Stars: Frank Sinatra, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury, Laurence Harvey, James Gregory, Henry Silva, Leslie Parrish, John McGiver

Director: John Frankenheimer

Summary: A Korean War hero is programmed to kill a politician. Based on the book by Richard Condon.

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE is a complex paranoid political horror story about a brainwashed American platoon and a decorated soldier programmed to assassinate political enemies. The former platoon commander must piece together the clues to discover the killer's identity, his next target, and who is behind this sinister plan. Seasoned cast delivers strong performances, with an uncharacteristically hard-bitten Sinatra, a maliciously identifiable Harvey, and a frighteningly overbearing Lansbury. Political juxtaposition and factual plausibility lend terrifying realism. Based on Richard Condon's harrowing novel. Academy Award Nominations: Best Film Editing, Best Supporting Actress--Angela Lansbury.

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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 centre 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

Aspect Ratio:	1.75 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interview With Frank Sinatra George Axelrod And John Frankenheimer, Trivia And Production Notes, Original Theatrical Trailer, Feature Length Audio Commentary, Interactive Menu Screens And Chapter Selection
Subtitles:	Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
Year:	1962
Release Date:	October 25, 2004
Runtime:	121 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	15854 D V D
Keywords:	General, Candidate, Wide, Screen, Drama, Manchurian
Genre:	Drama