The Manchurian Candidate

The 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate is one of my favorite movies of all time. The film successfully delves into the atmosphere of paranoia and uncertainty that gripped America during the Red Scare and successfully drew parallels to real people such as Senator Joseph McCarthy. Besides being expertly directed, written, and acted (with Angela Lansbury’s performance as Shaw’s power-hungry and ruthless mother being the standout) the film was successfully able to emulate the feelings of suspicion and terror evoked by the period in American history known as the Red Scare.

Shaw and his mother.

One of the real life connections that can be made from the film is the resemblance of Shaw’s father-in-law Senator John Iselin and the real-life Senator Joseph McCarthy. One of the many parallels that can be drawn between the two characters is their anti-communist demagoguery. In one instance the character of Iselin presents a list of supposed communist agents within the government that is obviously faked, an action that McCarthy also committed during the 1950’s.

Senator Joseph McCarthy

One of the best subversions that The Manchurian Candidate is that the communist agents aren’t liberals, but right-wing ideologues that seek to sow dissent and unease into the hearts and minds of American citizens.

Senator Iselin and Mrs. Iselin

For me the ending is what really makes The Manchurian Candidate one of my favorite movies. After having his entire life controlled y external forces Shaw finally decides to end the whole conspiracy. He shoots and kills his mother, stepfather, and himself. The entire sequence in which the assassinations take place is expertly directed. The footage of jubilation and joy on the convention floor and the chaos that follows make the scene seem unsettling real. This scene was so unsettling that Frank Sinatra, who financed the movie for the most part, withdrew the film from the public after the Kennedy Assassination.

President Kennedy moments before his assassination.

Shaw killing his mother and stepfather.