What is the Manchurian Candidate?
The Manchurian Candidate, American Cold War thriller, released in 1962, that catapulted John Frankenheimer to the top ranks of Hollywood directors. Frank Sinatra (left) and Laurence Harvey in The Manchurian Candidate (1962).
What happened to Raymond in the Manchurian Candidate?
Brain-washed former Korean War POW Raymond (Laurence Harvey), now under friendly investigation by his colleague Marco (Frank Sinatra), recalls a summer with Josie (Leslie Parrish), her senator father (John McGiver), and his mother (Angela Lansbury) ruining it, in The Manchurian Candidate, 1962.
Is the Manchurian Candidate based on a true story?
The screenplayis by George Axelrod, based on the 1959 Richard Condon novel The Manchurian Candidate. The film's leading actors are Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and Angela Lansbury, with co-stars Janet Leigh, Henry Silva, and James Gregory.
Why was “the Manchurian Candidate” withdrawn from the box office?
There is a common misperception that “The Manchurian Candidate” was withdrawn because of the assassination of President Kennedy. But the President was killed a year after the movie failed to make a dent at the box office.
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What is the Manchurian Candidate about?
The Manchurian Candidate is a 1962 American neo-noir, psychological political thriller about the Cold War and sleeper agents. The film was directed and produced by John Frankenheimer. The screenplay was written by George Axelrod based on the 1959 Richard Condon novel The Manchurian Candidate.
When was the Manchurian Candidate selected for preservation?
In 1994 , The Manchurian Candidate was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
What happened to Marco after he was promoted to major?
After Marco is promoted to major and assigned to Army Intelligence, he has a recurring nightmare: a hypnotized Shaw blithely murders the two soldiers from his own platoon before an assembly of communist military leaders to demonstrate their revolutionary brainwashing technique. Marco learns that another soldier from the platoon, Allen Melvin, has the same nightmare. When Melvin and he separately identify photos of the same two men—leading figures in communist governments—from their dreams, Army Intelligence agrees to help Marco investigate.
When was the Manchurian Candidate remake made?
This article is about the original 1962 film. For the 2004 remake, see The Manchurian Candidate (2004 film).
Was the Manchurian Candidate rereleased after the Kennedy assassination?
Michael Schlesinger, who was responsible for the film's 1988 reissue by MGM/UA, has helped debunk the rumor. According to him, the film was not removed, but public interest in it was small immediately before the assassination. The autumn 1962 release had run its course. Box-office successes in the United States immediately before the shootings in Dallas were comedies, notably It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and movie distributors avoided reviving a thriller with a creepy ending that millions of people had seen barely a year earlier. Newspaper display ads indicate that after the assassination, The Manchurian Candidate was not rereleased as frequently or as widely as other movies from 1962, but it was indeed revived and never was banned. The movie played at a Brooklyn cinema two months after the assassination (January 1964), and that same month, in White Plains and Jersey City, New Jersey. The film was subsequently televised nationwide on CBS Thursday Night at the Movies on September 16, 1965.
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.
Did you know
Frank Sinatra broke the little finger of his right hand on the desk in the fight sequence with Henry Silva. Due to on-going filming commitments, he could not rest or bandage his hand properly, causing the injury to heal incorrectly. It caused him chronic discomfort for the rest of his life.
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By what name was The Manchurian Candidate (1962) officially released in India in English?
When was the Manchurian Candidate movie released?
© 1962 United Artists Corporation. As if to underscore the Cold War tension depicted on the screen, The Manchurian Candidate was released on October 24 , 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis.
Who was the director of the movie Manchurian Candidate?
Frank Sinatra (left) and Laurence Harvey in The Manchurian Candidate (1962).
What is the name of the manchurian candidate who was assassinated in the convention centre?
The action reaches a climax as Marco races against time to the convention centre to stop Shaw from carrying out an assassination of the presidential nominee, which would place Iselin (“the Manchurian Candidate”) in line to become president.
What is the Manchurian Candidate?
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. 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. 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. 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.
When was the Manchurian Candidate re-released?
