The Manchurian Candidate (Special Edition)

Starring:Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury, Henry Silva, James Gregory, Leslie Parrish, John McGiver, Khigh Dhiegh, James Edwards, Douglas Henderson, Albert Paulsen, Barry Kelley, Lloyd Corrigan, Madame Spivy, Ray Spiker, Reggie Nalder, Ray Dailey, Evelyn Byrd, Paul Frees
Director: John Frankenheimer
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

You will never find a more chillingly suspenseful, perversely funny, or viciously satirical political thriller than The Manchurian Candidate, based on the novel by Richard Condon (author of Winter Kills). The film, withheld from distribution by star Frank Sinatra for almost a quarter century after President Kennedy's assassination, has lost none of its potency over time. Former infantryman Bennet Marco (Sinatra) is haunted by nightmares about his platoon having been captured and brainwashed in Korea. The indecipherable dreams seem to center on Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), a decorated war hero but a cold fish of a man whose own mother (Angela Lansbury, in one of the all-time great dragon-lady roles) describes him as looking like his head is "always about to come to a point." Mrs. Bates has nothing on Lansbury's character, the manipulative queen behind her second husband, Senator John Iselin (James Gregory), a notoriously McCarthyesque demagogue. --Jim Emerson

Description

Eerie, shocking, daring, thrilling and mesmerizing, The Manchurian Candidate will leave youbreathless (People)! Featuring an all-star cast, including Angela Lansbury in an OscarÂ(r)-nominated performance, this chilling and controversial (Leonard Maltin) film may be the most sophisticated political satire ever made (Pauline Kael). When a platoon of Korean War G.I.s iscaptured, they somehow end up at a ladies garden club party. Or do they? Major Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra) can't remember. As he searches for the answer, he discovers threads of a diabolical plot orchestrated by the utterly ruthless Mrs. Iselin (Lansbury) and involving her war hero son (LaurenceHarvey), her senator husband (James Gregory) and a secret cabal of enemy leaders.

Customer Reviews:

Commies in Congress.......2007-05-23

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962) still has the power to stun us, to fascinate us, and to raise our ire when we recall the 50's as the pervue of Senator Joseph McCarthy. John Frankenheimer was one of the first directors to take on McCarthy. James Gregory as Sen. John Iselin was a standout both as a dupe and a would-be demagogue. Gregory, a good luck charm for Frankenheimer, who used him often, was able to adlib more than half his lines giving a bravura performance.

The director and his friend George Axelrod bought the rights to the Richard Condon novel, but were having difficulty finding backing for the film. Enter Frank Sinatra who was very interested in playing Capt. Marko, and the project immediately found funding. Sinatra wanted Lucille Ball to play Mrs. Iselin, but Frankenheimer had just worked with Angela Lansbury in ALL FALL DOWN, and he had great faith in her. She certainly did an excellent portrayal, one of the very best in her career. Even Meryl Streep playing the part in the recent remake paled in Lansbury's shadow. As the mole, the real Communist operative, she was part black widow, part seductress, and part assassin -giving us a glimpse of what a real zealot is capable of; something we are immersed in today in the Middle East. Frankenheimer said that in that last scene where the mother is giving Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) his final assignment, and she begins kissing him passionately, he could only take the scene part ways; because in the novel the mother slept with her son to seal the bargain.

Sinatra seemed to do best on the first take, a situation Frankenheimer was very aware of. His acting in this film was excellent, finding just the right notes for the frustration of reacting to his "brainwashing", and finding the courage to confront Raymond Shaw, the bogus Medal of Honor winner. Janet Leigh was effective in her underwritten part -a part expanded to be an FBI agent in the interesting remake. Laurence Harvey was picked specifically for Shaw precisely because he could project being "unlikable". I did not like his attempt at an American accent, but then I have never been much of a Harvey fan. His transitions after his hasty marriage seemed forced and inept for me. John McGiver in a rare dramatic role was very good, leaving us with a strong impression of a principled, brave, and steadfast senator. Leslie Parrish as his daughter, Jocelyn, look great in her black strapless bra, but brought very little else to the part. Khigh Dheigh found in his character, Dr. Yen Lo, a signature part for his career. He is not actually oriental, and he found himself playing them for the remainder of his career. Henry Silva, a penetrating and intense actor (who can forget him in the last scene of VIVA ZAPATA (1952)?), also created a character in his Chunjin that we will not soon forget. His karate fight with Marko was one of the first of that type on film, and he and Sinatra rehearsed it for weeks before they shot it.

Frankenheimer shot the film in 41 days, with the minimum of location shooting. Some of the backdrop and stock footage looks a bit pedestrian today, but it worked well in 1962. He used his stable of actor friends to good use, folks like James Gregory, John McGiver, Albert Paulson, Whit Bissell, Douglas Henderson, Barry Kelley, and Lloyd Corrigan. It is a film that runnith over with excellent performances, and taunt and sparse and delivered like punches to the gut.

Chilling !!!.......2007-04-05

By far one of the best Cold War psychological dramas ever made. The fact that this was made before the era of CG graphics,shaky cam effects and ear-splitting soundtracks for effect only show how unnecessary they are when you have an excellent script,backed by an outstanding cast and great director who lets the story tell itself. The choice for Black & White enhances the suspense. Frank Sinatra gives a moving and powerful performance as he frantically tries to beat the clock in what is to be,unknown until the very end,the assassination of the presidential candidate, and the insertion of a puppet senator controlled(unknowingly) by Communists in his place.The idea of McCarthy era Communist hunts and brainwashing tactics,common to the era,gets the viewer involved right up to its conclusion. This is but a few of my favorite movies which I can enjoy time & time again as freshly as the first time. See it once and I think you'll agree!

