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Summary: John Frankenheimer rules (or at least ruled)
Review: John Frankenheim made two of the best political thriller movies of the 60s, this and "Seven Days in May".This features great performances by Lawrence Harvey, Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury. Harvey is particularly heartbreaking as a cold distant man who wants to be lovable, but whose seriously twisted family background makes that impossible. Angela Lansbury steals this movie, however, as the ultimate "mother-from-hell" The plot is hard to describe in brief, but it involves Harvey, a Communist conspiracy and Harvey's red-baiting inebriate of a stepfather, played by James Gregory with a not-subtle resemblance to Joe McCarthy. This film works both as a thriller and as a political satire, taking deft jabs at the pomposity of official Washington. Sharp-eyed viewers can spot the sly joke about how James Gregory finally settles on the number of Communists supposedly in the State Department. This film was influential enough to be remade multiple times by various television series, most notably "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Magnum, P.I."
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Summary: I wanted to love this movie
Review: I wanted so badly to love this movie, and on some level, I do. My first viewing (on DVD since I didn't get to see it when it originally came out) wasn't the best experience. I got lost. Oh, I understood the basic plot and thought it was one of the most brilliant things I've ever seen, but I missed some things. On a second and third viewing, I STILL didn't get some of the connections. As I said, I got the main idea and thought this brilliant, but some of the writing failed to connect the dots. Even if you don't like every line/connection/piece of the plot, you have to like the acting. The ending will (sorry for the pun), blow you away. Can't wait for the remake.
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Summary: Political satire and thriller rolled into one
Review: "The Manchurian Candidate" was a product of its era that has managed to transcend the era that produced it. This political satire and thriller captures the sense of paranoia that existed in America during the 50's and early 60's. Frank Sinatra, Lawrence Harvey, Angela Lansbury and James Gregory all give top notch performances in John Frankenheimer's classic film of Richard Condon's novel. A platoon of soliders are betrayed by their military guide and captured by the North Koreans during the Korean War. Their subjected to mind control techniques to make one of them the perfect assassin. When they return home, the platoon's captain (Sinatra)begins having nightmares where his Sgt. Shaw (Harvey)kills two of his men in cold blood. In these dreams they are surrounded by the enemy in a lecture hall being conditioned for the mind control experiments. It's clear that the Sgt. has been conditioned to become a "sleeper" agent--impossible to detect because he doesn't know that he's now an agent for a foreign power. Additionally, Shaw's mother (Lansbury)uses the concerns over communists in the US government to launch her husband's (Gregory)bit to be put on the ticket for the vice-presidency. This new edition comes with two featurettes. The first features director William Freidkin ("The French Connection", "The Exorcist", "To Live and Die in L.A.")in an appreciation of Frankenheimer's career. Freidkin discusses how "The Manchurian Candidate" broke with the conventions of political thrillers of the time. The second features 15 minute interview with Angela Lansbury about working on the film. The animated menus is also new and the features from the first disc including Frakenheimer's marvelous commentary track are kept in tact. Do you need to upgrade to this new edition? Only if you didn't purchase the previous one. The previous edition had both the widescreen and full screen versions of the film and all the features here except the two previously mentioned featurettes.
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Summary: A Great And Controversial Cold War Epic Movie Event!!
Review: John Frankenheimer (no relation to Jerry Bruckheimer) directs this adaptation of Richard Condon's book, with a terrific screenplay by George Axelrod, casting legendary crooner/actor Frank Sinatra as Major Bennett Marco, a former Army Officer plagued by nightmares from the Korean War. Laurence Harvey is excellent as Raymond Shaw, Marco's fellow officer who Marco suspects of having been brainwashed during the war. Angela Lansbury (TV's "Murder She Wrote" and the voice of Mrs. Potts in Walt Disney's classic tale "Beauty And The Beast" [see my review on it]) is terrific in an Oscar-nominated performance as the utterly ruthless Mrs. Iselin, Shaw's mother. Janet Leigh (pre-"Psycho") is cast in a small role as Marco's girlfriend. The film's plot was a little confusing to me at the beginning, but it doesn't detract from the film's greatness. Special features include an audio commentary, featurettes and the original theatrical trailer. Can't wait to see the remake with Academy Award winners Denzel Washington as Major Bennett Marco and Meryl Steep as Mrs. Iselin. This version is rated PG for some thematic elements and mild language.
