August 20, 2009

The Manchurian Candidate

ladies' gardening society

Title: The Manchurian Candidate
Year: 1962
Director: John Frankenheimer
Writer: George Axelrod, based on the novel by Richard Condon
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury
Music: David Amram
Distinctions: Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Lansbury) and Best Editing; currently #119 on IMDb's Top 250
Length: 126 minutes
Synopsis: some American soldiers are captured in Korea and brainwashed
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good)
Objective Rating: 9/10 (1 point off for special effects/design) c. 3.6/4 (Great)

Clever story, shot well. The dialog, acting and music are all quite good as well. I wasn't sure what to expect from a Frank Sinatra movie (this is the first I've seen), but I'm pleasantly surprised. The 2004 remake could hardly have been more pointless.

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