A Classic Cold war Thriller.......2007-04-03

This is the original "The Manchurian Candidate", released in 1962 and very much derivative of the tensions of the Cold War. The Cold War context provides its suspenseful and haunting story with a logic denied the recent and convoluted remake starring Denzel Washington and Liev Schieber.

Frank Sinatra leads an outstanding cast as Major Marco Bennett, an Army officer recently returned from combat in Korea, who is troubled by strange dreams associated with a patrol for which Sergeant Raymond Shaw (played by Laurence Harvey) was awarded the Medal of Honor. Bennett, in search of his own peace of mind, makes contact with other survivors of the patrol and ultimately with Raymond Shaw himself. An encounter with Shaw's Korean houseboy triggers a memory of the patrol different from the account parroted by all the survivors. Bennett's relentless investigation of this anomaly slowly unravels a murderous plot involving Raymond's manipulative mother (played in an Oscar-nominated turn by Angela Lansbury), and insipid politician stepfather (played by veteran character actor James Gregory), and a group of shadowy Chinese military officers. Bennett will end up racing against time to defeat the plot, which has as its goal nothing less than a monstrous crime against the American Government.

Frank Sinatra has lots of help in this film. Janet Leigh plays a very understanding love interest. Laurence Harvey is superb as the lonely and tortured Raymond, manipulated by his enemies in ways he cannot fight and forced into horrific acts. Angela Lansbury gives a compelling performance completely at varience with her "Murder, She Wrote" personna. A kiss between Raymond and his mother may be one of the most chilling moments ever captured in an American movie.

The DVD provides a crisp black and white rendition of the movie, along with several interesting special features on the making of the movie.

This movie is highly recommended to those seeking a superb Cold War thriller featuring a collection of first-rate actors in an excellent story.

Great suspense thriller.......2007-03-30

If you like thrillers this movie is great. It seems a little dated now but the acting and characters are rich and the plot is interesting.

The Red Queen said, "Off with her head!".......2006-10-29

Widely considered one of the best and most influential films ever made, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE is a Cold War thriller released in 1962 (near the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis) that concerns a brainwashed assassin tasked to kill the President (shades of John F. Kennedy). The intense reality of this film led star Frank Sinatra (who plays Maj. Bennett Markoe) to pull the film from distribution for decades after Kennedy's shooting death in Dallas, 1963.

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE concerns Korean War Medal of Honor winner Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), the son of powerful politicians, whose bravery under fire saved most of his platoon. However, Markoe and several other men have been having odd dreams in which a ladies' garden club transmutes into a meeting of high-level Communists during which Captain Shaw kills two men upon their command. Markoe quickly becomes convinced that these dreams may be more real than anyone wants to admit.

Shaw, described as the "kindest, gentlest man" anybody ever met is in reality a one-dimensional stick of a man whose head "always seems about to come to a point" according to his own dragon lady mother (Angela Lansbury).

Lansbury is busy shoving her stupid red-baiting husband (James Gregory) toward the White House. Satirically, the McCarthyesque candidate has made his career denouncing Communists in the government---how many? Well, the ketchup bottle says "57", so that's an easy number to remember.

In the meantime, there are enemies to be neutralized, including Raymond's beloved employer who is a left-wing newspaper owner, his Senatorial liberal father-in-law (John McGiver), and his cute but overly influential wife Jocelyn (Leslie Parrish), all of whom end up dead.

After Jocelyn's death, the distraught Shaw seeks out Markoe, who discovers that Shaw himself is the killer, programmed to follow orders when shown a Queen of Diamonds (a little Alice in Wonderland, anyone?) from any card deck.

Finally becoming aware of his own brainwashing at the hands of the Red Chinese, Shaw takes revenge on the agents assigned to be his American Control Officers---who are none other than his staunch anti-Communist parents, the would-be President and First Lady.

A film truly frightening in its implications, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE is a film that should be required viewing for any American voter.

The Manchurian Candidate (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Not impressed
Nice Try, But Watch the Original First
Parrallel Political Intrigue
Forget Comparing to the Original; It's Like a New Take on the Theme
I have only SIX WORDS for this pitiful, woeful "remake" of a classic Frankenheimer flick

The Manchurian Candidate (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Jeffrey Wright , Pablo Schreiber , Anthony Mackie , Dorian Missick , and Jose Pablo Cantillo
Director: Jonathan Demme
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006210ZG
Release Date: 2004-12-21

Amazon.com

The Manchurian Candidate, a classic of paranoid cinema from the 1960s, gets a cunning update, rife with hot-topic references to corporate war profiteering and electronic voting machines. Major Ben Marco (Denzel Washington, Training Day) has been haunted by nightmares ever since a firefight during the first Gulf War--a battle in which he believes he was saved by the heroism of Sgt. Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber, Kate & Leopold). But Marco's nightmares suggest otherwise and drive him to investigate what happened, which may threaten Shaw's candidacy for vice-president. Meryl Streep plays Shaw's mother, a senior senator who manipulates everyone around her with an iron will and a sharp tongue. The Manchurian Candidate loses steam towards the end, but up until then director Jonathan Demme keeps the movie rolling fluidly, crafting some creepy paranoia of his own while Streep tears into everything in her path. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Serving together in the Persian Gulf War, Captain Bennett Marco and Sgt. Raymond Shaw were part of a platoon of soldiers kidnapped and brainwashed. Ten years later, Shaw gears up for his vice presidential campaign while Marco eventually remembers being kidnapped and discovers Shaw's powerful mother played a big part in that scheme. Determined to reveal the truth behind everything, Marco must first convince Shaw that the brainwashing really happened.

