The Manchurian Candidate

"When you've seen it all, you'll swear there's never been anything like it!"

1962 2h 6m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 843

ThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Near the end of the Korean War, a platoon of U.S. soldiers is captured by communists and brainwashed. Following the war, the platoon is returned home, and Sergeant Raymond Shaw is lauded as a hero by the rest of his platoon. However, the platoon commander, Captain Bennett Marco, finds himself plagued by strange nightmares and soon races to uncover a terrible plot.

“When you've seen it all, you'll swear there's never been anything like it!”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Frank Sinatra
Capt./Maj. Bennett Marco
Laurence Harvey
Raymond Shaw
Angela Lansbury
Mrs. Iselin
Janet Leigh
Eugenie Rose Chaney
James Gregory
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin
Henry Silva
Chunjin
Leslie Parrish
Jocelyn Jordan
John McGiver
Sen. Thomas Jordan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Frankenheimer
Writers: George Axelrod
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

64 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Frankenheimer, shot by Lionel Lindon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Amram. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ferris Webster shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey and Angela Lansbury carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When you've seen it all, you'll swear there's never been anything like it!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Frankenheimer directs. Lionel Lindon behind the camera. David Amram scores. Ferris Webster cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.
364 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by John Frankenheimer, shot by Lionel Lindon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by David Amram. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ferris Webster shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey and Angela Lansbury carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "When you've seen it all, you'll swear there's never been anything like it!".
9IMDB entry: tt0056218 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "cold war", "korean war (1950-53)", "stepparents", "conspiracy".
11Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lionel Lindon
Original score: David Amram
Editing: Ferris Webster
Production design: Richard Sylbert
Costume design: Moss Mabry
Makeup / hair: Mary Westmoreland
Stunt coordinator: Gordon Doversola
Runtime: 126 min · 2h 6m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,200,000
Box office: $7,700,000
Return: 350% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

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John Frankenheimer

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-11-19
★ 8/10
An outstandingly (and Golden Globe winning) vile performance from Angela Lansbury - well and truly putting her silly old maid roles to one side, makes a magnificent contribution to one of the most thought-provoking thrillers ever to come out of 1960s Hollywood. Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey return from the Korean War - the latter to great acclaim, winning the Medal of Honour. Both suffer from terrible nightmares and when Sinatra discovers that other survivors from their unit are also suffering; and that somehow Harvey is the fulcrum of it all we descend into an abyss of manipulation, brain "dry-cleaning", mind-control and red-bashing that is really quite unsettling - and entirely plausible. Janet Leigh, James Gregory and a truly malevolent Khigh Dhiegh as "Dr. Yen Lo" all gel well to create a masterpiece of tension and threat with the tightly shot direction; subtle use of light and music and a truly gripping dialogue contributing to a truly menacing adaptation of Richard Condon's visionary novel. A must see...

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