Presents
GlenVIEWINGS:MoviesWithAMotive
TheManchurianCandidate
Hisbrainhasnotonlybeenwashed,astheysay...Ithasbeendrycleaned."Dr.YenLo
Theterm'brainwashing'enteredtheEnglish
languagewiththeKoreanWar,atranslationofthe
Chinesewordhsinao,whichmeanscleansingofthe
mind."DuringtheColdWaritbecameafascination
andafearformany,despitethelackofproofthat
mindcontrolwaspossible.RichardCondons1959
novelTheManchurianCandidateexploitedthis
panic,andJohnFrankenheimers1962filmcemented
theterminthepopularvernacular.
ReleasedattheheightoftheCubanmissilecrisisand
inthewakeoftheMcCarthyeraCommunist'witch
hunts',theoriginalfilmisadarklycynicalsatirethat
juxtaposeseccentrichumorwithdeepparanoia.
Director: Thefilmitselfcannotbetrustedtoalwaystellthe
JohnFrankenheimer wholetruth;theaudienceiskeptoffbalanceby
Producers: unusualcameraangles,unexplainedeventsand
JohnFrankenheimer strangedialoguethatmayornotbesecretcode.Red
GeorgeAxelrod
herringsandsurrealnightmaresaddtotheconfusion,
Writers:
GeorgeAxelrod andinthebrainwashedRaymondShawthefilm
RichardCondon(novel) presentsan"impossibletolike"antiherowhose
Starring: thoughtsandactionsaremostlyinscrutable.Having
FrankSinatra thisunconsciousassassinastheleadcharacter
LaurenceHarvey createsavacuumatthefilm'sheartthatsucksin
JanetLeigh manydifferentstrandsofmysteryandintrigue.
AngelaLansbury
Music: Oneofcinema'sclassicpsychologicalthrillers,the
DavidAmram implausibilityoftheplotactuallyaddstotheviewers
Cinematography: enjoyment.Ourmindmightbemomentarilytroubled
LionelLindon bywhatwesee,butaslongasourpulseisracing,our
Editor: conscienceremainsclear.
FerrisWebster
Distributor: Didyouknow?
UnitedArtists ThefilmwasprohibitedinmanyCommuniststatesuntilthe
Releasedate: falloftheSovietUnionin1993.
24October1962 ScreenwriterGeorgeAxelrodalsowrotethescriptsforThe
Runningtime: SevenYearItchandBreakfastatTiffanys.
126minutes AngelaLansburywas36yearsoldatthetimeoffilming
Budget only3yearsolderthanLaurenceHarvey,whoplaysherson.
US$1million FrankSinatrabrokehishandonatableduringthefilms
BoxOfficegross karatefight.Heneverhadtheinjuryproperlytreatedandit
healedincorrectly,causinghimpermanentdiscomfort.
$4,180,630(US)
Myth:Theoriginalfilmwastakenoutofcirculationafter
JFK'sassassinationin1963.Actually,thefilmwasshownon
TVtwicein1965,thoughitdiddisappearfromviewinthe1970'swhenFrankSinatraowned
therights,untilbeingrereleasedin1988.
Presents
GlenVIEWINGS:MoviesWithAMotive
TheManchurianCandidate
Theassassinalwaysdies,baby.It'snecessaryforthenationalhealing."EleanorShaw
JonathanDemmes2004remakeofTheManchurian
Candidateeschewsmuchofthehumorand
surrealismthatlightenedthe1962filminorderto
emphasizeitssombervisionofthecorruptionof
Americanpolitics.
Theeventsheretakeplaceinthewakeofthefirst
GulfWar,withanevilcorporationreplacingthe
originalsCommunistvillains.However,amore
importantcontextisthefilm'sreleaseontheeveof
the2004Presidentialelection,andinthewakeofthe
controversial2000electionandtheEnronscandal.
Uponrelease,bothsidesofthepoliticalspectrum
attackedthefilmforsupposedlyendorsingthe
Director: viewpointsoftheother,perhapsconfusedbythe
JonathanDemme filmssavvyscramblingofstereotypesand
Producer: conventionalallegiances.
ScottRudin
Writers: ExploitingthenotionthatAmerica'sworstthreatmay
DanielPyne liewithin,thefilmsbiggestchangefromtheoriginal
DeanGeorgaris istoputRaymondandEleanorShawswarped
Starring:
mothersonrelationshipevenmoreovertlyatthe
DenzelWashington
MerylStreep heartofthepoliticalfirmament.
LievSchrieber
JonVoight Thenewfilmsoverarchingmessagesuggeststhatin
Music: post9/11Americafearandconstantsurveillanceare
RachelPortman nowbuiltintotheveryfabricoftheAmericanstate,
Cinematography: andthereislittlesolaceleftinservingmother,God
TakFujimoto andcountry.
Editor:
CarolLittleton Didyouknow?
CraigMcKay ManycriticsthoughtthatMerylStreepbasedherportrayal
Distributor: onHillaryClinton.Butsheclaimedthatitwasbasedon
ParamountPictures "PeggyNoonan,KarenHughes...it'shardtogetmore
hyperbolicthanthat."
