The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Richard Condon (novel)
George Axelrod (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

24 October 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

When you've seen it all, you'll swear there's never been anything like it!

Plot:

A former Korean War POW is brainwashed by Communists into becoming a political assassin. But another former prisoner may know how to save him.

Plot Keywords:

Korean War | Nightmare | Army | Korea | Medal Of Honor

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Frank Sinatra	...	Maj. Bennett Marco
Laurence Harvey	...	Raymond Shaw
Janet Leigh	...	Eugenie Rose Chaney
Angela Lansbury	...	Mrs. Iselin
Henry Silva	...	Chunjin
James Gregory	...	Sen. John Yerkes Iselin
Leslie Parrish	...	Jocelyn Jordan
John McGiver	...	Sen. Thomas Jordan
Khigh Dhiegh	...	Dr. Yen Lo
James Edwards	...	Cpl. Allen Melvin
Douglas Henderson	...	Col. Milt
Albert Paulsen	...	Zilkov
Barry Kelley	...	Secretary of Defense
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Holborn Gaines
Madame Spivy	...	Female Berezovo
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joe Adams	...	Psychiatrist (uncredited)
Frank Basso	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Mary Benoit	...	Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Whit Bissell	...	Medical Officer (uncredited)
Nicky Blair	...	Silvers (uncredited)
Merritt Bohn	...	Jilly (uncredited)
Nick Bolin	...	Berezovo (uncredited)
Robert Burton	...	Convention Chairman (uncredited)
Evelyn Byrd	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Harry Carter	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Lana Crawford	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Ray Dailey	...	Page Boy (uncredited)
Mimi Dillard	...	Mrs. Melvin (uncredited)
Joan Douglas	...	Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Estelle Etterre	...	Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Mickey Finn	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Gomel's Lady Counterpart (uncredited)
Lee Tung Foo	...	Man in Lobby (uncredited)
John Francis	...	Hiken (uncredited)
Paul Frees	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Ralph Gambina	...	Man in Lobby (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Tom Harris	...	FBI Agent (uncredited)
Maggie Hathaway	...	Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Maye Henderson	...	Chairlady (uncredited)
Sam 'Kid' Hogan	...	Man in Lobby (uncredited)
Harry Holcombe	...	General (uncredited)
John Indrisano	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Miyoshi Jingu	...	Miss Gertrude (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Man seated next to projector (uncredited)
Rita Kenaston	...	Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	Senator (uncredited)
Helen Kleeb	...	Mrs. Henry Whitaker, Chairlady (uncredited)
Lou Krugg	...	Manager (uncredited)
John Lawrence	...	Grossfeld (uncredited)
Richard LePore	...	Pvt. Edmund 'Ed' Mavole (uncredited)
Tom Lowell	...	Pvt. Bobby Lembeck (uncredited)
Michael Masters	...	FBI Agent (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Marquita Moll	...	Soprano (uncredited)
Reggie Nalder	...	Gomel (uncredited)
Frances E. Nealy	...	Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Karen Norris	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Richard Norris	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Julie Payne	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Robert Riordan	...	Benjamin K. Arthur (uncredited)
Anna Shin	...	Korean Girl (uncredited)
Ray Spiker	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Irving Steinberg	...	Freeman (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Officer (uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	Senator (uncredited)
William Thourlby	...	Little (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Second Reporter (uncredited)
Raynum K. Tsukamoto	...	Man in Lobby (uncredited)
Jeanne Vaughn	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Anton von Stralen	...	Officer (uncredited)
James Yagi	...	Chinese Officer (uncredited)

Directed by
John Frankenheimer

Writing credits
Richard Condon		(novel)
George Axelrod		(screenplay)
John Frankenheimer		uncredited

Produced by
George Axelrod	....	producer
John Frankenheimer	....	producer
Howard W. Koch	....	executive producer

Original Music by
David Amram

Cinematography by
Lionel Lindon		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ferris Webster

Production Design by
Richard Sylbert

Art Direction by
Philip M. Jefferies		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
George R. Nelson

