The Manchurian Candidate
(B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'The Manchurian Candidate' (a dazzling 1962 political thriller directed by John Frankenheimer) was nominated for Academy Awards; won none; but is still a legendary title thanks to its ingenious plot, stellar performances & je ne sais quoi magic that makes a great film as great as it is. The film opens in 1952 & stars Laurence Harvey as Sgt. Raymond Shaw, a seemingly valorous Korean War hero & former POW, who is brainwashed & programmed by Soviet & Chinese communists to kill liberal Unite States politicians. Angela Lansbury co-stars as his frightful mother, Mrs. Eleanor Iselin, the nefarious puppet-master who ruthlessly pursues her hell bent presidential ambitions for her bumbling, right-wing husband, Senator John Iselin (James Gregory).
Shaw hates his domineering mother & his overly ambitious stepfather; leaving for NYC for a newspaper job. Frank Sinatra also co-stars as yet another former Korean prisoner, intelligence officer Maj. Bennett Marco, who has been having nightmares about members of his old unit being killed by Shaw. He is then put on sick leave where he meets & falls in love with Rosie (Janet Leigh); who helps him through his mental state & piecing together what his nightmares may mean. Marco learns that others in his old squad unit are having similar nightmares & soon puts it together that there is a mass conspiracy to kill. It's now up to him to stop Shaw, who has been killing political rivals to his stepfather left & right. Everything culminates at a huge political convention at Madison Square Garden. Thrilling drama ensues.
This is, quite simply, a very edgy {for the times}, groundbreaking conspiracy theory satire about the Cold War. Really, it is an intellectual response - thanks to Frankenheimer's direction & George Axelrod's adapted screenwriting - to the witch hunt tactics of Sen. McCarthy. There are some truly bizarre situations & stretches that pop-up throughout; usually fueled by Marco's feverish, brainwash-originated nightmares. The dialogue that these characters spout is fascinating. Ferris Webster's Oscar-nominated editing is involving & concise. Lionel Lindon's stark cinematography is haunting. The sets, the costumes, & David Amram's music score all aid the proceedings. And the tense, highly suspenseful climax at Madison Square Garden rivets.
Frank Sinatra is well cast as the fired-up Marco, while Laurence Harvey {not one of my faves} gives one of his most assured, complex performances as the spine-chilling political assassin. These are the kind of remarkable, painstakingly-detailed turns these 2 actors were capable of ... but didn't always show; at least, for me. And Angela Lansbury, cast against type, gives a classy if wholly unsettling turn as the power-hungry matriarch and, she should have won the Oscar; I'd give it to her over The Miracle Worker's Patty Duke -- who was also superb. Living up to her namesake, Eleanor Iselin has ice in her veins. And Lansbury's acerbic, menacing portrayal is one for the ages. Great film; a bit cold, for my tastes; but unmistakably well-executed.
Shaw hates his domineering mother & his overly ambitious stepfather; leaving for NYC for a newspaper job. Frank Sinatra also co-stars as yet another former Korean prisoner, intelligence officer Maj. Bennett Marco, who has been having nightmares about members of his old unit being killed by Shaw. He is then put on sick leave where he meets & falls in love with Rosie (Janet Leigh); who helps him through his mental state & piecing together what his nightmares may mean. Marco learns that others in his old squad unit are having similar nightmares & soon puts it together that there is a mass conspiracy to kill. It's now up to him to stop Shaw, who has been killing political rivals to his stepfather left & right. Everything culminates at a huge political convention at Madison Square Garden. Thrilling drama ensues.
This is, quite simply, a very edgy {for the times}, groundbreaking conspiracy theory satire about the Cold War. Really, it is an intellectual response - thanks to Frankenheimer's direction & George Axelrod's adapted screenwriting - to the witch hunt tactics of Sen. McCarthy. There are some truly bizarre situations & stretches that pop-up throughout; usually fueled by Marco's feverish, brainwash-originated nightmares. The dialogue that these characters spout is fascinating. Ferris Webster's Oscar-nominated editing is involving & concise. Lionel Lindon's stark cinematography is haunting. The sets, the costumes, & David Amram's music score all aid the proceedings. And the tense, highly suspenseful climax at Madison Square Garden rivets.
Frank Sinatra is well cast as the fired-up Marco, while Laurence Harvey {not one of my faves} gives one of his most assured, complex performances as the spine-chilling political assassin. These are the kind of remarkable, painstakingly-detailed turns these 2 actors were capable of ... but didn't always show; at least, for me. And Angela Lansbury, cast against type, gives a classy if wholly unsettling turn as the power-hungry matriarch and, she should have won the Oscar; I'd give it to her over The Miracle Worker's Patty Duke -- who was also superb. Living up to her namesake, Eleanor Iselin has ice in her veins. And Lansbury's acerbic, menacing portrayal is one for the ages. Great film; a bit cold, for my tastes; but unmistakably well-executed.