The true mark of an essential film is how well it stands the test of time. When it was re-released in 1988, The Manchurian Candidate caused as much, or more, of a sensation than on its initial theatrical run, finding an entirely new generation of admirers. Since that time, it has taken on an almost mythic importance due to the events that transpired in its wake and the fact that both Frankenheimer and Sinatra were close friends of the Kennedy family. Seen today, it is as exciting, creepy, and darkly humorous as it was in 1962. And despite a 2004 reworking and updating of the story, the original's power and influence have not been diminished.
Why didn't the Manchurian Candidate do well financially?
Director John Frankenheimer later said The Manchurian Candidate didn't do well financially because the studio chose to promote another Sinatra picture, The Pride and the Passion (1957), but that film had actually been released five years earlier.
Who played the manchurian candidate in the original movie?
Manchurian Candidate, The (1962) - (Original Trailer) A Korean War hero doesn't realize he's been programmed to kill in the original The Manchurian Candidate (1962) starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Angela Lansbury, from the novel by Richard Condon.
Who played Marco in Manchurian Candidate?
Manchurian Candidate, The (1962) -- (Movie Clip) Our American Visitors First scene for Marco (Frank Sinatra) since his capture in the Korean War, and first look at his dream, with the garden club lady (Maye Henderson), Chinese brain-washer Yen Lo (Khigh Dheigh), and fellow prisoner Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), among others, in The Manchurian Candidate, 1962.
Was the Manchurian Candidate based on the Kennedy assassination?
The Manchurian Candidate was remade with considerably less impact in 2004 by Jonathan Demme. In the updated version, Shaw and Marco were soldiers in the Gulf War, Shaw himself becomes a political candidate (for Vice President) rather than his stepfather, and the sinister force is no longer Communist China but a corporation called Manchurian Global. Another of Richard Condon's novels of political paranoia was made into the film Winter Kills (1979). That story is based loosely on the Kennedy assassination. Condon's organized crime novel Prizzi's Honor was filmed in 1985 by John Huston with Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner. Members of the Korean platoon captured and brainwashed by the Chinese are named after cast and crew members of the 1950s TV sitcom The Phil Silvers Show, which was set in an Army barracks. The concept of "brainwashing" was first made popular by CIA-fronted writers around the time of the Korean War as an explanation of how the Chinese government was able to get hundreds of thousands of its citizens indoctrinated into Communism. The term itself likely first appeared in a book on the subject in 1950. During the Korean War, some American POWs made public statements of support for Communism and against the U.S.; these actions were explained away by insisting the soldiers had been brainwashed. But many studies have since debunked the idea, and certainly nothing supports the hypnotic method or extent depicted in the movie. Even those who have fallen victim to "coercive persuasion," have quickly reverted to their original beliefs and actions once the threat was withdrawn. Frankenheimer followed this film with another tale of high-level political intrigue based on a popular novel, Seven Days in May (1964). In that film, American democracy is threatened not by Communism but by military leaders plotting to take over the government. Writer George Axelrod and director John Frankenheimer teamed again for another political thriller, The Holcroft Covenant (1985), but it was not a great success. Axelrod tried his hand at the genre once more with The Fourth Protocol (1987), his last film. The Manchurian Candidate's story was considered so politically controversial it was either censored or prohibited from theatrical release in many Eastern European countries then under Communist governments and even in neutral countries such as Finland and Sweden. The theatrical premiere for most of those countries was held after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1993. In a 1996 interview with screenwriter George Axelrod published in Film Comment, author Patrick McGilligan said the film was "pilloried across the political spectrum by groups ranging from the American Legion to the Communist Party." "I just want you to know that I think you gave one helluva performance." - Veteran actress Mary Astor upon encountering Angela Lansbury in a Malibu grocery store. by Rob Nixon
When was the Manchurian Candidate aired?
The film was broadcast by CBS in 1965 and 1966, and again by NBC at least twice in the 1970s. The Manchurian Candidate was withdrawn from distribution by Frank Sinatra in 1972 (a state in which it remained for the next fifteen years), but that act was a business decision that had nothing to do with political events.
Why was the Manchurian Candidate withdrawn from distribution?
Claim: The film The Manchurian Candidate was withdrawn from distribution due to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Did the Manchurian Candidate disappear?
