Review of The Manchurian Candidate (1962) by Filipeneto — 16 Jan 2022

This is one of the great political drama and suspense films of the 60s, a film that essentially addresses the subversive communist threat on American soil, a topic that was at the top of American concerns at the time. In fact, the film was even withdrawn from circulation after the assassination of President Kennedy, which shows us how plausible it could be, for the people, the idea that the communists had killed the president. Of course, such a film was never authorized on Soviet soil, and it was only shown in Russia after 1991.

The script is based on how a platoon of American soldiers was captured by communist forces during the Korean War. This platoon comprised Major Ben Marco and Sergeant Raymond Shaw, among other soldiers. After the war, Shaw is decorated as a hero for allegedly saving his comrades. However, Marco and other survivors are haunted by a recurring nightmare, where they see Shaw, under hypnosis, killing captured American soldiers, and several of his companions being brainwashed. Given these facts, Marco begins to suspect that something really dark has happened in Korea and Shaw is not as innocent as he may seem.

The best thing about this movie is, really, its complex and appealing plot, and all the mystery that goes around involving what happened to the soldiers. Topics such as hypnosis, behavioral control, subversive warfare, paranoia and the corruption of power are discussed. Expertly directed by John Frankenheimer, the film is good in many ways, though not perfect. For example, I felt the pacing is uneven, being too slow in its first half...in fact, the first half of the movie is grueling, with an exaggeration in the introductory effort that gets us bored before things really heat up and get interesting. I think the movie would have gained with a cut of about thirty minutes on the editing table. The dialogue isn't particularly well written either, and there are a lot of scenes where I feel like the movie is just wasting our time. Romantic subplots aren't particularly happy either.

The great singer and actor Frank Sinatra confidently holds one of the main roles in the film, and it's really fascinating to see him here, as most people only know him from his songs. This is, by the way, his great contribution to the seventh art, being considered his most important and memorable acting work. Laurence Harvey brought Shaw to life in an intelligent and charismatic way. The film also gives us the impeccable Angela Lansbury, in an exceptional dramatic interpretation of an excessively controlling and rude mother.

Technically, the film has some great value points, especially when it comes to cinematography, which seeks to express the latent paranoia in some characters with tighter shooting angles and framing and well-defined close-ups that give different moments in the film a feeling claustrophobic. The sets and costumes also seem to be fine, and the soundtrack is tolerable.