Costume Design by
Moss Mabry

Makeup Department
Ron Berkeley	....	makeup artist
Jack Freeman	....	makeup artist
Bernard Ponedel	....	makeup artist
Gene Shacove	....	hair stylist: Janet Leigh
Mary Westmoreland	....	hair stylist
Dorothy Parkinson	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph C. Behm	....	assistant director (as Joseph Behm)

Art Department
Arden Cripe	....	property master
Philip M. Jefferies	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Joe Edmondson	....	sound mixer
Del Harris	....	sound effects editor
Buddy Myers	....	sound re-recordist

Special Effects by
A. Paul Pollard	....	special effects (as Paul Pollard)

Visual Effects by
Howard A. Anderson	....	photographic effects

Stunts
Gordon Doversola	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Beau Vanden Ecker	....	assistant stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Joe Gray	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert 'Buzz' Henry	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Indrisano	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
John Mehl	....	camera operator
William Read Woodfield	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Wesley Jeffries	....	costumer (as Wesley V. Jefferies)

Editorial Department
Carl Mahakian	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
David Amram	....	conductor
Richard Carruth	....	music editor
Vinton Vernon	....	music recordist

Other crew
Thom Conroy	....	dialogue coach
Amalia Wade	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• M.C. Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1962) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• United Artists (1963) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1965) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Howard Anderson Company, The (photographic effects)

Other Companies

• American Map Company Inc.  maps
• Ruser  jewels

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) | Dolby SR | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1964) (cut) | Finland:(Banned) (1964) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (1989) (uncut) | UK:A (1962) (cut) | West Germany:16 (f) | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

67 Riverside Drive, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

M.C. Productions

Trivia:

Prior to the commissioning of the book as a movie, Arthur Krim, then President of United Artists and Finance Chairman of the Democratic Party, is known to have felt uneasy about its subject matter. President John F. Kennedy, as a favor to his friend Frank Sinatra, called Krim to let him know that he had no objection to a film version being made.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The rifle that Shaw uses to kill his mother, Sen. Iselin, and himself is not a Soviet Army sniper rifle, but a WWII-era Japanese Type 2 Paratrooper rifle. It seems very unlikely that Soviet agents would use a rifle made by their most hated enemy. It was almost never equipped with a scope.

Quotes:

Mrs. Iselin: [cordially, at a party the Iselins are giving] How good of you to come, Tom.
Sen. Thomas Jordan: [matter-of-fact, rather than cordial] I've explained to your husband why I'm here.
Mrs. Iselin: Tom, I know you have strong, personal feelings about Johnny and about me. But, what I would like to find out is, how strong they really are. To put it as simply as possible, If Johnny's name were to be put forward at the convention next week, would you attempt to block him?
Sen. Thomas Jordan: [taken slightly aback] You're joking, of course?
Mrs. Iselin: Mr. Stevenson makes jokes, I do not.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

Soundtrack:

The Washington Post

All by itself it raises my opinion of everyone involved.

Wow! I was expecting right wing propaganda, or possibly even (a distant outside chance) left wing propaganda: I certainly wasn't expecting THIS. It isn't propaganda at all. Deriving any kind of message at all from the film is difficult - one might be tempted to conclude that we ought to never trust people who cry cheap political insults like "communist!" or "fascist!" or "racist!" at the first opportunity, but that's just a thought. At any rate, in order to get a message we have to think about the story for ourselves, very carefully, which makes it the very opposite of propaganda.

Here's another bit of advice: don't make the mistake, as I did, of thinking now and then that Frankenheimer is drifting from the point. He knows exactly what he's doing at all times. Whenever it seems he's offering some interesting diversion from the main story he's really telling the main story by other means. How good the story is I cannot convey without saying too much. Probably the central conceit everyone knows already, which was why Frankenheimer was right to spill most of the beans as soon as possible - but he does has one or two in reserve. One great thing about the story is that it doesn't rely at all on us thinking it likely.

Everyone, from composer to cameraman, did a fine job, and the cast does an even finer one. Angela Lansbury gives the performance of her life. Frank Sinatra I had never seen in a movie before, and I was surprised to discover that he can act - very well, too. It permeates down to the minor roles. Leslie Parrish as the charming innocent is certainly charming, but also subtle. "The Manchurian Candidate" would easily be the best of its kind even if it weren't the only of its kind.