Customer Reviews:

Not impressed.......2007-06-08

This movie is about a mega-corporation with special talents in mind control and manipulation of memories, that decides to apply those talents to gain control of the White House. Their target is the photogenic son turned war hero of a prominent US Senator who fits the role of the perfect political candidate. By implanting mechanical devices in his brain, Manchurian Global is able to take control of the young man for whatever purpose they need.

The premise is intriguing, and I can see where it would be very appealing to some, especially the "black helicopter" crowd. But I think more could have been done with this. Compared to the original, it falls way short. Denzell Washington was brilliant as always, although this was not his best performance, and Meryl Streep was easy to despise in light of today's current political environment.

I was interested enough to watch the entire movie, but wouldn't watch it again. And if you haven't seen either one, I would recommend the original.

Nice Try, But Watch the Original First.......2007-05-03

Though it lacks the quiet dignity of the original, Jonathan Demme's talky update of "The Manchurian Candidate" manages to hit enough points to qualify as a watchable thriller. The story, of course, has been updated beyond its Cold War roots, meaning the communists aren't the villains anymore. (I won't tell you who they are, but aside from Nazis, who is a villain of convenience nowadays?) That also means that the plot is needlessly top heavy with details and machinations, turning a story that originally was chilling in its simplicity into something cumbersome, as well as more brooding than frightening.

Likable Denzel Washington steps into Frank Sinatra's venerable shoes as Ben Marco, the Army major unfortunate enough to have his squad turned into diabolical experiments in mind control. This time, he isn't suffering only from nightmares but from what seems the worst case of Gulf War Syndrome on record. Lacking the pathos of Lawrence Harvey, Liev Schreiber makes for a reptilian Raymond Shaw, the soldier at the center of what may be a fantastic assassination plot, only this time, he's a senator with designs on the White House. (This script jettisons the Johnny Iselin character, thus robbing the movie of some of the original's bitingly satirical moments; it also maddeningly reduces Shaw's near redemptive romance with a political opponent's daughter to an expository footnote and trades the functions of some characters.) But perhaps the biggest flaw is Meryl Streep's generally histrionic approach to the role of Raymond's mother. As acclaimed an actress as she is, Streep's portrayal seems a burlesque of Angela Lansbury's stunning foray into villainy.

Demme's direction is less taut than in "Silence of the Lambs" and showier but often less effective than John Frankenheimer's - oddly enough, some deleted scenes show a better grasp of the concept than what made it into the theatrical version. The original, an almost perfect film, remains the definitive version.

Parrallel Political Intrigue.......2007-04-03

While being accompanied by a member of the press during the Persian Gulf War, an army unit is ambushed. The men of the unit don't remember much of what happened after the attack but they all remember that they were saved because of the actions of Sgt. Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber). After the conflict, Shaw was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor by his commanding officer, Capt. Ben Marco (Denzel Washington). Shaw won the award and the recognition he received allowed him to successfully run for political office.

Years later Major Marco runs into another member of his unit, Al Melvin (Jeffrey Wright) from those days who questions Marco about what really happened in the desert and asks him if he ever has any dreams. Marco politely dismisses Melvin's accusations, but he knows he speaks the truth because he hasn't stopped having any dreams since he returned home and he spends his time off duty as a broken man. Melvin's meeting sets off a chain reaction with Marco's brain and he begins to remember things better. When he sees that Raymond Shaw has been nominated for a Vice Presidential nomination, he sets out to meet with Shaw and discover the truth. It's a journey down a rabbit hole more terrifying than anything Alice ever met: from mind altering implants beneath the skin, convenient murders, brainwashing, with an international corporation known as Manchurian Global trying to covertly take over the world.

When I first heard that Hollywood was going to remake THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, I was very skeptical. The original film has become a classic example of political intrigue. That film was made in the heyday of the Cold War and not only captured the hovering suspicion leftover from McCarthyism, but also portrayed the attempted assassination of a president, eerily foreshadowing what actually happened to President Kennedy just a few month later.

Two generations have passed since original THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and the geopolitical landscape of the world has changed drastically. Except for the overpopulated nation of China and a few small countries scattered around the globe, Communism no longer poses a threat to democracy. In its stead we are faced with a new type of conflict that has no national, political, and religious borders. This new conflict provides the opportunity for businesses to engage in legal international war profiteering, something that the world has never seen the likes of. It is against this backdrop that the new THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE is set warning not of sabotage from a foreign power, but of a secret and sublime internal takeover brought about by corporate greed.

I really enjoyed THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. The acting is top-notch with fine performances from all lead actors (Washington, Schreiber, and Meryl Streep as Eleanor Shaw give Oscar-worth performances) and most of the supporting cast. The script has been rewritten in such a way that it doesn't mess with the spirit of the original film and novel, but is able to add some new twists and present the troubling concept as a very real possibility more relevant than ever in our current political landscape. The film has a great plot, wonderful writing, and some very powerful artistic and directorial techniques that add to overall tone.

Of course, even if I believed otherwise I might not say it because even now they're watching you, you know.

The DVD includes a commentary with director Jonathan Demme and co-writer Daniel Pyne, a couple of featurettes, deleted and extended scenes, outtakes with optional commentary, and Liev Schreiber's screen test.

