The Manchurian
Candidate
begins in Korea in 1952 where an American army platoon is seen
captured. We learn of their escape after the fact as Raymond Shaw
(Harvey) is awarded the Purple Medal of Honor for rescuing his
fellow troops. Shaw is given a hero’s welcome back home, but he
doesn’t want any of it, blowing off his mother (Lansbury) and
stepfather, Senator John Iselin (James Gregory), choosing to go to
New York
City to work with a newspaper. The other members of Shaw’s platoon
are riddled with nightmares that include their hero, Shaw, killing
two troops that are missing. Bennett Marco (Sinatra) is especially
affected by his nightmares and chooses to go to New York to track
Raymond down and discover exactly what is going on. What he
discovers goes far deeper than he could have imagined.
CRITIQUE
My first real
knowledge of The Manchurian Candidate, I am ashamed to
admit, came from hearing about a remake involving Denzel
Washington and Meryl Streep. I have heard an overwhelming number
of complaints as to why anyone would ever remake such a classic
movie, so I was happy to watch this Special Edition DVD (released
just in time to make a little money before the new Manchurian
opens in theaters) and see for myself why so many people hold this
film in such high regard.
What The
Manchurian Candidate offers is a tight story, great acting, and
maybe most importantly for today’s audiences who may not have been
around for the Red Scare and McCarthyism, it affords a look at what
America
feared during the sixties. When this film came out it was highly
political and relevant to society, today it is more of an interesting
historical reference to a period in American history that is
well-documented but seldom so well.
The Manchurian
Candidate
is lightning quick and ahead of its time for a movie made in 1962, be
that as it may, it will seem slow to anyone who is used to MTV editing
and the political thrillers that hit the multiplexes today. The story,
based very closely on the novel by Richard Condon, is tight. I found
that I had to go back to re-view some scenes because there were so
many innuendos and plot points that I had missed.
The acting is all
around fantastic. Angela Lansbury delivers a chilling performance in
one of the best “mother” roles since Psycho. I was surprised by
Laurence Harvey who was calculating while understated as Raymond Shaw.
Sinatra, beyond portraying Bennett Marco is often credited with
getting this film off the ground; however, he was the least convincing
actor out of the three.
THE VIDEO
The Manchurian
Candidate
is presented in 1.75:1 anamorphic widescreen, enhanced for 16x9
television sets. This is a beautiful transfer. The black and white
image is very crisp.
THE AUDIO
The
Manchurian Candidate
is presented in English 5.1 Surround & Original Mono and Spanish
in Mono. It includes options for English, French & Spanish
subtitles. The sound was very clear; however the only time I
noticed the rear speakers being utilized was during the war
scenes when there are some gun battles.
THE EXTRAS
Interview
with Frank Sinatra, George Axelrod and John Frankenheimer:
This interview took
place in 1988 for the 25th anniversary of The Manchurian Candidate.
Apparently the first time all three had been together since filming
ended. There’s lots of patting each other on the back, but a great
addition to the DVD of such a highly regarded film. Sinatra especially
offers some interesting insights and stories from his experience on
the set. This interview has a bittersweet feel now with all three
deceased, Sinatra in 1998, Frankenheimer in 2002, and Axelrod in 2003.
Audio Commentary
with John Frankenheimer
This is a great
commentary. I prefer having a solo commentary, this way the
compliments feel sincere rather than simply being
polite. Frankenheimer is revealing during the commentary, but he
really lets the film speak for itself. Frankenheimer doesn’t feel the
need to fill every moment of the film with dialogue, he lets long
portions of the film pass and then he adds some interesting comments,
either on his experience working with Sinatra, Axelrod, or decisions
he made and how they affected the outcome of the film. His comments
are especially reveling on the hypnosis dream sequence.
Queen of Diamonds
Featurette with Angela Lansbury
This is basically a
separate interview with Mrs. Lansbury who was nominated for an Academy
Award for her role in the film. She discusses her role and some of the
acting choices she made to make her character so memorable.
A Little Solitaire
Featurette with William Friedkin
The director of
The Exorcist discusses how The Manchurian Candidate
influenced him.
Original Theatrical
Trailer
These trailers are
always interesting to watch to see the difference between how movies
are marketed today versus the 1960’s.
Photo Gallery
Production stills
from the set of The Manchurian Candidate.
Easter Eggs
There are two
hidden features on the DVD Special Features menu. If you continue to
press right you can get the third playing card to light up. The
diamond on the upper right hand side of the playing card will turn
yellow. The first hidden feature is on the second page of the Special
Features menu. This is an addition to the William Friedkin interview
that involves a ringing telephone and a game of solitaire. The second
hidden feature is of Angela Lansbury at the same interview describing
how she decided to fall for the final scene of the film.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I would recommend
The Manchurian Candidate to any film buffs or anyone who
appreciates film. It is an interesting film that has had a great
influence on future films. I especially recommend watching the
original before seeing the remake that will hit theaters this summer.
