IMDb > The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The Manchurian Candidate
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) More at IMDbPro »

Videos
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Frankenheimer
Writers:
Richard Condon (novel)
George Axelrod (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Manchurian Candidate on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 October 1962 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Mystery | Thriller more
Tagline:
When you've seen it all, you'll swear there's never been anything like it! more
Plot:
A former Korean War POW is brainwashed by Communists into becoming a political assassin. But another former prisoner may know how to save him. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(34 articles)
Birthday Suits: Good Hair, and Good Music.
 (From FilmExperience. 14 November 2009, 7:29 AM, PST)
Shadows of Russia Schedule
 (From Alternative Film Guide. 3 November 2009, 11:31 PM, PST)
User Comments:
A political and social thriller/drama ahead of its time. more (248 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Frank Sinatra ... Maj. Bennett Marco

Laurence Harvey ... Raymond Shaw

Janet Leigh ... Eugenie Rose Chaney

Angela Lansbury ... Mrs. Iselin
Henry Silva ... Chunjin
James Gregory ... Sen. John Yerkes Iselin
Leslie Parrish ... Jocelyn Jordan
John McGiver ... Sen. Thomas Jordan
Khigh Dhiegh ... Dr. Yen Lo
James Edwards ... Cpl. Allen Melvin
Douglas Henderson ... Col. Milt
Albert Paulsen ... Zilkov
Barry Kelley ... Secretary of Defense
Lloyd Corrigan ... Holborn Gaines
Madame Spivy ... Female Berezovo
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joe Adams ... Psychiatrist (uncredited)
Frank Basso ... Photographer (uncredited)
Mary Benoit ... Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Whit Bissell ... Medical Officer (uncredited)
Nicky Blair ... Silvers (uncredited)
Merritt Bohn ... Jilly (uncredited)
Nick Bolin ... Berezovo (uncredited)
Robert Burton ... Convention Chairman (uncredited)
Evelyn Byrd ... Party Guest (uncredited)
Harry Carter ... Party Guest (uncredited)
Lana Crawford ... Party Guest (uncredited)
Ray Dailey ... Page Boy (uncredited)
Mimi Dillard ... Mrs. Melvin (uncredited)
Joan Douglas ... Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Estelle Etterre ... Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Mickey Finn ... Reporter (uncredited)
Bess Flowers ... Gomel's Lady Counterpart (uncredited)
Lee Tung Foo ... Man in Lobby (uncredited)
John Francis ... Hiken (uncredited)
Paul Frees ... Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Ralph Gambina ... Man in Lobby (uncredited)

Joe Gray ... Soldier (uncredited)
Tom Harris ... FBI Agent (uncredited)
Maggie Hathaway ... Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Maye Henderson ... Chairlady (uncredited)
Sam 'Kid' Hogan ... Man in Lobby (uncredited)
Harry Holcombe ... General (uncredited)
John Indrisano ... Reporter (uncredited)
Miyoshi Jingu ... Miss Gertrude (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp ... Man seated next to projector (uncredited)
Rita Kenaston ... Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Colin Kenny ... Senator (uncredited)
Helen Kleeb ... Mrs. Henry Whitaker, Chairlady (uncredited)
Lou Krugg ... Manager (uncredited)
John Lawrence ... Grossfeld (uncredited)
Richard LePore ... Pvt. Edmund 'Ed' Mavole (uncredited)
Tom Lowell ... Pvt. Bobby Lembeck (uncredited)

Michael Masters ... FBI Agent (uncredited)
Harold Miller ... Reporter (uncredited)
Marquita Moll ... Soprano (uncredited)
Reggie Nalder ... Gomel (uncredited)
Frances E. Nealy ... Woman in Lobby (uncredited)
Karen Norris ... Secretary (uncredited)
Richard Norris ... Reporter (uncredited)
Julie Payne ... Party Guest (uncredited)
Robert Riordan ... Benjamin K. Arthur (uncredited)
Anna Shin ... Korean Girl (uncredited)
Ray Spiker ... Policeman (uncredited)
Irving Steinberg ... Freeman (uncredited)
Bert Stevens ... Officer (uncredited)
Hal Taggart ... Senator (uncredited)
William Thourlby ... Little (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey ... Second Reporter (uncredited)
Raynum K. Tsukamoto ... Man in Lobby (uncredited)
Jeanne Vaughn ... Nurse (uncredited)
Anton von Stralen ... Officer (uncredited)
James Yagi ... Chinese Officer (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
John Frankenheimer 
 
