Review of The Manchurian Candidate (1962) by Harry W — 21 Apr 2014

Under the immense recommendation from my stepfather to watch The Manchurian Candidate since he was a massive fan of Frank Sinatra, I couldn't pass it up.

The Manchurian Candidate is clearly a dated film which has its impact being more notorious upon its original release in 1962 due to its prescient nature at the time which made it a cultural landmark. By today, it's impact has become lesser yet still remains a classic political thriller.

The Manchurian Candidate touches upon a lot of sensitive themes for its 1962 setting which makes it rather prescient considering the nature of what came next for America in the world that it faced. And while it's pacing is rather slow for a while, The Manchurian Candidate takes such a complex look into politics and it is handled really well by director John Frankenheimer. He not only gives the film a strong visual style, but he ensures that the themes in the story are played to full effect as the thrills gradually begin to unravel themselves on a path to the grand finale.

The ending scene is one of the most brutally thrilling scenes in political thriller history, and it serves as an outlet for the extensive intense buildup that The Manchurian Candidate has spent the majority of its 126 minute running time leading up to. It's a brutal grand finale which gives The Manchurian Candidate the shock that it has become legendary for its brutal intensity and impact on the viewer.

Really, The Manchurian Candidate can be looked at today for what it covered in its own age and for touching on the sensitive themes of the Cold War, brainwashing and political manipulation. And it does it through George Axelrod's screenplay adaptation of the eponymous 1959 novel by Richard Condon. Although several plot elements are removed due to the censorship of film elements during the 1962, it still maintains much of the original political drama which makes it a standout thriller.

While viewers today may consider it long, slow and familiar, The Manchurian Canditate is still a thrilling and educational film which evokes memories to a complicated time period by emphasising many of the extreme elements from the period.

And as a medium for expressing a lot of the underlaying themes in a more understandable and compelling manner, the themes are written into characters which are acted out terrifically by the immensely talented cast.

Frank Sinatra's lead performance is strengthened by his natural talent for dramatic line delivery and intense facial gestures in The Manchurian Candidate. His performance is key to the thrilling atmosphere since he is always in an unsettling emotional state of mind, and it reflects the damaging experiences he has faced and his return to a world he doesn't understand. Frank Sinatra nails the lead role head on in The Manchurian Candidate, and he carries it all to the end.

Laurence Harvey gives an intense performance in The Manchurian Candidate which can obviously be deemed as one of the best of his career. It's never easy to tell what he's going to do next because his ability as an actor to be able to instantly flip his characterisation from a man in a stable state of mind to a thoughtless messenger boy happens as quickly as the flick of a lightswitch. The strength he puts into his role makes his character compelling, and it's a performance I deem worthy of an Academy Award nomination.

And it is no surprise whatsoever that Angela Lansbury scored a nomination, because she is the perfect person to portray Mrs. Iselin, the real master of the double life. Of all the twisted and complicated characters in the film, it is Mrs. Iselin who is the most packed with surprises. It's so unexpected, and thanks to the power in Angela Lansbury's performance, the incredible twists and turns are all believable. Angela Lansbury gives one of the finest performances of her career in The Manchurian Candidate, and her chemistry with her surrounding actors is strong.

Janet Leigh is also a strong and beautiful presence, as her smile brightens up the life of the film and her chemistry with Laurence Harvey has a lot of love and life in it which makes both characters all the more compelling in spirit.

So The Manchurian Candidate is a classic example of a political thriller, and the effect of its climax and the meaningful efforts of its actors overshadow its pacing and length.