The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Richard Condon (novel)
George Axelrod (screenplay)

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 | Army | Nightmare | Korea | Dream

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

Also Known As:

Botschafter der Angst (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
El embajador del miedo (Argentina) (Mexico) (TV title) [es]
Casuslara karsi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
El mensajero del miedo (Spain) [es]
Hjärntvättad (Sweden) [sv]
Kagenaki sogekisha (Japan) [ja]
Kandidaten fra Manchuriet (Denmark) [da]
Kato apo enan allo ilio (Greece) [el]
Mandzurijski kandidat (Serbia) [sr]
Mandzuský kandidát (Czech Republic) [cs]
Mantshurian kandidaatti (Finland) [fi]
Mantsurian sankari (Finland) [fi]
O Candidato da Manchúria (Portugal) [pt]
O Enviado da Manchúria (Portugal) [pt]
O anthropos tis Mantzourias (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Sob o Domínio do Mal (Brazil) [pt]
Un crime dans la tête (France) [fr]
Ushinawareta toki wo motomete (Japan) (new title) [ja]
Va' e uccidi (Italy) [it]

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:

By his own admission Frank Sinatra's best work always came in the first take. John Frankenheimer always liked the idea of using the freshness of a first take - so nearly all of the key scenes featuring Sinatra are first takes, unless a technical problem prevented them being used.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The presidential convention, where the assassination is supposed to take place, is held in 1954. 1954 was not a presidential nomination year. The correct date would be 1956.

Quotes:

Yen Lo: A little humor, my dear Zilkov, always with a little humor

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Flushed Away (2006)

Soundtrack:

The Twelve Days of Christmas

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.