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Summary: Unique Film-Tragic and Humorous At One And The Same Time
Review: There are very few films that can be said to be both tragic and humorous, but this unique film is one of them. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know about the atmosphere during the period of the anti-Communist hysteria that swept the United States, especially from about 1949-1962. It is now agreed by historians that there was indeed a danger of Communist subversion and agression, particularly by the USSR and China, but publicity-mad demagogues like Senator Joe McCarthy (admirably portrayed by the "Johnny Iselin" character by actor James Gregory) diverted public attention away from the real threat.
One thing that made McCarthy's charges seem be believable was the infamous spectre of "brainwashing". Not only did it seem that American POW's captured in Korea were subjected to it, but it seemed with good reason that entire societies like Nazi Germany or the Communist Bloc were susceptible to it. This film deals directly with this with Laurence Harvey giving a masterful performance as the "brainwashed" and hypnotised Congressional Medal of Honor winner Raymond Shaw.
The ultimate message of the film is that extremists of whatever ideology are often cynics who play off their opposite numbers "on the other side", as it were, and they frequently end up collaborating with those who they are claiming are their worst enemies.
Some comments I have on the film: I love the scene where Raymond is being "programmed" in the office in New York run by the Soviet agent played by Albert Paulsen. When he comments to his Chinese colleague that the office's "front operation" using the same offices for a legitimate business is the only Soviet operation in the US that makes a profit, his colleague says something like "careful, comrade, capitalism!!". He then says his wife back in Red China has given him a long list of things to buy at Macy's!
Another point is that Henry Silva is a fine actor but he doesn't look Korean, I believe he was born in Puerto Rico. I can't believe they couldn't find a real Oriental actor such as the up and coming George Takei to play the role.
As others have pointed out in the reviews, I couldn't really understand what the role of the character played by Janet Leigh is in the story. I decided that she was Marko's (Frank Sinatra) "controller". However, we don't really see any way in which she was controlling him. A friend of mine who is an expert in the history of cinema says that American films of that era of included in the plot someone's "search for true love". Whereas Marko finds it with Janet Leigh's character, Raymond Shaw, who even in the best circumstances is not "likeable", does at first seem to change his luck with Josie Jordan, only to destroy his happiness with his own hands.
Finally, I wasn't comfortable with Laurence Harvey's British accent which didn't seem to fit in the story. Seeing him trying to yell at his men in the Korean "bar" like a regular American sergeant seemed somewhat forced, but others have argued that his accent was designed to set him apart from the others.
In any event, this film is highly recommended.
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Summary: Hard to beat this one
Review: Made in the height of the Cold War in the early '60's, The Machurian Candidate fits perfectly in that time-frame. There are heavy overtones of McCarthyism, as portrayed by James Gregory as a slimey Senator who has the presidency as a goal. However, the most ambitous of the characters is Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Iselin, who is the true driving force behind the man. It is interesting that Laurence Harvey, who plays Angela Lansbury's son, Raymond Shaw, was in reality only 3 years younger than she was. Frank Sinatra gives a good performance as Colonel Ben Marco, who surmises that something is "wrong" after Shaw wins the Medal of Honor, and Sinatra tells everyone how "wonderful" a person Shaw is, although he deep down knows that to be false. Marco finds out he shares the same dream/nightmare as another soldier in his squad which was captured in Korea.
Although the brainwashing technique portrayed in the film is pretty far-fetched, the presentation is stunning and one of the most memorable scenes in film. Other scenes have heavy symbolizm as well.
What does it all mean? You have to watch the film to find out.
This version of the reasonably-priced DVD contains both the black-and-white movie, a good commentary by director Frankenheimer, a fair interview with Sinatra and producers Frankenheimer and Axlerod, trivia and production notes, and 2 new interviews including Angela Lansbury.
Truly a film that should not be missed. Frankenheimer's next film, "Seven Days in May", might even be better.
