 Tagline: When you've seen it all, you'll swear there's never been anything like it! Ask Major Bennet Marco and he'll say that Sgt. Raymond Shaw is a hero worthy of the Medal Of Honor. But despite what he says, Marco suspects otherwise. A bizarre, recurring nightmare gives him teh uneasy feeling that Shaw is something far less heroic and far more insidious. Is it possible that Shaw is a traitor? Can Marco convince the Army of his suspicions? How does Shaw's powermad mother figure into all this? So many questions. So precious little time.... Storyline: Major Ben Marco is an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army. He served valiantly as a captain in the Korean war and his Sergeant, Raymond Shaw, even won the Medal of Honor. Marco has a major problem however: he has a recurring nightmare, one where two members of his squad are killed by Shaw. He's put on indefinite sick leave and visits Shaw in New York. Shaw for his part has established himself well, despite the misgivings of his domineering mother, Mrs. Eleanor Shaw Iselin. She is a red-baiter, accusing anyone who disagrees with her right-wing reactionary views of being a Communist. Raymond hates her, not only for how she's treated him but equally because of his step-father, the ineffectual U.S. Senator John Iselin, who is intent on seeking higher office. When Marco learns that others in his Korean War unit have nightmares similar to his own, he realizes that something happened to all of them in Korea and that Raymond Shaw is the focal point. Written by garykmcd Cast Notes: Frank Sinatra (Bennett Marco), Laurence Harvey (Raymond Shaw), Janet Leigh (Rosie Chaney), Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Iselin), Henry Silva (Chunjin), James Gregory [I] (Senator John Iselin), Leslie Parrish (Jocie Jordon), John McGiver [I] (Senator Thomas Jordon), Khigh Dhiegh (Dr. Yen Lo), James Edwards [I] (Corporal Alvin Melvin), Douglas Henderson (Colonel), Albert Paulsen (Zilkov), Barry Kelley (Secretary of Defense), Lloyd Corrigan (Holborn Gaines), Madame Spivy (Female Berezovo [Nightmare]). User Comment: teren from Chicago, USA, 20 August 2001 • John Frankenheimer's surrealistic direction and George Axelrod's adaptation of the 1959 book by the same name offer Laurence Harvey a career defining role. Set in 1950's, A Korean War veteran Raymond Shaw(Harvey) returns home to a medal of honor for rescuing his POW platoon from behind Chinese lines and back to safety. One of the returning soldiers, (played effectively by Frank Sinatra) however, has recurring dreams of his platoon being brainwashed and Shaw committing acts of murder. He eventually convinces army brass that Shaw is still a puppet of his Communist-Marxist operators. Angela Lansbury, (although barely a few years older than Harvey was at the time) plays his mother in a tour de force role. She absolutely captivates and steals every scene she is in, playing a very complex role that needs to convince the viewer of many things without much dialogue. There's a rich cast of characters, including Janet Leigh, Henry Silva, James Edwards, and a painfully accurate James Gregory. Each character weaves through the methodical subplots and tapestry of Frankenheimer's masterful "Hitchcockian" pace. I won't give away the plot, but dear readers, allow me to sat that this one is really worth watching--until the nail-biting and chilling conclusion. There are many undertones in this film -- political, sexual, class and power, and social. You will want to view this film several times to approach it from different perspectives. Summary: A political and social thriller/drama ahead of its time. User Comment: Edi Garcia New Jersey • Manchurian Candidate is, quite simply, the best political thriller of all time. I can't think of another that keeps me on the edge of my seat, even on the tenth viewing. The incredible script, Angela Lansbury's Dearest Mommy, the effective use of black & white film for a movie about issues that were anything but black & white--I could go on and on. I know that most people rave about Ms. Lansbury above all the other cast members, but--for me--Frank Sinatra wins the prize hands down. His disbelief, and then his disillusionment, and then his despair are perfectly portrayed. There were really two Sinatras, the singer AND the great actor. In watching The Manchurian Candidate again and again, I never cease to be amazed at its prescient theme, the danger of the combination of fanaticism and patriotic fervor. Goldwater's famous quote comes to mind, "Extremism in the defense of virtue is no vice". In my opinion, this film just gets better with age. Summary: Belongs in Top 50 Dramas IMDb Rating (08/31/13): 8.1/10 from 50,975 users Top 250: #206 IMDb Rating (10/15/07): 8.3/10 from 23,263 users Top 250: #88 IMDb Rating (08/20/01): 8.4/10 from 5,414 users Top 250: #60
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