The Manchurian
Candidate has a pace that’s both tasteful and gentle, although at times some scenes drag longer than they should. The movie keeps you on the
edge of your seat, then spins you out of sync when unexpected and often
unexplainable scenes popping up, which to me were unnecessarily disorienting, making it hard to follow at times. But just as quickly, the events pull you back in,
masterfully and surreally, as you wait to see how everything connects. The film
is a mix of suspense, thriller, and intense dialogue, with some moments that
could even be seen as dark humor.
The unveiling of the mastermind behind the plot—or rather, the mastermind controlling Raymond Shaw—makes you, the viewer, raise an eyebrow at the lengths people will go to for power. The movie’s conspiracy theory, combined with a touch of sci-fi in the brainwashing and mind control aspects, makes The Manchurian Candidate appealing to a wide variety of audiences. But the mind control things, even though they were fascinating, push the limits of plausibility, which can make you raise an eyebrow.
The plot follows
a squad from the Korean War, where Major Ben Marco (Frank Sinatra) and his
Sergeant, Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), return home to a hero’s welcome. Shaw
even receives a Medal of Honor for supposedly saving his squad during the war.
As Shaw becomes
a public figure, driven by his overbearing mother, Mrs. Eleanor Shaw Iselin
(Angela Lansbury), Marco starts having recurring nightmares. In these dreams,
he sees Shaw kill two members of their squad. These nightmares lead Marco to
question whether the events he remembers from Korea actually happened.
Director and
producer John Frankenheimer did a fantastic job with the screenplay, which is
based on Richard Condon’s 1959 novel of the same name. Both the film and the
novel explore themes of the Cold War. Frank Sinatra’s performance is one you
need to see to appreciate. Angela Lansbury (known for Disney’s Bedknobs
and Broomsticks in 1971) delivers a standout performance as Raymond Shaw’s
mother, earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
The Manchurian
Candidate was both a critical and financial success, and it’s a film
everyone should see—including you. Every moment of this movie is memorable, and
the suspense will keep you glued to the screen.
A remake of this 1962 classic was directed by Jonathan Demme (who won an Oscar for Best Director for The Silence of the Lambs in 1991 and also directed the critically acclaimed Philadelphia in 1993, starring Denzel Washington). The 2004 version starred Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, and Liev Schreiber. While it was a critical success, it didn’t match the box office success of its 1962 predecessor.
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