Forget Comparing to the Original; It's Like a New Take on the Theme.......2007-03-20

The original "Candidate" was a masterpiece, and an awfully creepy film, considering the subject matter.

I personally would not watch the original first and then this; I'd do it the other way around. This film loosely takes the idea from the first one and replaces the communism scare with a corporate conspiracy. Oh, it still works just fine, but in only a few scenes did I find myself comparing it back to the original one.

Meryl Streep absolutely chews the scenery in this film, playing a combination Hillary/Coulter/Matalin hybrid who suffocates her son (and sacrifices him, literally) because of her political "true believer" status. Her tirade directly at fellow party members who initially reject making her son the VP nominee is classic. It reminded me of Alec Baldwin chewing up his five minutes in "Glengarry Glen Ross."

The most fun in the movie is watching Liev Schreiber start to unravel as he realizes what they remember from the Gulf War is not what it seemed, as is an early scene where a fellow vet confronts Denzel's character after a rah-rah speech to boy scouts about his Kuwait exploits. They don't waste much time here before letting you know something is really wrong.

Jonathan Demme directs and he uses his "Silence of the Lambs" technique of extreme facial closeups to great, disorienting effect. It's pretty freaky, quite often.

They update the original in that the "trigger" isn't a visual one but a verbal one, which I thought was a nice touch.

On repeated viewings, you'll catch some things you didn't notice before going on in the background and some "Did I just see...?" cameos, most notably by the one and only Robyn Hitchcock. And I swear, in one scene in the background, a guy who either is or really looks like Barry White is playing a security agent.

One last highlight is the completely over-the-top "convention" climax, when the two candidates come out to face the crowd. The "theatricality" and over-the-top absurdity of it all (a new Mt. Rushmore?!) probably seemed ridiculously funny a few years ago, but would probably be done irony-free these days.

Oh yeah, and you'll never look at Cup O' Noodles the same again after this.

This movie isn't just a thriller with elements of a modern MK-Ultra conspiracy but also a commentary on our current political system, whereas the original dealt more with the freaky thought of communist sleeper agents in our midst.

Highly recommended. Hey, it's Demme after all--it's hard to go wrong with this. If you liked the final explanation/twist about what happened in 'Nam in "Jacob's Ladder," this is right up your alley.

I have only SIX WORDS for this pitiful, woeful "remake" of a classic Frankenheimer flick.......2007-01-13

And what are those words?

Why, simply put they are:

"DENZEL WASHINGTON IS NO FRANK SINATRA"

Any questions? No, I didn't think so

The Manchurian Candidate (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Not impressed
Nice Try, But Watch the Original First
Parrallel Political Intrigue
Forget Comparing to the Original; It's Like a New Take on the Theme
I have only SIX WORDS for this pitiful, woeful "remake" of a classic Frankenheimer flick

The Manchurian Candidate (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Jeffrey Wright , Pablo Schreiber , Anthony Mackie , Dorian Missick , and Jose Pablo Cantillo
Director: Jonathan Demme
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0006210ZQ
Release Date: 2004-12-21

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

Not impressed.......2007-06-08

Nice Try, But Watch the Original First.......2007-05-03

Parrallel Political Intrigue.......2007-04-03

Forget Comparing to the Original; It's Like a New Take on the Theme.......2007-03-20

I have only SIX WORDS for this pitiful, woeful "remake" of a classic Frankenheimer flick.......2007-01-13

And what are those words?

Why, simply put they are:

"DENZEL WASHINGTON IS NO FRANK SINATRA"

Any questions? No, I didn't think so

Average customer rating:

A Brilliant, Scary Improvement on the Original Classic
The Original Was Just Fine
Riveting Remake of A Classic Movie
New Perspective on Axelrod's Original Script

The Manchurian Candidate [Blu-ray]
Starring: Miguel Ferrer , Bruno Ganz , Robyn Hitchcock , Ted Levine , and Simon McBurney
Director: Jonathan Demme
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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ASIN: B000K7UG2U
Release Date: 2007-01-23

Description

Academy Award® winners Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep, along with Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Liev Schreiber, mesmerize a whole new generation of audiences in Academy Award® winner Jonathan Demme's "The Manchurian Candidate." As the entire nation watches the presidential campaign hurtle towards Election Day, one soldier races to uncover the conspiracy behind it - a conspiracy that seeks to destroy democracy itself.

Customer Reviews:

A Brilliant, Scary Improvement on the Original Classic.......2006-11-28

This is that rare remake of a classic movie which actually improves on the original. Jonathan Demme, a moderately famous but greatly underrated directing talent, weaves an unnerving and spidery tapestry that chillingly illustrates the enigmatic and duplicitous times we live in. Like in the original 1964 version, a dangerously ambitious and maniacal political matroness, Senator Eleanor Shaw (Meryl Streep in another brilliant acting interpretation), suffering delusions of grandeur but no less determined, has embroiled her son, Raymond (Liev Schreiber), now a U.S. Congressman, in a vast conspiracy to seize the reigns of American power for a devious corporation. Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for saving his platoon during an ambush in the first Gulf War, Raymond's fellow soldiers have long had painful doubts about what it is that really happened. Raymond's former commanding officer Captain Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) tries to follow the Army's orders to continue his assigned public relations tours to promote Shaw as a war hero, but privately he is racked by a nagging recurrent dream of medical experimentations, torture and brainwashing. When confronted with his old platoon buddy's seemingly delusional notebook collages of their experiences and haunting memories, Marco finally cannot deny that something very strange and wrong transpired involving Raymond during the ambush. Marco sets out for New York to confront Raymond, who has been nominated as the Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate, and is befriended on the train by a mysterious woman who recognizes him from their neighborhood supermarket shopping. When Marco arrives in New York and meets Raymond, it may be too late for the truth to help, because most everyone is not really who they seem. It took the genius of Demme's vision to mimic the sheer paranoia and underlying terror that grips Americans today in our post-9/11 collective misery. The Manchurian Group corporation of the film, which has implanted its victims with mind-controlling chips in clandestine medical safe-rooms, is as powerful and connected as present real life global goliaths such as The Carlyle Group or Bechtel may in fact be, and Streep's portrayal of Eleanor Shaw resembles a cross between the equally terrifying Hillary Clinton, Lenora Fulani and Eva Braun. But it's also the subtler details of the screenplay and especially the art direction and photography which mark this film as a quality achievement. From Marco's obsession with trying to figure out his alter-nightmare dream life, to his neurotic need for Cup 'O Noodles soups, red tomatoes and No-Doze tablets, the film also achieves an accurate, hallucinatorily-realistic potrayal of how people in today's propaganda-saturated media landscape are reduced to acting as brainwashed automotons and circus spectators, cheering lustily for Hollywood socialist political creations such as Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama. The entire nation has been reduced to a mass of mindless, public-schooled political groupies on one side, loyally allegiant to the 'Great National Cause' of 'Democracy', and the disaffected, disillusioned loners on the other who see through the hypes and the con-jobs of the fascist march to power but must suffer alone, shunned, rejected, and socially exiled because of their insight and clear understanding of the incredible lies and dishonesty behind the establishment's veneer. After all that, Demme shows us in the end that reality itself, or what we thought reality was, may be just another illusion, and what we thnk we know about the truth may just be implantd by unknown puppet masters, or else airbrushed onto digital video discs. We're left alone on an island finally, and the endless war goes on. We're each just another casualty, but watching Demme's great 2004 version of The Manchurian Candidate, we're able to glimpse the terrible puzzle we're trapped in for the briefest instant, through a mirror darkly, before our pieces will get reshuffled.

The Original Was Just Fine.......2006-11-10

The Manchurian Candidate is not very good. To remake a classic is one thing but to distort what the original screenplay had intended (which this film is based on)does the original film a dis-service or perhaps not. This film can not make up its mind about what it wants to be or accomplish. It is long, protracted and not very entertaining. If anything it made me want to rush home and put on the original.

Riveting Remake of A Classic Movie.......2006-11-09

I have seen the original THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE since I saw this remake, but I must say this film was very different from anything I have seen before at the time. I found THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE to be an interesting movie but a little confusing and lethargic. I found it primarily interesting because of the enigmatic performance by Liev Schreiber as Sgt. Raymond Shaw. Denzel Washington as Major Marco, the main character looked dazed and confused throughout the entire film and was a rather static hero. However, Schreiber's performance managed to gain more sympathy. Raymond Shaw is the most tragic character in the film and Schreiber brilliantly underplayed this role. Playing a character that basically shows no emotion throughout the entire film Schreiber's performance full of little nuances here and there brings the catharsis of this tragic figure to an emotional finale. It is only then that it becomes apparent that Denzel Washington as Major Marco must live with his demons. This film is still riveting in its own way.

New Perspective on Axelrod's Original Script.......2006-11-09

1962's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury, Henry Silva, John McGiver, James Gregory and Leslie Parrish is a cinematic classic. It is a modern day tale of unspeakable psychological horrors. Frankenheimer's style of mixing tension and political cynicism span the gamut of dark humor to nail biting anxiety of the white-knuckle variety. Underneath it all Frankenheimer never loses sight of the cost of these transgressions and he subliminally reminds us of the human tragedy and loss caused by them, which is somewhat what this entire film seems to be about. 2004's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE is a bit of a conundrum and almost seems like a homage to Frankenheimer's classic. The script based on George Axelrod's original, which in turn was based on the novel by Richard Condon, is confusing and ethereal. Lost in this script is Frank Sinatra's original character of the dedicated and logically minded, yet intuitively driven, army officer Marco. Here Washington is a sympathetic and frustrated failure. Liev Schreiber's performance as the human pawn Raymond Shaw is much more successful but the viewer truly has to read between the lines when compared to Laurence Harvey's brilliant, poignant and tragic performance in the original. Meryl Streep's performance as Raymond Shaw's mother is laughable and is not anywhere near the stature of Angela Lansbury's penetrating performance in the original. 2004's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE's is a curiosity piece and may actually be making a statement about cinematic re-makes.

Average customer rating:

The Manchurian Candidate [HD DVD]
Starring: Miguel Ferrer , Bruno Ganz , Robyn Hitchcock , Ted Levine , and Simon McBurney
Director: Jonathan Demme
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000GW8VSU
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Description

The Assassination of JFK Jr. -Murder By Manchurian Candidate

Average customer rating:

The Truth Shall Set You Free, but Brace Yourself!
Another Very Disturbing Film.
Movie: JFK Jr. - (Number Sequences: 6, 3, 11
Sickening
A New Low -- Even For Conspiracists

The Assassination of JFK Jr. -Murder By Manchurian Candidate

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers
Orwell Rolls in His Grave

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Overwhelming, jaw-dropping evidence of foul play in the death of John Kennedy Jr., all based on official government documents:
the search of the crash site was delayed an incomprehensible 15 hours;
there was, indeed, a flight instructor on the plane, whose body is missing;
it is clear that someone one on that plane committed suicide, shutting off the fuel control valve before plunging the plane into the sea.
The prime suspect, George W. Bush, though very publicly running for president, disappeared the day of the murder and stayed missing for 3 days.

ASIN: 0977156702

Product Description

Overwhelming, jaw-dropping evidence of foul play in the death of John Kennedy Jr., all based on official government documents: the search of the crash site was delayed an incomprehensible 15 hours; there was, indeed, a flight instructor on the plane, whose body is missing; it is clear that someone one on that plane committed suicide, shutting off the fuel control valve before plunging the plane into the sea. The prime suspect, George W. Bush, though very publicly running for president, disappeared the day of the murder and stayed missing for 3 days. Members of the press, seeking his comments on the death of another presidents son, found that his staff could not say where Bush was, what he was doing or even when he would be back.

Customer Reviews:

The Truth Shall Set You Free, but Brace Yourself!.......2007-05-19

It is my pleasure to recommend the works of John Hankey: "JFK II: The Bush Connection" and "The Assassination of JFK Jr." My perspective in evaluating JFK II is as a Harvard-educated, National Board Certified social studies teacher with 23 years experience. From the approximately 100 media sources I use to teach high school US History, my students report that JFK II is among the top few for clarity, impact, and importance. I recommend that my students view "The Assassination of JFK Jr." on their own. I haven't taught it directly because while the information is accurate and powerful, the cognitive dissonance its viewing would cause among my colleagues and community between the reality of our government's actions and their ideals of American exceptionalism would probably be greater than my documentation of the facts could redress. I'll stick to what is easier to understand, such as a war of aggression in Iraq, false rhetoric for war in Iran, rendition and torture, the 2006 Military Commissions Act that allows the stripping of Constitutional rights of anyone called a "terrorist" by the Bush administration, the Valerie Plame incident, the Pentagon "losing" over $2 trillion, and the Alberto Gonzalez attorney firings. I've probably forgotten a dozen more impeachable offenses; it's so difficult to keep track of them all. That said, John Hankey has my highest praise for his contribution to our understanding of some of the most significant events in United States history. Both of his DVDs show incisive understanding of broad historical events, then communicate the essential elements through engaging media. Importantly, Hankey's information is documented from independently verifiable sources that demonstrate the professional scholarship we want all of our students to learn. This work resonates with intellectual strength, moral integrity, and courage to state the documented truth so boldly.

I encourage everyone to view this important documentary, including high school students. Please allow me a paragraph to provide academic support for your confidence in an assessment of these work's historical integrity: Social studies scholarship employs classical and conservative methods to deduce historical conclusions. The study of history is our best scholarly method to answer the questions of who did what, where, when, and what other facts can help us analyze the more subjective question of why. Historians use academic tools to discover the most compelling evidence, with the strongest being physical evidence that only and always obey the unbendable rules of science. Circumstantial evidence, and multiple and independent non-biased testimony are also crucial. Hankey's research appropriately uses these tools. The people who disagree have not examined the facts in this work, or will not provide a compelling argument against those facts. They will inevitably resort to ad hominem attacks, falsify the factual presentation of the work, or give the un-American response that we should blindly trust our government's explanations without question. If you encounter such individuals, please place the burden of proof upon them to explain how Hankey's information is inaccurate. You will discover they have no rational response.

The current President Bush led the spin for our war with Iraq, that we now know through declassified intelligence reports, congressional testimony, official documents such as from the Senate Committee on Intelligence and the 9/11 Commission, and other documented and corroborated sources that all of these claims were known by the Bush administration to be false at the time they were told to the American public. There are several books that document this information. I've read three, all of which I also recommend: Elizabeth de la Vega's U.S. V. Bush, Dave Lindorff and Barbara Olshansky's The Case for Impeachment, and the Dennis Loo and Peter Phillips' edited essays Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush and Cheney.

American history is a story of leaders who challenge viciousness with a compelling vision of virtue. The Founding Fathers did not blindly trust the British government, made tyranny visible against guaranteed rights of Americans, and fought for social and political justice. Civil Rights leaders made institutionalized racism visible and acted for the higher virtue of all people being created equal, each equally valued and valuable. JFK II makes visible the tyranny of government-supported assassination of a US President. JFK Jr. makes visible the murderous start of what we're all witnessing as the fascist soul of the Neo-con vision for our future. Invest in your education. Buy both of these DVDs and share them.

Another Very Disturbing Film........2007-01-25

Don't be put off by this film's shortcomings. Watch the whole thing.

To most people the title probably sounds preposterous. "Murder By Manchurian Candidate" indeed! And yet despite some, I think, intentionally silly and flippant comments and a few unsubstantiated charges, the great majority of which are quite peripheral to the topic at hand, this film does raise a very frightening possibility.

Personally I suspect the filmaker is really onto something terrible, that is unless he is a very big liar, which I somehow doubt. To be more certain that his claims are mostly true I would have to do some additional research on my own. I know the words in the second half of the title, "Murder by Manchurian Candidate," probably are quite off-putting to most people. Those people, however, should know that Sirhan, JFK's alleged assassin had no recollection of the murder he was accused and convicted of and that Sirhan said he never had anything against Kennedy. Sirhan was several feet away from Kennedy when he was shot, but L.A. County Coroner Thomas Nogouchi testified that the gun that killed JFK was fired from only one to three inches from the back of his head. The point being, "Manchurian Candidate" is not such an outlandish idea when one is aware those facts. (My source the excellent 5 DVD set entitled "Evidence of Revision." (...).)

