MovieChat Forums > Mr. Arkadin (1962) Discussion > Guy as being 'The Ugly American' theory,...

Guy as being 'The Ugly American' theory, challenged

posted 18 years ago by flyingcandy
2 replies | jump to latest

I keep reading about -- and in fact I listened to the commentary of -- how Robert Arden's character, being a shallow boob, is Welle's take on Americans... I keep hearing that Guy (Arden) is the "ugly america" and represents americans by being clueless and dumb.

here is a challenge to that theory.

most leads in film noirs are in fact dumb, clueless and also curious, which thus leads them to do dumb things in a clueless fashion, all in all making them into pawns.

a PAWN as a lead character (someone being used and not realizing it) is the basis of all film noirs (as it's also the basis of most espionage novels), and is the staple of all film noir main characters...

Even modern noir films (that is, films that are taking after the film noir style/formula... mind you, I am NOT considering the following films actual film noirs) like The Long Goodbye, After Hours, The Player, and Chinatown have the lead characters being unsympathetic yet likeable dudes who are trapped in something they cannot escape from (as with the big lebowski which, although a comedy, is a send up on film noir).

The clueless pawn being thrown into a "web" (or maze) as the symbolic spider approaches, and the pawn not being able to see the spider, and often cannot even feel the web - but can sense the spider and the web both - is what noir is all about.

TRANSLATED: noir is the mystery of the moment often derived from the past (a past event) playing out into the future, ie, the fate of someone who is already pretty much doomed, one way or another, because of their own curiousity. and often that forementioned "web" is of his/her own making. or his/her cluelessness.

pp "you may THINK you know who you're dealing with, mr gittes..."

so i just think that Guy (robert arden) being a boob simply to represent americans is mostly coincidence. Guy is a noir anti hero, someone you're not sure to root for, or dislike. someone who is trapped within a thing more complex than himself, be it a country, or a situation; a love triangle, or a murder. this is common/standard noir.

SUMMARY: the film noir antihero, in my opinion, truly represents us, the viewer, who are just as confused watching the film (for the first time) as that character is being in the situation (for the first time, of course).

this is why most noirs, old and new, are always better the second, third, forth, or hundreth time you see them... because you can see how the main character's curiosity and naivitee keeps getting them deeper and deeper and deeper in a pit.

it's noir, and welles was one of the inventors of it. and played it like a fiddle.

amen.

jmtate

[–] captbeefheart6 17 years ago

I dunno about Americans, but certainly the usual archetype in these sorts of films. Why did you list The Long Goodbye, you do mean the Robert Altman film right? Hardly a serious example, it also takes the same parodic approach to these archetypes

[–] NickNameNotAllowed-2 17 years ago

I agree and like the OPs ideas. Personally, I do sympathize with Arden's character. sure, he's selfish and greedy, and probably has always been a crooked person. But when the movie opens and he's on his way to save someone, it shows the goodness in his character which is why its a much better opening then the version that puts thing in chronological order. and there's a few other things that make me like the character, so ultimately i do sympathize and root for Arden to come out on top by the end. Of course, having Welles' Arkadin being such a menacing character helps.

Back on topic: I think people who believe the ugly American theory are looking for things that simply aren't there. For one, Welles wasn't that shallow. If this was his goal, I'm not saying he couldn't make a character a 'boob' to prove it. I just think he would flaunt this idea more in the film. It wouldn't take such an open interpretation to get this idea clearly.