
Average Rating
6.6 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA