The Classics Corner: "The Manchurian Candidate"

Release year: 1962

The players: Director: John Frankenheimer, Writers: Richard Condon, George Axelrod, Cast: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury, Janet Leigh

The plot: An American war hero is brainwashed by Communists, who plan to use him as their pawn to overthrow the American government.

Modern thoughts on a classic movie: A gripping story with outstanding performances makes this classic intriguing to a modern viewer. The plot alone is captivating and thought-provoking. Using no pseudotechnological inventions, the film allows its audience to believe that mere hypnosis can change a man into a deadly assassin - a great task it achieves convincingly. The action and tension mount throughout the film until the climatic ending leaves the viewer simply stunned and saddened.

The amazing performances of the key players help guide the story and action through even the bumpiest parts of the film. Laurence Harvey’s portrayal of Raymond Shaw, the brainwashed soldier being used for a diabolical Communist agenda, transcends from sublimely subtle to excruciatingly intense as the conspiracy and action unfold. Frank Sinatra plays Bennett Marco, Shaw’s captain in the Korean War, who was also taken hostage and brainwashed with false memories of what took place. Marco attempts to bring the truth to Shaw throughout the movie, hoping he will thwart the Communists’ plan.

Sinatra also turns in an exceptional performance, though the character of Marco lacks much depth. However, Angela Lansbury as Eleanor Iselin, Shaw’s overbearing and highly influential mother, is bone-chilling. Though on the surface Mrs. Iselin is an obnoxious and pushy senator’s wife, underneath it all she wields more power than any man in the film, and Lansbury embodies this quality flawlessly.

Unfortunately, there are unpleasant elements to “The Manchurian Candidate.” The film has a slight tendency to drag in places, which can make a two-hour film feel longer than it should. And Janet Leigh’s character Rosie, a love interest for Marco, seemed nothing short of superfluous. Though Leigh’s performance is excellent, the character serves virtually no purpose. And it’s a bit laughable that all-American war hero Raymond Shaw would have such a noticeable British accent.

The final word: Wrought with taut tension and mystery, this original version of “The Manchurian Candidate” is far superior to its drab 2004 remake, even for a jaded modern viewer.