A classic blend of satire and political thriller that was uncomfortably prescient in its own time, The Manchurian Candidate remains distressingly relevant today.
A classic blend of satire and political thriller that was uncomfortably prescient in its own time, The Manchurian Candidate remains distressingly relevant today.
An unusually tense and intelligent political thriller, The Manchurian Candidate was a film far ahead of its time. Its themes of thought control, political assassination, and multinational conspiracy were hardly common currency in 1962, and while its outlook is sometimes informed by Cold War paranoia, the film seemed nearly as timely when it was reissued in 1987 as it did on its original release. It opens with a group of soldiers whooping it up in a bar in Korea as their commander, Sgt. Raymond
Shaw (Laurence Harvey), arrives to inform them that they're back on duty. These men obviously have no fondness for Shaw, and he feels no empathy for them. While on patrol, Shaw and his platoon are ambushed by Korean troops. Months later, Shaw is receiving a hero's welcome as he returns to the United States to accept the Congressional Medal of Honor, and several of the soldiers who served under Shaw repeatedly refer to him as "the bravest, finest, most lovable man I ever met." It soon becomes evident that after their capture by the Koreans, Shaw and his men were subjected to an intense program of brainwashing prior to their release. While several are troubled by bad dreams and inexplicable behavior, it's Capt. Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra) who seems the most haunted by the experience. In time, Marco is able to piece together what happened; it seems Raymond Shaw was programmed by a shadowy cadre of Russian and Chinese agents into a killing machine who will assassinate anyone, even a close friend, when given the proper commands. On the other side of the coin, Shaw is also used for political gain by his harridan mother (Angela Lansbury), who guides the career of her second husband, John Iselin (James Gregory), a bone-headed congressman hoping to win the vice-presidential nomination through a campaign of anti-Communist hysteria. The Manchurian Candidate features a host of remarkable performances, several from actors cast cleverly against type. Frank Sinatra's edgy, aggressive turn as Marco may be the finest dramatic work of his career; Laurence Harvey's chilly onscreen demeanor was rarely used to s better advantage than as Raymond Shaw; James Gregory is great as the oft-befuddled Senator Iselin; and Angela Lansbury's ultimate bad mom will be a shock to those who know her as the lovable mystery writer from Murder, She Wrote. George Axelrod's screenplay (based on Richard Condon's novel) is by turns compelling, witty, and horrifying in its implications, and John Frankenheimer's direction milks it for all the tension it can muster. While Frankenheimer's career has had its ups and downs, The Manchurian Candidate and Seconds (1966) suggest that he deserves to be recognized as one of the most brilliantly paranoid American filmmakers of the '60s. Entertaining yet unsettling, both films indicate that things in the '60s were not what they seemed, with a resonance that still echoes uncomfortably in the present. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Every once in a rare while a film comes along that works in all departments, with story, production and performance so well blended that the end effect is one of nearly complete satisfaction. Such is The Manchurian Candidate.
The Manchurian Candidate pops up with a rash supposition that could serve to scare some viewers half to death -- that is, if they should be dupes enough to believe it, which we solemnly trust they won't.
Its story of Cold War intrigue, murky East-West dealings, assassination, brainwashing -- and the idea of a glorified cue-card reader playing president -- resonates today like never before.
With spry editing and camerawork, [Frankenheimer] fuses together a documentary-like realism and more expressive stylizations to create a hybrid thriller-satire
Don't bother with Jonathan Demme's toothless 2004 remake; the rereleased classic cold war thriller from 1962 by John Frankenheimer packs a harder punch.
"Raymond Shaw is the kindest,bravest,warmest,most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life." Strange,thrilling and at times hilarious,there's never quite been a top notch thriller like 1962's "The Manchurian Candidate".....not even the 2004 remake with Denzel Washington doesn't even come close. At the height of
its 1962 theatrical release,the film was hugely controversial at the time;rumors have long circulated that star-producer Frank Sinatra had it withdrawn from circulation for years because of its subsequent echoes of the Kennedy assassination.But it wasn't until 1987,when Sinatra had it reinstated back in theatres giving it a newly restored print and to have audiences see it for the first time since it was theatrically released in 1962. The unfortunate Raymond Shaw(Laurence Harvey),is a loner who arrives home in the U.S. a hero after being captured by the Koreans...though his fellow soldier Bennett Marco(Frank Sinatra)can't help but feel something's up. The witty screenplay by George Axelrod contains dozens of quotable lines while John Frankenheimer's direction creates a wonderfully tense yet surreal tone,including a hallucinated flashback involving mad scientists and multiple garden parties and one of the most nail-biting climaxes in cinema. Not to mention Angela Lansbury as Raymond's sadistic evil-intent mom. Weirdly,though this film is a product of the Cold War and infinitely more powerful political thriller than what passes for thrillers today,the original still stands.
April 22, 2011
Mister Caple
Super Reviewer
"The Manchurian Candidate", based on a novel of the same name (written by Richard Condon) is one of the finest political thrillers out there.
An American Platoon is captured by the Soviets. They are all taken to Manchuria in Communist China and are subjected to a series of 'brainwashing' experiments for some
political motive, the nature of which is made clear only as the film progresses. Revealing anything more would be sacrilege. This shocking picture has to be seen to be believed.
Laurence Harvey stars as Raymond Shaw, the central character who is the 'chosen one' in this political conspiracy. Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury star in supporting roles along with some others. All of them deliver fine performances in this tragic tale of deceit and corruption.
John Frankenheimer does a brilliant job of directing and makes sure there is not a single dull moment, gets some of the best acting done from his cast, shoots some of the most memorable sequences ever filmed in cinema and takes the movie to a very satisfying conclusion.
This unique film deserves to be seen over and over again and holds tremendous repeat value. Do not miss...it's a mind-blowing experience!
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