The Manchurian Candidate Overview:

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) was a Drama - Mystery Film directed by John Frankenheimer and produced by John Frankenheimer, George Axelrod and Howard W. Koch.

The film was based on the novel of the same name written by Richard Condon published in 1959.

SYNOPSIS

Among the most lauded political thrillers of all time, this film was amazingly prescient in light of the recent attraction of conspiracy theories. Korean War hero Harvey is a brainwashed human time bomb engineered to further a hidden Communist takeover, with Sinatra the one man who stands in his way. A mix of black-comic political satire (Gregory, in his finest performance as a Joe McCarthy-like demagogue) and an energetic, violent, and disturbing exercise in suspense, the film has resonance like few others of its time. Perhaps the finest work by Frankenheimer, featuring an outstanding cast (Lansbury, in the role of her career as Harvey's scheming mother) and one of the saddest scores of all time by Amram. Not to be missed. Based on Richard Condon's harrowing novel. The laserdisc collector's edition is digitally remastered and includes the original theatrical trailer.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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The Manchurian Candidate was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1994.

Academy Awards 1962 --- Ceremony Number 35 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Supporting ActressAngela LansburyNominated
Best Film EditingFerris WebsterNominated
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The Manchurian Candidate BlogHub Articles:

More than “just a film”: The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer, 1962)

By Virginie Pronovost on Jul 5, 2019 From The Wonderful World of Cinema

John Frankenheimer is one of those movie directors whose films, I feel, are so unique, that I couldn’t compare them with the work of anybody else. He fits, I believe,? in the category of those “authors”. But it’s subtle and you have to look at them with a lot of reflexions. T... Read full article


1001 Classic Movies: The Manchurian Candidate

By Amanda Garrett on Sep 8, 2017 From Old Hollywood Films

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is one of the 1001 classic movies you should see. The political thriller stars Laurence Harvey as a disturbed Korean War veteran and Angela Lansbury as his domineering mother. Each week, I'm going to recommend a classic movie you should see (for the reasons behind ... Read full article


The Manchurian Candidate

By Beatrice on Jul 26, 2017 From Flickers in Time

The Manchurian Candidate Directed by John Frankenheimer Written by George Axelrod from a novel by Richard Conden 1962/USA M.C. Productions Repeat viewing/My DVD collection One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die I consider this the best conspiracy movie ever made. ?Pity about Janet Leigh&#... Read full article


CCU38: The Manchurian Candidate

By Aaron West on May 22, 2016 From Criterion Blues

May 22 Posted by aaronwest Mark, Aaron and Paul Cobb look at John Frankenheimer’s political thriller, The Manchurian Candidate. We explore the originality and how it influenced other paranoia films, how it spoke to the spirit of the 1960s, as a satire towards McCarthyism, and how it has remai... Read full article


CCU38: The Manchurian Candidate

By Aaron West on May 22, 2016 From Criterion Blues

May 22 Posted by aaronwest Mark, Aaron and Paul Cobb look at John Frankenheimer’s political thriller, The Manchurian Candidate. We explore the originality and how it influenced other paranoia films, how it spoke to the spirit of the 1960s, as a satire towards McCarthyism, and how it has remai... Read full article


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Quotes from The Manchurian Candidate

Raymond Shaw: Senator Iselen is not my father. Repeat: he is not my father. If you learn nothing else on your visit to this country, memorize that fact.


Chunjin: I need job.
Raymond Shaw: Job?
Chunjin: Yes Sir, Mr. Shaw.
Raymond Shaw: But my dear fellow, we don't need interpreters here. We all speak the same language.


Mrs. Iselin: Oh, Raymond, what is the matter with you? You look as if your head were going to come to a point in the next thirteen seconds.


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Facts about The Manchurian Candidate

The topic of the movie was considered politically so highly sensitive it was censored and prohibited just before its theatrical release in many of the former 'Iron Curtain' countries, such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria - and even in neutral countries such as Finland and Sweden. The theatrical premiere for most of those countries was held after the collapse of Soviet Union in 1993.
The army psychiatrist in this movie was the first black actor cast in a part that wasn't specified as a black character.
Contrary to popular belief, the film was not pulled from circulation following the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It made its American television debut on The CBS Thursday Night Movies in September 1965 (source: Broadcasting magazine), and was repeated on that network later that season. Only when the rights reverted to Frank Sinatra in 1972 did the film disappear from view, although even then turning up for third and fourth network showings on NBC in spring 1974 (source: TV Guide) and summer 1975 (source: Variety). Sinatra's neglect in keeping the film in distribution gave rise to the legend that it was suppressed because of its alleged role in Lee Harvey Oswald's assassination of the 35th president. The legend was further perpetuated when Sinatra, in alliance with MGM/UA, re-released the film to theaters in 1988. When the rumor was debunked in an article in Films in Review, another myth, one claiming that Sinatra and UA had a dispute about the profits, took its place. The myth survives to this day, but it is pure fiction.
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Best Supporting Actress Oscar 1962






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National Film Registry

The Manchurian Candidate

Released 1962
Inducted 1994
(Sound)




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