Phuket Thailand

marc26 · #1 30-08-2005, 21:01

this movie is a little older but i just saw it last night on tv. it stars michael caine, who i think is great. it is set in vietnam, about a british reporter. his gf in the movie is an absolute mesmerizing vietnamese girl. it is actually quite a good movie, but it will defintely get you thinking of LOS again. theres a line he says at the end of the movie, i diont know the exact words, but he says" you can figure out vietnam in the 1st few minutes, but to know it, you have to live it". i thought that could apply to LOS as well and are pretty wise words

LivinLOS · #2 30-08-2005, 22:47

I am pretty partial to Greaham Greene books and the quiet american is my favorite film adapton of his stuff (the 3rd man is also a nice orson wells performance)..

The theme of does the girl love him / you or is she just looking for security / money is very applicable.. A line near the end when he says something concerning her and having a woman who says she loves you etc.. Greenes stuff is usually pretty melancholy endings tho..

I dont know if it is shown as an extra on the DVD or if its the end credits but it lists headlines from papers during the time catelogueing the CIA and American influence in the country.. Pretty interesting..

Vietnam is a country I really want to see and learn more of..

Coolhand · #3 30-08-2005, 23:32

Brilliant movie, bought in on DVD in LOS a couple of years back, and watched it again the other week. Definitely a thinking mans movie.

marc26 · #4 30-08-2005, 23:46

they do show you the newspaper clips at the end. and i am definitely headign to vietnam for at least 1-2 weeks my next trip. i just think he captures all the nuances of SE Asia. even down to the surly expat.
and again, i can not stress enough how exquisite his vietnamese gf is in the movie.
another good topic, and good to debate, is how brandon frazier's character blatantly went after caine's gf. i think this happens alot in SE Asia because i think the genral idea among people is that a girl is available at all times. even if she's in a relationship, it is not always 100% unbreakable, and i think thats kind of a shame.

faultytowers · #5 31-08-2005, 00:16

Not quite in the same league but I always enjoy watching "Air America", the attitude of the pilots is very similar to some of the expats I've come across during my travels. They go to girlie bars, get seriously drunk and basically just enjoy themselves. Mel Gibsons charactor is planning to make his money and then give up his job and settle down with his asian wife. Sounds very familiar, guess a lot of people have the same dream.

The expat lifestyle may not suit everyone but for some of us , I guess it's in the blood. Can't see myself ending my days in the U.K, I much prefer the laidback lifestyle of Asia.

Denver · #6 31-08-2005, 02:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by faultytowers

Not quite in the same league but I always enjoy watching "Air America", the attitude of the pilots is very similar to some of the expats I've come across during my travels. They go to girlie bars, get seriously drunk and basically just enjoy themselves. Mel Gibsons charactor is planning to make his money and then give up his job and settle down with his asian wife. Sounds very familiar, guess a lot of people have the same dream.

The expat lifestyle may not suit everyone but for some of us , I guess it's in the blood. Can't see myself ending my days in the U.K, I much prefer the laidback lifestyle of Asia.

Amen Brother

aussie dollar · #7 31-08-2005, 03:57

read the book couple months ago,good read.
It was funny took ages to get a copy,and my daughter is manager of a big bookshop.
Is a very popular book she reckons.
havent seen the movie will keep a lookout for it.

LivinLOS · #8 31-08-2005, 09:02

Its a good adaption.. Greenes stuff translates pretty literally to the screen..

Paul, will consider joining you on the Viet run.. next visa run is early Nov..

marc26 · #9 31-08-2005, 09:37

sefton, thats when i plan getting back. after hopefully watching my red sox win the world series in my hometown. so if that the case, maybe arrange it where we meet in bkk, and go to vietnam before i even head to phuket

LivinLOS · #10 31-08-2005, 09:52

We will talk as it gets closer.. 10 days - 2 weeks seems about right.. Some city.. some beach..

marc26 · #11 31-08-2005, 09:58

thats exactly what i had in mind, sefton. i was ven thinking if we felt up to it, maybe we could go out a couple of nights on our trip and have a few drinks! maybe talk to some ladies!

LivinLOS · #12 31-08-2005, 10:35

Thats a novel idea.. The thought hadnt occured to me but now that you mention it I guess I could be pursuaded to have perhaps one or two nights out for a shandy..

marc26 · #13 31-08-2005, 10:41

seriously, i will be a little more touristy in vietnam becasuethere so mch history i wouold like to see. also, love to just walk around and look atallthe french provincial buidings. but am always up for a wild night. i rememebr being out in ome ti 5am and wakng about at 630am to go to the vatican

JayBee · #14 11-09-2005, 15:19

"The Quiet American"!!!! Great Movie!! Saw it soon after I got back from my second tour, and was hurting form my hopeless infatuation with a TG. The movie made quite an impression on me.

A couple of things that hit me. First, when he explains how when you first get to Viet Nam, you go wild, wanting to screw every pretty girl you see, and actually dong a good many of them. It is exciting and you think that that is the life you want. But after awhile you meet one who is different from the others, or makes you feel different, and she gets under your skin and them you only want her, and none of the others mater anymore.

There have been times when I've felt that way, and I was feeling it when I saw that movie. Not such a bad thing, I suppose, if you can only find the right girl(which I didn't).

The second thing was when he came to a realization that he had to get rid of the American, by any means necessary. I wish I could quote him, but I can't remember the words. It was something to the effect, that if he lost her, then it would be a turning point in his life, that his life as he knew it would be over, and the rest would be just biding the days until his death.

Can anyone quote that bit from the movie or the book. I would love to hear it. It's a classic line and made quite an impact on me when I saw the movie.

JayBee