“The Manchurian Candidate,” which was released in 1962 and starred Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey, along with Angela Lansbury, is now a vintage classic movie.
♦ Lifting a description from Wikipedia, this movie is a "Cold War neo-noir suspense thriller".
In 2004, "The Manchurian Candidate” was given an extreme makeover. It was updated - from Cold War to Gulf War - and the remake, which starred Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep, actually had the blessings of Tina Sinatra, daughter of the late Frank Sinatra.
♦ By contrast, the description supplied by Wikipedia for the remake is "science fiction political-thriller film".
The movies were film adaptations based on a 1959 novel written by Richard Condon.
Both films are worth watching. But only one of them is the best!
In my opinion, the 1962 version is the best! I love Frank Sinatra.
Actually I was impressed with the 3 leade characters in the 1962 film. You might be interested in these pieces of trivia about Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and Angela Lansbury from the 1962 production of The Manchurian Candidate. These details highlight behind-the-scenes drama, casting surprises, and even on-set injuries.
Frank Sinatra — injuries, rumors, and long-buried rights issues
Sinatra injured his hand during the famous fight scene with Henry Silva. Accounts differ on whether it was a broken finger or a broken wrist, but all sources agree he kept filming, and the injury never healed properly.
No stunt doubles were used in the fight scene between Sinatra and Henry Silva — every punch was real.
Rumors long circulated that Sinatra pulled the film from distribution after JFK’s assassination, but the real story is more tangled: the film initially bombed, United Artists reneged on royalty agreements, and when the rights reverted to Sinatra in 1972, his lawyers suppressed the film out of anger at how he’d been treated. It only resurfaced when Sinatra hired new lawyers.
Sinatra’s commitment to the project was unusually personal; he championed the film creatively and professionally, and his performance as Major Bennett Marco is often cited as one of his strongest dramatic roles. (Supported by general critical acclaim.)
Angela Lansbury — a shocking role and a casting fight
John Frankenheimer personally insisted on casting Angela Lansbury, having worked with her previously on All Fall Down. This was not a studio choice but a director-driven decision.
Lansbury’s performance was so powerful that she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and won a Golden Globe.
Modern audiences often know Lansbury as the warm, grandmotherly figure from Murder, She Wrote or Disney films, but in 1962, she was already known for playing schemers and antagonists, so the role wasn’t as against type at the time as it seems today.
Fun international trivia: the French title of the film was Un Crime dans la Tête (“A Crime in the Head”), and the Italian title was Và E Uccidi (“Go and Kill”).
Laurence Harvey — nationality surprises and character intensity
Harvey was British, despite playing the all-American war hero Raymond Shaw. Angela Lansbury was also British, making both mother and son in the film “Fake Americans.”
His performance as the brainwashed assassin is widely regarded as one of the film’s most chilling elements, contributing significantly to the movie’s lasting impact. (Supported by general critical acclaim.)
REFERENCES:
Contributors to TV Tropes (aka Tropers). “The Manchurian Candidate Trivia.” TV Tropes, 6 May 2012, https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/TheManchurianCandidate.
Angus, Elinore. “Is The Manchurian Candidate Based on a True Story?” Facts.Net, 27 Jun. 2023, https://facts.net/movie/46-facts-about-the-movie-the-manchurian-candidate/.
♦
In Memory Of:
Laurence Harvey (1928 – 1973)
Frank Sinatra (1915–1998)
* * *
*
