The Comedians (1967 film)

The Comedians is a 1967 American political drama film directed and produced by British filmmaker Peter Glenville, based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Graham Greene, who also wrote the screenplay. The stars were Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Ustinov, and Alec Guinness. Paul Ford and Lillian Gish had supporting roles as a presidential candidate and wife, as did James Earl Jones as an island doctor.

Set in Haiti during the regime of François Duvalier (known as Papa Doc), it was filmed in Dahomey (Benin since 1975). The film tells the story of a sardonic British hotel owner and his encroaching fatalism as he watches Haiti sink into barbarism and squalor under Duvalier.

Plot
A ship arrives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Among the alighting passengers are: Major H. O. Jones (Alec Guinness), a British businessman with a letter of invitation to do business with the government; Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Paul Ford and Lillian Gish), an elderly American couple who wish to set up a vegetarian complex for education and nutrition for the locals; and the central character, a cynical, washed-up hotel owner named Brown, portrayed by Richard Burton.

Upon arrival, Major Jones presents his credentials to Captain Concasseur (Raymond St. Jacques), a law enforcement officer. Noting 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 British mother, and unsuccessfully tried to sell it while in New York City. Brown has an ongoing affair with Martha (Elizabeth Taylor), the German-born wife of Pineda (Peter Ustinov), the Uruguayan ambassador to Haiti.

After Martha and Brown have an argument, he goes to Mère Catherine's brothel. There he discovers Jones has been released, is a guest of Captain Concasseur and is enjoying the Brown's favourite prostitute, Marie Therese (Cicely Tyson).

Jones has gained the favour of the new regime, who are keen to receive a supply of arms. They have paid an advance, and Jones claims the weapons are impounded in a warehouse in Miami. The weapons may be imaginary and a confidence trick by Jones. 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 President of the United States against Harry S. Truman, is given a tour of the new capital, called Duvalierville. 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. Captain Concasseur and his men enter Brown's hotel and beat him up until Mrs. Smith bluffs the thugs by threatening to 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 who was once a close friend of Brown's late mother.

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. 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.

When the government informs Jones that they want Captain Concasseur to fly to Miami to inspect the arms Jones proposes to sell, he flees to Brown's hotel. Brown gets Jones into the Uruguayan embassy, where he pleads for asylum. He escapes by posing as Brown's female Haitian cook, wearing women's clothing and blackface.

The day after the meeting of the erstwhile rebels, three assassins confront Magiot while he’s performing surgery. They cut his throat with a scalpel. Taking Jones to a rebel rendezvous in place of Magiot, Brown suspects that Jones has become involved with Martha Pineda. Jones is drunk and brags about his conquest.

Driving carelessly up the treacherous road, Brown hits an embankment and breaks the car’s front axle. On foot, the two men arrive at a remote cemetery, the designated meeting point. They settle in for the night. Jones admits his jungle war stories were fabrications, as was his supposed conquest of Martha.

In the morning, Captain Concasseur and one Tonton Macoute accost Brown at the cemetery. Brown denies that the Major is there, talking loudly to warn Jones. But a sleepy Jones approaches anyway. Commanded to stop, Jones turns and runs, but is killed. Brown is ordered into a jeep, but shots from rebels ring out. Concasseur and his henchman drop dead.

Asked about Jones, Brown tells the two rebels: "You arrived two minutes too late." The rebels plead with Brown to take the lead, seeing this as the only hope they have left. Brown hesitates, but agrees.

The three men meet up with a ragtag group of poorly equipped rebels who believe that Brown is Jones. He gives a cynical speech in English but the rebels speak only French and Creole.

The Pinedas are leaving the island. Petit Pierre (Roscoe Lee Browne), a journalist friend of Brown, tells them about a battle between government troops and rebels. He says two rebels have been killed, one "unidentified." As the plane takes off, Martha notices smoke on a hillside of the island. It is not known if Brown has survived.

Cast

 * Richard Burton as Brown
 * Elizabeth Taylor as Martha Pineda
 * Alec Guinness as Major Jones
 * Peter Ustinov as Ambassador Pineda
 * Georg Stanford Brown as Henri Philipot
 * Roscoe Lee Browne as Petit Pierre
 * Paul Ford as Mr. Smith
 * Gloria Foster as Mrs. Philipot
 * Lillian Gish as Mrs. Smith
 * James Earl Jones as Dr. Magiot
 * Zakes Mokae as Michel
 * Douta Seck as Joseph
 * Raymond St. Jacques as Captain Concasseur
 * Cicely Tyson as Marie Therese

Production
Because political conditions in Haiti made filming there impossible, location shooting took place in Dahomey (now part of the Republic of Benin). Filming also took place on 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 featured a group of black American actors who would become famous into the 1970s: Raymond St. Jacques, James Earl Jones, and Cicely Tyson. Of these stars, both Tyson and Jones would be nominated for Academy Awards for other performances. Other black stars in the film included Zakes Mokae, Roscoe Lee Browne, Gloria Foster, and Georg Stanford Brown.

This was the final film directed by Glenville. Three years earlier he had directed Burton in an award-winning production of Becket. Glenville previously directed the premier of Graham Greene's first play, The Living Room, at Wyndham's Theatre in April 1953.

Several of the characters were based on historic people. The newspaper columnist Petit Pierre, for instance, was based on Aubelin Jolicoeur.

Reception
The film was poorly received, despite the all-star cast. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 27% based on reviews from 11 critics.

Variety described the film as "plodding, low-key, and eventually tedious". Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times that "the movie tries to be serious and politically significant, and succeeds only in being tedious and pompous", and denounced the "long, very wordy discussions". He said that "the atmosphere of the Caribbean is invoked convincingly". Bosley Crowther of The New York Times gave the film a mixed review, praising the atmosphere and some individual scenes, but writing: "'Mr. Greene's characteristic story of white men carrying their burdens cheerlessly and with an undisguised readiness to dump them as soon as they can get away from this God-forsaken place is no great shakes of a drama. It is conventional and obvious, indeed, and is rendered no better or more beguiling by some rather superfluous additions of amorous scenes'."

The film received some recognition from several critics' circles. Lillian Gish received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Paul Ford won the 1967 National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Smith. Alec Guinness in his role as Jones tied with Robert Shaw in A Man for All Seasons for the 1968 Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The film was not successful financially.