Releasedate:
IfthelettersinNoyle'slastnamearerearranged,theyspell
30July2004 YenLo,thenameoftheChinesecharacterinthesamerole
Runningtime: inthe1962film.
130minutes Topromotethefilm,Paramountsetupawebsitethat
Budget appearedtobelongtothe(fictional)ManchurianGlobal
US$80million Corporationdepictedinthemovie.Thecorporationwebsite
BoxOfficegross gavenoexplicitindicationofitsconnectiontothefilm.
$65,955,630(US) OnthewallofSenatorJordan'sofficeisaposterforthe
$30,150,334(foreign) VietnamPOW/MIA"Youarenotforgotten"campaign.Sen.
JohnMcCainwasfamouslythevictimofasmearcampaign
bythisgroupduringthe2000electionthatclaimedhehadbeenbrainwashedwhileaPOW
inVietnam.
Presents
GlenVIEWINGS:MoviesWithAMotive
TheManchurianCandidate
There'sapartthattheycan'tgetto.Andit'sdeepinsideofus.Andthat'swherethetruthis.
CaptainBenMarco(2004)
Thingstothinkabout:
Dothesurrealelementsofthefilmcontributeordetractfromthe
plausibilityoftheplot?Howdotheyaffectyourenjoymentofthefilm?
IsthefilmoptimisticorpessimisticaboutthestateofAmericanpolitics?
WhatdoyoumakeoftherelationshipbetweenRaymondShawandhis
mother?
HowresponsibleisCaptainMarcoforwhathappenstoRaymondShaw?
WhatisyourtakeonthestrangedialogueexchangebetweenRosie(Janet
Leigh/KimberlyElise)andCaptainMarco(FrankSinatra/Denzel
Washington)intheirfirstscenetogether?
Whatlessonsdoesthefilmhavetoofferusabouttodayspolitics?
Topicsfordiscussion:
Brainwashing
Paranoia
PowerofIdeology
Corruption
Dreamsandnightmares
Incest
Presents
GlenVIEWINGS:MoviesWithAMotive
TheManchurianCandidate
Whydon'tyoupassthetimewithagameofsolitaire?"Mrs.Iselin
LibraryResources
1)TheManchurianCandidate,RichardCondon.The1959novel.Includesanew
introductionbyPulitzerPrizewinningauthorLouisMenand.
Copy Material Location
PBRFICTIONCONDON,R. 1Book PaperbackFiction
2)MovieClassics,MarcPerlman.Featuresananalysisoftheoriginalfilms
contextincinemahistory.
Copy Material Location
j791.4375PER 1Book YouthNonfiction
3)HidinginPlainSight:EssaysinCriticismandAutobiography.Editedby
WendyLesser.ContainsasociopoliticalanalysisofthefilmbyGreilMarcus.
Copy Material Location
700.1HID 1Book Nonfiction
4)TheManchurianCandidate(2004)[videorecording(DVD)].
Justincaseyouwanttoseeitagain!
Copy Material Location
DVDMAN 1DVD,Fiction AudioVisual
5)TheManchurianCandidate(1962)[videorecording(DVD)].
Justincaseyouwanttoseeitagain!
Copy Material Location
DVDMAN 1DVD,Fiction AudioVisual
Presents
GlenVIEWINGS:MoviesWithAMotive
TheManchurianCandidate
"RaymondShawisthekindest,bravest,warmest,mostwonderfulhumanbeingI'veever
knowninmylife."CaptainBenMarco(1962)
OnlineResources
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/features/?id=1416&p=.htm
Containssomeinterestingcomparisonsofthetwofilmversions.
http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/manchurian.asp
Athoroughdebunkingofthemyththattheoriginalfilmwaspulledfrom
distributionduetotheassassinationofJFK.
http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/column/index.cfm?columnID=8477
Anattempttojudgewhichisbest:thebook,the1962film,ortheremake?
http://www.filmsite.org/manc.html
Adetailedreviewandsynopsisofthe1962film.
http://www.manchuriancandidate.com
Theofficialwebsiteforthe2004remake
http://www.davidamram.com/manchurian.html
DetailednotesoncomposerDavidAmramsprogressivescoreforthe1962film
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/09/15/030915crat_atlarge?current
Page=all
LouisMenand'scriticalreappraisalofRichardCondon'soriginalnovelincludes
goodbackgroundwhetherornotLeeHarveyOswaldmightpossiblyhaveseen
thefilmbeforeassassinatingJFK.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E5DE103AF933A15754C
0A9629C8B63
AremarkableimaginingofAnArabianCandidatewrittentheweekbeforethe
2004filmsreleasebyPaulKlugmanthatindicatesthepoliticalclimateinto
whichDemmesfilmwasreleased.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2004/oct/30/featuresreviews.guardianrevie
w16
FilmcriticJ.Hobermandissectsthe2004politicalargumentsoverthefilm