The Manchurian Candidate did seemingly “disappear” for a few years around the time of the Kennedy assassination, not because it had been “suppressed” but simply because its original theatrical run had largely played out by then (it had already been in release for a year), and — as was typical in that day — a couple of years elapsed before it was leased by its distributor (United Artists) to network television and scheduled for broadcast. The film was broadcast by CBS in 1965 and 1966, and again by NBC at least twice in the 1970s.
Why didn't the Manchurian Candidate get a lot of play?
It was long rumored that The Manchurian Candidate wasn't seen much after its initial run because Sinatra had it pulled from circulation after the JFK assassination. But while it's true that the film didn't get a lot of play, the reason was more mundane: there just wasn't much interest in it.
What is the conspiracy of the Manchurian Candidate?
13 Conspiratorial Facts About. The Manchurian Candidate. People who love movies and people who love conspiracy theories have common ground in The Manchurian Candidate, the 1962 Cold War satiric thriller about an American soldier brainwashed by Communists into becoming an assassin. Since then, whenever a new political figure has emerged ...
How much did the Manchurian Candidate movie make?
came very close to nuclear war. The film made $2.7 million; at 2016 ticket prices, that would be around $34 million.
Who was the cinematographer for the Manchurian Candidate?
For guidance in the climactic scene set at a political convention, Frankenheimer and cinematographer Lionel Lindon looked at news footage from the 1960 event at which JFK was formally nominated. Frankenheimer said many of the shots in that sequence are direct copies of real images broadcast in 1960—yet another connection between The Manchurian Candidate and JFK.
Storyline
When his army unit was ambushed during the first Gulf War, Sergeant Raymond Shaw saved his fellow soldiers just as his commanding officer, then-Captain Ben Marco, was knocked unconscious.
Did you know
Tina Sinatra, who was instrumental in deciding to remake the film, inherited the production rights from her father, Frank Sinatra, who played Bennett Marco in the 1962 version.
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What was the official certification given to The Manchurian Candidate (2004) in Spain?
Overview
The Manchurian Candidate is a 1962 American neo-noir psychological political thriller film directed and produced by John Frankenheimer. The screenplay is by George Axelrod, based on the 1959 Richard Condon novel The Manchurian Candidate. The film's leading actors are Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and Angela Lansbury, with co-stars Janet Leigh, Henry Silva, and James Gregory.
Plot
Soviet and Chinese soldiers capture a U.S. Army platoon during the Korean War, taking them to communist China. Three days later, Sergeant Raymond Shaw and Captain Bennett Marco return to UN lines. Upon Marco's recommendation, Shaw is awarded the Medal of Honor for saving his soldiers' lives in combat, though two men were killed in action. Shaw returns to the U.S., where his heroism is e…
Cast
• Frank Sinatra as Maj. Bennett Marco
• Laurence Harvey as Raymond Shaw
• Janet Leigh as Eugenie Rose "Rosie" Cheyney
• Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Eleanor Iselin
Production
Sinatra suggested Lucille Ball for the role of Eleanor Iselin, but Frankenheimer, who had worked with Lansbury in All Fall Down, insisted that Sinatra watch her performance in that film before a final choice was made. Although Lansbury played Raymond Shaw's mother, she was, in fact, only three years older than Laurence Harvey, who played Shaw. An early scene in which Shaw, recently decorated with the Medal of Honor, argues with his parents was filmed in Sinatra's own private p…
Reception
Film critic Roger Ebert listed The Manchurian Candidate on his "Great Movies" list, declaring that it is "inventive and frisky, takes enormous chances with the audience, and plays not like a 'classic', but as a work as alive and smart as when it was first released".
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Manchurian Candidate holds an approval rating of 97% rating based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 8.70/10. The website's critica…
Releases
According to a false rumor, Sinatra removed the film from distribution after John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963. Michael Schlesinger, who was responsible for the film's 1988 reissue by MGM/UA, has helped debunk the rumour. According to him, the film was not removed, but public interest in it was small immediately before the assassination. The autumn 1962 release had run its course. Box-office successes in the U.S. immediately before the shooti…
See also
• List of American films of 1962
• List of assassinations in fiction
• Conspiracy thriller
• Hypnosis in popular culture
External links
• The Manchurian Candidate at IMDb
• The Manchurian Candidate at the TCM Movie Database
• The Manchurian Candidate at AllMovie
• The Manchurian Candidate at the American Film Institute Catalog