It does look like JFK, Jr., his pregnant wife, and her sister were indeed murdered. The motives may have included JFK, Jr's. desire to continue the investigation of his father's murder and that he was a charismatic humanitarian, not the kind to play ball with the exceedingly dishonorable men who seem to flourish in public life these days.

Movie: JFK Jr. - (Number Sequences: 6, 3, 11 .......2007-01-09

Look up: 333, 666

Plane Number: N 529JK = totals: 5+1+9= 16
Upside Down Number 16 reads as: 19

He was: 19 Miles off Martha's Vineyard when plane went down.
Upside Down Number reads as: 16

It took 5 1/2 Hours of Helicoper Search to begin.
5+1+2 = 8 5 (1+2= 3)

John made contact to FFA Facility w/Tower at 9:39
9+3+9 = 21 and number 21 : is 2+1 = 3.
Upside down Number reads as: 6:36 separate: Number 6 contains 3+3 = 6
so you have a bunch of 3,3,3,3,3 sequence numbers.

Ted Kennedy in Movie was mentioned of being informed at 3:00 in the morning. Again you see the number 3 metioned.

On the Report Bullet Page number 3.8 - FUEL OFF BUTTON
Total: 3.8 = 11 (number 3 mentioned again) (number 11 totaled)

Movie says Pentagon breaking news time was at 1:55 total this you get
1+5+5 = 11 (number 11 mentioned)

Movie says Hour of Delay of Search was 15 1/2 Hours
15 - 1+5 = 6
1/2 - 1+2 = 3
Total: 9 (6+3 = 9) Upside down 9 reads as a 6.
Again you have 6 series, 3 series and upside down 6 and as know that
6 can be read as 3+3 to equal: 6

Date of Crash: 7/16/1999 (NOTICE: date 16 = 1+6 = 7 on the 7th month.
7 + 16 = 23 (number 3 mentioned)
NOTE: 1999 UPSIDE DOWN reads as 1,6,6,6 (666)

In the Movie it mentions Egypt Air : Plane Number: 990 going down near Martha's Vineyard in the same area. 990 UPSIDE DOWN reads as 660.
near where Kennedy plane went down.

What does all this mean ? Who knows ? All that it shows is there was a significant patterns of number sequences such as the 3, 6, 666, 333, 11 etc.

Normally numbers such as 11:11, 5:55, 6:66, 12:12 etc are called
Master Numbers.

It is all too weird!!

Sickening.......2006-12-05

To learn that John-John, who stood so bravely at his fathers casket, suffered the same fate 33 years later, breaks my heart. I hope that more and more Americans realize that only the CIA and the FBI could have killed JFK SR, through operatives like E Howard Hunt, Frank Sturgis, Jack Ruby, Richard Nixon, George HW Bush. All this is fact but our society ignores the elephant in the living room. So they mock us to this day with acts like the murder of JFK jr, and most recently 911. Wake up America. We are in big trouble. And this centrist wing of the Democratic Party isnt going to do a damn thing about the core issues of justice and history.

A New Low -- Even For Conspiracists.......2006-11-25

I am one of those long-suffering people who want to hear all sides to any story -- in that way, I am like many people in this world who are intellectually curious, and yet, do not have an ideological agenda to adhere to.

This has led me to watch many conspiracy theorist DVDs or Youtube offerings, such as "exposés" of the Bilderberg conference, or Loose Change (in all its incarnations), stopping short of the Roswell, Nessie and Sasquatch phenomena, because even I have my limits.

And I tell you -- I have rarely come across so tragic-comedic a premise, as what this DVD presents.

"The Assassination of JFK, JR" takes a traumatic event, the untimely death of yet another Kennedy scion (in fact, its most charismatic, earnest heir apparent to the Kennedy legacy), and sticks it into the rubric of "Bush Derangement Syndrome".

This mania has turned the previously ignored miniscule portion of society which believed in conspiracy theories for every facet of history, into almost a mainstream talking shop, in large part due to the ease of dessemination of their manias, via the internet.

God help anyone, if you dare to attack their gossamer-thin conclusions;

If you do, it is you, they wail, who are either in collusion with the dark hidden forces, or are part of the sheeple of America.

Evil or stupid, but in no way intelligent. THAT is evident since you don't share their conclusions.

Even though I do not share their convictions, as mentioned, I am more than willing to give people a fair shot at making an argument. If valid points are raised, free of ideological jargon, or hackneyed viewpoints, then I'm the first to raise an eyebrow, and do a little sleuthing on my own. I'm sure I am not alone in this attitude.

But I've met my match with this DVD, since this is what I am left with as starting points:

President George W. Bush killed JFK, JR, because a cartel of Illuminati (chaired by such despicable usual suspects as Henry Kissinger, Donald Rumsfeld, and Dick Cheney) ordered him to.

His father, President George HW Bush, had after all, been in charge of assassinating JFK, JR's father, President John F. Kennedy, a sacrificial lamb at the altar of the "true Nazis" of corporations, oil barons, and the Ford-Rockefeller axis.

No, wait! As Ron Popeil once said, there's more.

In pursuit of this theory, this DVD raises questions as to where then Governor Bush was on that fateful July 1999 day, when the plane of young John-John (a nickname the late JFK, Jr. was said to loathe) went down.

The film's narrator makes it plain that obviously "Rummie, Georgie, Dick" and Richard Myers -- you know, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- were in a boat off Martha's Vineyard, controlling the hit on young John's life.

To this end, they had a "Manchurian Candidate" (their ludicrously simplistic allusion to a stooge who had been mind-controlled, and sent up as his "flight instructor", only to disappear from the wreckage when the Coast Guard came a-looking for him) do their dirty work for them.

