The nation's shameful anti-Communist era was essentially over, but its effects lingered, and the idea of presenting a McCarthy-type movement as a sinister Communist plot was outrageous. Although Richard Condon's novel had been available to the public since 1959, the story did not have the same dramatic effect on readers it would have on moviegoers when they saw it brought to life by some of Hollywood's most talented actors. The Manchurian Candidate's impact on all those who saw it in 1962 was undeniable. On top of that, the film's unavailability for viewing for more than 20 years, fueled by speculation for the reasons it was being withheld, added an air of mystery to this volatile and terrifying parable of American political life. But the picture has also gained in cache thanks to the historical events that came on the heels of its release, an era of political unrest and horrifying assassination that seems to be foreshadowed by the film's story.
The controversial subject matter and unique combination of genres and tones (ranging from nerve-shattering thriller to wildly fantastic political satire), flawlessly executed by all involved, earn it a place in the pantheon. The Manchurian Candidate is one of those rare pictures that enjoys a reputation and cult status that extends far beyond its effectiveness as a superb entertainment. Why THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE is Essential JefferiesĬast: Frank Sinatra (Bennett Marco), Laurence Harvey (Raymond Shaw), Angela Lansbury (Raymond's mother), Janet Leigh (Eugenie Rose), Leslie Parrish (Jocie Jordon), James Gregory (Sen. Screenplay: George Axelrod, based on the novel by Richard CondonĪrt Design: Richard Sylbert, Philip M. Koch (executive producer), George Axelrod, John Frankenheimer
As opponents of the rabidly right-wing Iselin and his wife, Raymond's fierce, controlling mother, begin to be destroyed politically or killed outright, Marco discovers Raymond's deadly mission and the horrifying reason they were brainwashed years earlier. But Marco is having nightmares about what really happened in Korea, and when he finds out others have been experiencing the same disturbances, he sets about to uncover the truth - that the entire platoon had been captured and brainwashed by the Chinese Communist enemy. The sullen, withdrawn Shaw is described with robotic precision by all the surviving members of his platoon, including Army lifer Bennett Marco, as a warm and wonderful human being. John Iselin, a highly vocal anti-Communist demagogue, returns from the Korean War decorated for war heroism. At the last moment, however, the hypnotic spell breaks and he kills his mother and stepfather and then takes his own life. On the night of the rally, Marco confronts Raymond with a handful of the cards and tries to convince him that he no longer has control of his own mind, but Raymond follows his mother's instructions and takes a rifle to a deserted projection booth. As part of the Communist master plan, she uses the cards to force Raymond into killing both his wife, Jocie, and his father-in-law, Senator Jordan, a crusading liberal and his mother's chief political enemy. operation is his mother, a politically ambitious woman who plans to have her son shoot the presidential nominee during a rally at Madison Square Garden, thus paving the way for her husband, Senator Iselin, the vice-presidential nominee, to take control of the government. Unknown to Raymond, the key Communist behind the U. Suspicious, he starts an investigation and discovers Raymond's strange reaction to the playing card. Meanwhile, another member of the patrol, Bennett Marco, begins having nightmares in which he vaguely recalls what happened in Korea. Actually he is now a puppet of the Communists at the sight of a Queen of Diamonds, his mind is triggered into obeying any instruction, retaining no knowledge of his subsequent actions. Back in the United States, Raymond is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on the strength of his comrades' testimony. Army patrol are captured and taken to Manchuria by Chinese Communists who brainwash them into believing that Raymond Shaw, a mother-dominated sergeant, has led a successful action against the Communists.