Brendan Fraser plays "The Quiet American", forced to make a stand as the Vietnam War breaks out before his eyes. As well as a thoughtful film, the DVD release also comes with a revealing commentary that offers the Australian director Phillip Noyce's take on the conflict.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Picture The pale colours of the movie transfer well to DVD.

Sound The 5.1 sound mix is shattered into action as war breaks out and wreaks havoc with your living room.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Audio Commentary Contributing to this commentary are: Phillip Noyce; Michael Caine; Brendan Fraser; Tzi Ma; executive producer Sydney Pollack; producers Staffan Ahrenberg and William Horberg; co-writer Christopher Hampton; and Tran Anh Hoa, interpreter/advisor to Phillip Noyce.

By far the most interesting comments come from Noyce, who talks of how he first visited Vietnam as a tourist in 1995. He accidentally bought a copy of Graham Greene's novel "The Quiet American" while there, and as a result was forced to question his beliefs on the conflict.

Michael Caine also comes up with some pertinent points and deals head on with his critics who have accused him of being anti-American.

Anatomy of a Scene This 22-minute programme from the Sundance TV channel explores Graham Greene's inspiration for the novel; and dissects the bomb blast scene from the film in some detail.

Making of Apart from some behind-the-scenes footage, this five-minute featurette has little to offer.

Additional Extra Features Also on the DVD is a Vietnam timeline and original reviews of Graham Greene's novel.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Chapters: 18
Ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Audio Tracks: English
Subtitles: English
Captions: English
Menus: Animated, with music
Special Features Subtitles: None of the special features come with subtitles.

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-N5 DVD player.