The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

A former prisoner of war is brainwashed as an unwitting assassin for an international Communist conspiracy.

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Richard Condon (based upon a novel by), George Axelrod (screenplay)

Stars:

Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Frank Sinatra	...	Major Bennett Marco
Laurence Harvey	...	Raymond Shaw
Janet Leigh	...	Eugenie Rose Chaney
Angela Lansbury	...	Mrs. Eleanor Shaw Iselin
Henry Silva	...	Chunjin
James Gregory	...	Senator John Yerkes Iselin
Leslie Parrish	...	Jocelyn Jordan
John McGiver	...	Senator Thomas Jordan
Khigh Dhiegh	...	Dr. Yen Lo
James Edwards	...	Corporal Allen Melvin
Douglas Henderson	...	Colonel Milt
Albert Paulsen	...	Zilkov
Barry Kelley	...	Secretary of Defense
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Holborn Gaines
Madame Spivy	...	Female Berezovo

Storyline

Major Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra) is an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army. He served valiantly as a Captain in the Korean war and his Sergeant, Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), even received the Medal of Honor. Marco has a major problem however: he has a recurring nightmare, one where two members of his squad were killed by Shaw. He's put on indefinite sick leave and visits Shaw in New York City. Shaw, for his part. has established himself well, despite the misgivings of his domineering mother, Mrs. Eleanor Shaw Iselin (Dame Angela Lansbury). She is a red-baiter, accusing anyone who disagrees with her right-wing reactionary views of being a Communist. Raymond hates her, not only for how she's treated him, but equally because of his stepfather, the ineffectual U.S. Senator John Iselin (James Gregory), who is intent on seeking higher office. When Marco learns that others in his Korean War unit have had nightmares similar to his own, he realizes that something happened to all of ...

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Plot Keywords:

conspiracy | brainwashed assassin | cold war | korean war | recurring nightmare | 

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Taglines:

Once unbelievable. Now unthinkable. The chilling classic returns [rerelease]

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie said there were seventy-seven Medal of Honor recipients for the Korean War. As of 2019, there are one hundred forty-five, of which one hundred three were awarded posthumously.

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Goofs

When Marco and Rosie are talking on the train, there is no train noise to be heard. Obviously, this scene was not shot on a moving train.

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Quotes

[Shaw has been conditioned to obey when seeing the queen of diamonds; Marco has brought a special deck of all queens of diamonds]
Raymond Shaw: They can make me do anything, Ben, can't they? Anything.
Bennett Marco: We'll see, kid. We'll see what they can do and we'll see what we can do. So the red queen is our baby. Well, take a look at this, kid...
[fans deck and keeps holding up the cards]
Bennett Marco: 52 of them! Take a good look at 'em, Raymond, look at 'em, and while you're looking, listen. This is me, Marco, talking. 52 red queens ...

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits specify, "Released thru United Artists". This uses an informal spelling of the standard "through".

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Alternate Versions

The West German version was edited (ca. 4 minutes) to remove every scene with the ladies in the greenhouse. This version was also released on DVD. In 2005 the uncut version (with subtitles for the missing scenes) was shown on Arte. Only in 2020 was the complete version released on Blu-ray/DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in Winter Kills (1979)

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Soundtracks

The Star-Spangled Banner
(1814) (uncredited)
Music based on "The Anacreontic Song" by John Stafford Smith
Lyrics by Francis Scott Key
Sung by Marquita Moll at the convention

User Reviews

Timeless Thriller with a few glitches

There are parts of The Manchurian Candidate that are so perceptive and prophetic that it can be shocking. The satire of political campaigns and the influence of political wives feels very fresh. The film is also an excellent spy thriller and foretells the many political assassinations in the 60's. There are many fine performances in the film and Angela Lansbury plays one of the best film villains I have seen. Also, the directing, cinematography and editing are terrific.

My problems with the film mainly stem from its dialogue. The script repeats lines from the book the film was based upon. The result is that the actor's lines are very often stilted and not believable. Other less important problems involve Lawrence Harvey who while he gives a fine performance needed a dialogue coach. He begins the film with an American accent and slowly takes on a English one. The Janet Leigh character is also troubling. It seems she is a Soviet agent but this is not explained. Her character is too subtle and clashes with the very straight forward presentation of the rest of the film.

The flaws of The Manchurian Candidate would sink a lesser film. But when this movie hits its stride it is so powerful that it rises above its drawbacks and remains a classic spy thriller.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 October 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Manchurian Candidate

Filming Locations:

245 East 49th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$87,850, 15 February 1988

Gross USA:

$2,757,256

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,757,256

Company Credits

Production Co:

M.C. Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1