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The Manchurian Candidate |
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Unrated, B&W, 126 minutes, 1962 Director - John Frankenheimer, Writers - Richard Condon (novel), George Axelrod (screenplay), Starring - Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh (Jamie Leigh Curtis's Mom), Angela Lansbury, James Gregory, Leslie Parish, Henry Silva. |
Bonesaw thinks
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The Manchurian Candidate was pulled from release & buried for 25 years after President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963. Rumor has it that JFK's favorite book was Richard Condon's novel of the same name, which was adapted for the screen by George Axelrod. Frank Sinatra co-owned the rights to Manchurian Candidate and was so distraught after it was shelved that he reportedly tried to get JFK (his friend) to influence United Artists chairman Arthur Krim to get the movie made. Kennedy is said to have told Krim that "Candidate" would "make a good thriller." When you rent this video, it should have an interview with John Frankenheimer, George Axelrod and Frank Sinatra at the end. The Manchurian Candidate was never shown on TV or home video until it's re-release in 1987. Quotes & Stuff [A general greets Medal of Honor winner Staff Sgt. Raymond Shaw on his return to the U.S.] Raymond Shaw: It's a terrible thing to hate your mother. But I didn't always hate her. When I was a child, I only kind of disliked her. Raymond Shaw: Twelve days of Christmas! One day of Christmas is loathsome enough! One scene was filmed at the Bar and Grill that Frank Sinatra's friend Jilly Rizzo owned in New York City. CAMEO (Jilly Rizzo): bartender. Frank Sinatra broke one of his fingers in the fight sequence with Henry Silva. Angela Lansbury plays the lead character's mother, even though she is only three years older than him. All the members of the platoon in Korea are named after cast and crew of the TV show "You'll Never Get Rich." It took a full week to film the opening scene. Director John Frankenheimer rushed a rough edit of the sequence to Sinatra, then decided to keep the cut in the final movie unchanged. |
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I'm not gonna tell you much of anything about this film because I want you to discover it just the way I did, with awe & surprise. Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey star in this 1962 smart, political thriller and black comedy. I will tell you this; one of the opening scenes, "The Garden Club Scene", goes down in MY history as one of the most twisted realizations I've ever had the displeasure to discover. Another scene actually made me nauseous the first time I saw it & to this day, still does. You want monsters? You think things that go bump in the night are evil? You afraid of what lurks under your bed or inside your closet? HA I say! Get ready for Angela Lansbury. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her frightening, Satan-Mom performance.