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Summary: MURDER SHE WROTE MEETS MOMMIE DEAREST
Review: After all these years and in spite of a very well done remake, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE of 1962 stands as one of the finest examples of moviemaking in our history. Director John Frankenheimer and screenwriter George Axelrod brilliantly captured Richard Condon's novel and there are some truly brilliant scenes.
*The scene interspersing the ladies club with the communist, Russian and Chinese military men is awesome. Its calculating manner in which Raymond Shaw is forced to kill two of his comrades is chilling.
*When Shaw is playing solitaire in the bar and the bartender mentions "Go jump in the lake", it's repercussions are marvelously chilling.
*When Mrs. Shaw informs Raymond of his final task, her evil and chilling portrayal comes to full fruition when she kisses him on the mouth.
Angela Lansbury gives one of the best supporting performances on film. She is brutally manipulative, coldly perverse and demonic. Losing the Oscar to Patty Duke is understandable in some ways, but Lansbury's performance is just as good in my book. Laurence Harvey, long panned by critics for his "emotionless" performances is perfect as Raymond Shaw. Whether his emotionless was intended or not, Harvey still manages to make Shaw a pathetically sympathetic character, who does show his range in his "Gaucho marx" joke and in his love for Leslie Parrish (remember her from Li'l Abner?). This was his finest moment on screen.
Frank Sinatra does an okay job, but his performance is overshadowed by his supporting players. Janet Leigh is lovely, but her role is so underdeveloped, she could have been left out. Khigh Diegh (later to be Wofat on Hawaii 5-0) is coldly evil in his brief, but impressive, role. And good old John McGiver was marvelous as Senator Jordan, a man of conviction.
THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE is a spell binding and still powerful movie. The people who did the remake were wise to alter some of its plot lines to avoid comparison. It's rare that both movies are so good but this one has the creative edge.
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Summary: I thought it was mostly all going to be a hallucination
Review: And I think they were setting us up with Janet Leigh's character talking so odd to Major Marco on the train cause many of us would have of thought Marco was really talking to a [communist] spy and the brainwashed Marco visualized the spy as a pretty lady in the similar way he in his dream saw the [communist] agent as the head of a lady's gardening club (I hope you can follow that). Sinatra acts as good as he's capable of but the really great performances are Lansbury's, Leigh's, and Harvey's. A good writer doesn;'t explain everything and for all we know some other surviving platoon members might havre been on other [communist]-related activities.
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Summary: One of the finest American films!
Review: John Frankenheimer is a film director who deserves quite a bit more attention than he gets - and one of his more unique (and yet conventional) films is 'the Manchurian Candidate'. This is a film which holds your attention, mainly through its brilliant psychology (the mother-son relationship, in particular)- and also through some of its unique camera work - and Frankenheimer's imagineative approach to the hypnotism dream.
I think the acting in this film is astounding. Frank Sinatra was never better, Angela Lansbury is stunning, and Laurence Harvey is fitting.
My favorite aspect of the film, however, is how the far right anti-communist movement - ends up being involved with the communists - in a kind of satirical gesture. This makes the film even more valid today - with some of the absurdities of the Bush administration - where we allign ourselves with terrorist nations like Saudi Arabia and Israel - only to go against others like Iraq.
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Summary: Watch it before anyone tells you anything about it!
Review: Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury headline the cast in this John Frankenheimer thriller. Maximum enjoyment comes if you have at least a mild acquaintance with the wave of paranoia over communism during the cold war that swept parts of America. Laurence Harvey plays Raymond Shaw - an icy cold Sergeant during Korea who wins the medal of honor when his platoon is captured by the Communists. Sinatra plays Capt Marko - Shaw's superior in Korea. Shaw is the son of Angela Lansbury, who is married to Senator Islin and has designs on the White House for her husband. Rather than being a hero in Korea, Shaw and the remainder of the platoon were actually hypnotized and brainwashed to win Shaw his notorious medal of honor and turn him into a mindless assassin when given the proper stimulus.
The surviving members of Shaw's platoon, including Capt Marko, are plagued by nightmares of their capture in Korea, and their nightmares conflict completely with the artificial "memories" placed as a result of the brainwashing.
The story entertained me and turned me a half-dozen different ways before the exciting climax. No political thriller before or since engaged me as well. Highly recommended for those who remember when phrases like "card-carrying communist" were used.
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