The Comedians

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 and squalor. The role played by Elizabeth Taylor was originally intended for Sophia... Loren. The film's tag line was: "They lie, they cheat, they destroy… they even try to love." A ship arrives in port with four passengers: Major H. O. Jones , a British businessman with a letter of invitation to do business with the government; an elderly American couple, Mr and Mrs Smith 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.
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