Accepting everything as clear-cut in life is foolish, because there is any amount of obfuscation, deceit, and very real collusion present in this world, but not just in the heighest reaches of society.

It happens with all of us, high and low alike.

But when you stretch your ideé fixe (in this case, the hatred of capitalism/globalisation, President George W. Bush, and secret societies which they believe, secretly rule the world) to include this poor, dead boy into your net of nefarious conspiracy theories, that's when the majority of people become very disgusted.

Never mind the shoddy production standards (my grandmother could Photoshop better than this), the cartoonish theorems, the inspid 'cause-and-effect' backdrops, the producers of this DVD are nothing but dirt peddlers.

If you're reading this, there must be an iota of you that is genuinely interested in what this DVD has to say -- and why not indeed, as I was too.

But take it from me: even for someone who is still somehow unjaded about these conspiracists, this DVD is just awful. It is the lowest of the low, in a genre which sucks at the very gland of stupidity.

My condolences to the Kennedy Family. What it must be like, to be them...

Average customer rating:

Commies in Congress
Chilling !!!
A Classic Cold war Thriller
Great suspense thriller
The Red Queen said, "Off with her head!"

The Manchurian Candidate
Starring: Frank Sinatra , Laurence Harvey , Janet Leigh , Angela Lansbury , and Henry Silva
Director: John Frankenheimer
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Murder & Mayhem | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: 0792838289
Release Date: 1998-03-25

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Commies in Congress.......2007-05-23

Chilling !!!.......2007-04-05

A Classic Cold war Thriller.......2007-04-03

Great suspense thriller.......2007-03-30

If you like thrillers this movie is great. It seems a little dated now but the acting and characters are rich and the plot is interesting.

The Red Queen said, "Off with her head!".......2006-10-29

Frank Sinatra MGM Movie Legends Collection (The Manchurian Candidate / Guys and Dolls / The Pride and the Passion / A Hole in the Head / Kings Go Forth)

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Frank Sinatra MGM Movie Legends Collection (The Manchurian Candidate / Guys and Dolls / The Pride and the Passion / A Hole in the Head / Kings Go Forth)
Starring: Marlon Brando , Jean Simmons , Frank Sinatra , Vivian Blaine , and Robert Keith
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz , Delmer Daves , and Frank Capra
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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The John Wayne Film Collection (Without Reservations / Allegheny Uprising / Tycoon / Reunion in France / Big Jim McLain / Trouble Along the Way)
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ASIN: B000PMFS5U
Release Date: 2007-07-24

Description

Disc 1: Guys and Dolls WS Disc 2: Hole In The Head WS Disc 3: Kings Go Forth P&S Disc 4: The Manchurian Candidate WS Disc 5: The Pride and Passion WS

The Manchurian Candidate & House Of The Dead- 2 SEPERATE DVDs in Set

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The Manchurian Candidate & House Of The Dead- 2 SEPERATE DVDs in Set

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

The Manchurian Candidate & House Of The Dead- 2 SEPERATE DVDs in Set
The Manchurian Candidate - Action & Adventure DVD
Denzel Washington
House Of The Dead - Horror & Suspense DVD
Jonathan Cherry

ASIN: B000RQBJQG

Product Description

The Manchurian Candidate & House Of The Dead- 2 SEPERATE DVDs in Set DVD 1. The Manchurian Candidate-ACTION & ADVENTURE-Serving together in the Persian Gulf War, Captain Bennett Marco and Sgt. Raymond Shaw were part of a platoon of soldiers kidnapped and brainwashed. Ten years later, Shaw gears up for his vice presidential campaign while Marco eventually remembers being kidnapped and discovers Shaw's powerful mother played a big part in that scheme. Determined to reveal the truth behind everything, Marco must first convince Shaw that the brainwashing really happened. Widescreen & Many Bonus Features! DVD 2. House Of The Dead- HORROR & SUSPENCE-A group of partying teens stranded on an island and doing battle with a new breed of unusually mobile zombies. Looking for a place to party away spring break, college students Cynthia (Sonya Salomaa), Greg (Will Sanderson), and Karma (Enuka Okuma) hear rumors of a rave on a remote island in the Seattle area. Rushing to catch the party boat, the teens pick up friends Simon (Tyron Leitso) and Alicia (Ona Grauer), but discover upon arrival at the dock that the boat has set sail without them. Offering a few dollars to a local captain to hitch a ride to the island, the teens reach their destination only to find it eerily silent with no party in sight. Things go from bad to worse when the group is attacked by a mysterious creature, and they are forced to seek refuge in an old dark house on the island shore. Subsequently running into a few familiar faces and learning to their horror that the rave had been overrun by a horde of terrifying zombies, the group must now make one final bid for survival over the course of a long, blood-soaked night. Widescreen & Many Bonus Features!

Charlie Rose with Denzel Washington & Jonathan Demme; Jefferson May, Moises Kaufman & Doug Wright (July 30, 2004)

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Charlie Rose with Denzel Washington & Jonathan Demme; Jefferson May, Moises Kaufman & Doug Wright (July 30, 2004)

Manufacturer: "Charlie Rose, Inc."
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

Charlie is joined by actor Denzel Washington and director Jonathan Demme to discuss their film The Manchurian Candidate, an updated remake of the 1962 political thriller that starred Frank Sinatra. The three discuss how the movie's context is different post-Dessert Storm, and how it serves as a cautionary tale. Then, Charlie talks to actor Jefferson Mays, director Moises Kaufman and Broadway playwright Doug Wright from the play I Am My Own Wife.

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