“The Manchurian Candidate” (1962) is “one of the best and brightest of modern American films” (Roger Ebert). Since “The Manchurian Candidate,” directed John Frankenheimer has moved on to such lesser work as “All Fall Down,” with Michael Douglas, “Ronin,” with Robert De Niro, and “Reindeer Games,” with Ben Affleck and Gary Sinise. “The Manchurian Candidate,” however, is not like those—it is his masterpiece.

It is a political thriller about a cold, distant sergeant in the U.S. Army named Raymond Shaw who has just returned home from his tour in the Korean War, and honored with the Medal of Honor for saving his entire platoon out there. Raymond Shaw’s mother, who is played by Angela Lansbury (nominated for Best Supporting Actress), is the epitome of evil. Oh you may not realize it at first, but as the film progresses you will learn why Shaw hates his mother.

Frank Sinatra, in one of his best performances, plays the war-weary Captain Bennet Marco who also served in Shaw’s platoon. A recurring dream haunts him on a regular basis, and he wonders if any other members of the platoon have had similar dreams. The film is about intrigue, espionage and Communist infiltration, and politics; it is a sharp commentary of naiveté and the machinations of the left and right wings. The film also received an Oscar nomination for Best Film Editing. The fact that it did not actually win anything from the Academy does not matter, because 1962 was a big year for movies…with films like Lawrence of Arabia, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Longest Day. But Lansbury did win for Best Supporting Actress from two other less-biased film organizations other than the Academy for her role.

The film is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Condon. It is approximately two hours, nine minutes long, and available on both DVD and laserdisc versions, which include special, in-depth interviews with Sinatra, Frankenheimer, and George Axelrod.

Related Links:

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The Greatest Films - comprehensive analysis of classic US film
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
TCM Movie News
DVDcollect -- The Manchurian Candidate on DVD
Review by Cameron Koo
The complete soundtrack recordings
Movie poster

Trivia about The Manchurian Candidate:

It was withdrawn from circulation after the assassination of President Kennedy and later subject to a distribution dispute. It was not until 1987 that the film was re-released, to wide acclaim.
It was the first to attack the political witch-hunts of the McCarthy era.
Although she played his mother, Angela Lansbury was only three years older than Laurence Harvey.
Frank Sinatra owned Senator Iselin’s plane in real life.
One scene was filmed at the Bar and Grill that Sinatra's friend Jilly Rizzo owned in New York City.
Sinatra broke one of his fingers in the fight sequence with Henry Silva.
Lansbury, Angela plays the lead character's mother, even though she is only one year older than him.
All the members of the platoon in Korea are named after cast and crew of “The Phil Silvers Show” (1955).
It took a full week to film the opening dream sequence. Director Frankenheimer, John rushed a rough edit of the sequence to Sinatra, then decided to keep the cut in the final movie unchanged.
In the scene where Sinatra gives the all-queens deck of cards to Harvey, Laurence, Sinatra is out of focus. It was well-known on the set that Sinatra hated doing second takes, so rather than ask him to do the scene again, director Frankenheimer, John left the footage as-is. Audiences weren't bothered; they interpreted it as Laurence Harvey's blurred perspective.

Quotes from The Manchurian Candidate:

Marco: Intelligence officer. Stupidity officer is more like it. Pentagon wants to open a Stupidity Division, they know who they can get to lead it.

Raymond Shaw: There are two kinds of people in this world: Those that enter a room and turn the television set on, and those that enter a room and turn the television set off.

A general greets Medal of Honor winner Staff Sgt. Raymond Shaw on his return to the U.S.

General: Congratulations, son. How do you feel?

Raymond Shaw: Like Captain Idiot in Astounding Science comics.

Raymond Shaw: It's a terrible thing to hate your mother. But I didn't always hate her. When I was a child, I only kind of disliked her.

A nightmare switches between a ladies' garden club and a Soviet/Chinese military hospital

Lady at garden club: You will notice that I have told them they may smoke. I've allowed my people to have a little fun in the selection of bizarre tobacco substitutes... Are you enjoying your cigarette, Ed?

Ed Movole: Yes ma'am.

Dr. Yen Lo: Yak dung! ...hope tastes good - like a cigarette should! [laughs]

Dr. Yen Lo: His brain has not only been washed, as they say... It has been dry cleaned.

Raymond Shaw: Twelve days of Christmas! One day of Christmas is loathsome enough!

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.

Cast overview, first billed only:

Frank Sinatra .... Bennett Marco

Laurence Harvey .... Raymond Shaw

Janet Leigh .... Rosie

Angela Lansbury .... Mrs. Iselin

Henry Silva .... Chunjin

James Gregory .... Senator Johnny Iselin

Leslie Parrish .... Jocie Jordon

John McGiver .... Senator Thomas Jordon

Khigh Dhiegh .... Yen Lo

James Edwards .... Corporal Melvin

Douglas Henderson .... Colonel

Albert Paulsen .... Zilkov

Barry Kelley .... Secretary of Defense

Lloyd Corrigan .... Holborn Gaines

Madame Spivy .... Berezovo

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