| The Comedians | |
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Film poster |
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| Directed by | Peter Glenville |
| Produced by | Peter Glenville |
| Written by | Graham Greene |
| Starring | Elizabeth Taylor Richard Burton Alec Guinness Peter Ustinov |
| Music by | Laurence Rosenthal |
| Cinematography | Henri Decaë |
| Editing by | Aram Avakian |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | 31 October 1967 |
| Running time | UK: 150 min USA: 152 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Comedians is a 1967 film directed and produced by Peter Glenville, based on the novel of the same name by Graham Greene, who also wrote the screenplay. The stars were Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Alec Guinness. Paul Ford and Lillian Gish had supporting roles as a Presidential candidate and wife. Set in Haiti during the Papa Doc Duvalier regime, it was filmed in Dahomey. The film tells the story of a sardonic white hotel owner and his encroaching fatalism as he watches Haiti sink into barbarism.
The role played by Elizabeth Taylor was originally intended for Sophia Loren.[1]
The film’s tag line was: "They lie, they cheat, they destroy… they even try to love."
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A ship arrives in port with four passengers: Major H. O. Jones (Alec Guinness), a British businessman with a letter of invitation to do business with the government; an elderly American couple, Mr and Mrs Smith (Paul Ford and Lillian Gish) who have the idea to invest in the nation to set up a vegetarian complex for education and nutrition for the locals; and the central character, a cynical, washed-up individual named Brown, portrayed by Richard Burton.
Upon arrival Major Jones presents his credentials to Captain Concasseur (Raymond St. Jacques), a law enforcement officer, who notices that the official who invited Jones has been deposed and imprisoned. Concasseur and his men rough up and imprison Jones.
Brown has been bequeathed a hotel in the capital from his late mother but has been unable to sell it in his trip to New York. Brown also has an ongoing affair with Martha (Elizabeth Taylor), the wife of the British ambassador Pineda (Peter Ustinov). When Martha and Brown have an argument, Brown goes to Mere Catherine's brothel where he discovers that not only has Jones been released, but he's a guest of Captain Concasseur and is being treated to enjoying the hospitality of Brown's favourite tart, Marie Therese (Cicely Tyson).
Jones has gained the favour of the new regime who are keen to receive a supply of arms that they have paid a down payment on. Jones claims the weapons are impounded in a warehouse in Miami, but the weapons may be imaginary and a confidence trick by Jones. Once bitten, twice shy, the government will not allow Jones to leave the island until they are sure the weapons exist.
Mr Smith, a former Vegetarian Party candidate for the Presidency of the United States against Harry S. Truman, is given a tour of the new capital, an empty shambles called Duvalierville. During the evening he and Mrs Smith follow a local procession that they believe is a religious ceremony but turns out to be an audience for executions by firing squad. The evening's fun and frivolities continue as Captain Concasseur and his men enter Brown's hotel and beat him up until Mrs Smith bluffs the thugs into leaving by announcing that she will inform her husband, the American Presidential Candidate. The Smiths depart the next day.
Brown watches as the Duvalier regime seeks to put down any dissent with an iron fist. He becomes friends with Dr. Magiot (James Earl Jones), the rebel leader.
As Brown becomes a reluctant participant in the planned insurrection, the rebels recruit Major Jones to provide military leadership. Jones has been regaling the other expatriates with his tales of heroism as a Commando officer in the Burma Campaign that Brown does not quite believe, comparing him to Errol Flynn in Objective, Burma. Brown hosts a meeting of the group, including Magiot, Jones, and Ambassador Pineda. But trouble ensues soon thereafter--Duvalier’s spies from the Tonton Macoute are watching Brown’s Hotel Trianon and his every step.
The day after the meeting, three assassins confront Magiot while he’s performing surgery, and cut his throat with a scalpel knife in the operating theatre. Upon learning of the brutal murder, Brown reluctantly agrees to drive Jones, who escapes by dressing as Brown's female cook wearing drag and blackface, into the countryside to the rebel base under the cover of night. When picking him up that evening, he realizes that Jones has apparently become involved with Martha Pineda. Brown leaves town with him in a jealous rage, and the inebriated Jones makes matters worse by bragging about his conquest. Driving carelessly up the treacherous, winding road, Brown hits an embankment and breaks the car’s front axle. The two continue their journey on foot, arriving at a remote cemetery, the designated meeting point, too late. They settle in for the night with Jones admitting that his jungle war stories were total fabrication; his wartime career was running a cinema in India.
In the morning, the omnipresent Captain Concasseur and a Tonton Macoute accost Brown as he tries to find rebels in the area. They demand to know where Jones is, but Brown denies that the Major is there. As soon as Brown has finished speaking, a sleepy Jones approaches, unaware of the Macoute’s presence. The two command him to stop, but Jones turns around and runs uphill into the cemetery. They open fire, killing Jones. Then they order Brown to get into their jeep with them. As he does so, shots from rebels ring out, and the two drop dead.
Upon being asked about Major Jones, Brown tells the two rebels in dismay: "You arrived two minutes too late." He then shows them the body of Jones. The taller of the two, after hearing that Magiot has been eliminated as well, comments: "They have killed the best of us."
The two rebels then plead with Brown to assume the role of Jones, seeing this as the only hope they have left. Brown hesitates, commenting that he is no military man. But he finally relents after being asked whether he wants to continue living like this.
After a long walk, the three meet up with a small, ragtag group of poorly equipped rebels. The group buys the deception, believing that Brown is Jones, and he gives a cynical, taunting speech, apparently without being understood, since the rebels speak French and he English.
The camera then cuts to the Pinedas, as they are about to leave the island. Petit Pierre (Roscoe Lee Browne), a journalist friend of Brown, sees them off, telling them about a battle between government troops and rebels, and stating that two rebels have been killed and noting that one of the rebels was the bellhop at Brown's hotel and the other rebel was "unidentified". The Pinedas’ plane takes off, and Martha notices smoke on a hillside of the island.
The question whether Brown has survived the skirmish remains unanswered, although Petit Pierre's cryptic remarks on the two rebels killed in the recent battle between government forces and rebels seem to indicate that Brown was the unidentified rebel who was killed in the fighting.
Because political conditions in Haiti made filming there impossible, location shooting took place in Dahomey (since renamed the Republic of Benin) and along the Côte d'Azur in France. A short promotional documentary titled The Comedians in Africa was released in 1967 which chronicled the difficulties encountered by the on-location crew and cast.
The film was poorly received, despite the all-star cast.[1] Paul Ford won the 1967 National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Smith and Alec Guinness won the 1968 Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jones.
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