Writing credits
Richard Condon (novel)

George Axelrod (screenplay)

John Frankenheimer  uncredited

Produced by
George Axelrod .... producer
John Frankenheimer .... producer
Howard W. Koch .... executive producer
 
Original Music by
David Amram 
 
Cinematography by
Lionel Lindon (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Ferris Webster 
 
Production Design by
Richard Sylbert 
 
Art Direction by
Philip M. Jefferies (uncredited)
 
Set Decoration by
George R. Nelson 
 
Costume Design by
Moss Mabry 
 
Makeup Department
Ron Berkeley .... makeup artist
Jack Freeman .... makeup artist
Bernard Ponedel .... makeup artist
Gene Shacove .... hair stylist: Janet Leigh
Mary Westmoreland .... hair stylist
Dorothy Parkinson .... makeup artist (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph C. Behm .... assistant director (as Joseph Behm)
 
Art Department
Arden Cripe .... property master
Philip M. Jefferies .... assistant art director
 
Sound Department
Joe Edmondson .... sound mixer
Del Harris .... sound effects editor
Buddy Myers .... sound re-recordist
 
Special Effects by
A. Paul Pollard .... special effects (as Paul Pollard)
 
Visual Effects by
Howard A. Anderson .... photographic effects
 
Stunts
Gordon Doversola .... stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Beau Vanden Ecker .... assistant stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Joe Gray .... stunts (uncredited)
Robert 'Buzz' Henry .... stunts (uncredited)
John Indrisano .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
John Mehl .... camera operator
William Read Woodfield .... still photographer (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Wesley Jeffries .... costumer (as Wesley V. Jefferies)
 
Editorial Department
Carl Mahakian .... assistant film editor
 
Music Department
David Amram .... conductor
Richard Carruth .... music editor
Vinton Vernon .... music recordist
 
Other crew
Thom Conroy .... dialogue coach
Amalia Wade .... script supervisor
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
126 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System) | Dolby SR | Dolby Digital
Certification:
Finland:(Banned) (1964) (uncut) | Finland:(Banned) (1964) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (1989) (uncut) | UK:A (1962) (cut) | West Germany:16 (f) | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:PG-13
Filming Locations:
67 Riverside Drive, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA more
Company:
M.C. Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
One of the early uses of martial arts in a key fight sequence (between Frank Sinatra and Henry Silva, over a decade before the Kung Fu craze of the 1970s. Still earlier, however, is Blood on the Sun (1945), with its climactic judo bout involving James Cagney in Blood on the Sun (1945) And though Peter Lorre was using jujitsu in Mr. Moto movies as early as 1937, Harry Parke (as Parkyakarkus) mentions jujitsu in the Eddie Cantor movie Strike Me Pink (1936). more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: During the scene on the train, you can see the countryside passing by outside the window. Its obvious that the actors are not really being filmed on a moving train, but the footage of the moving landscape was shot at an angle. So the camera thats aimed directly towards the window depicts a landscape thats bizarrely moving away from the train on an angle. more
Quotes:
Marco: [During the Kung Fu fight with Chunjin] What was Raymond doing with his hands? more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Flushed Away (2006) more
Soundtrack:
The Twelve Days of Christmas more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Is "The Mancurian Candidate" based on a novel?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
66 out of 76 people found the following comment useful.
A political and social thriller/drama ahead of its time., 20 August 2001
9/10
Author: teren from Chicago, USA

John Frankenheimer's surrealistic direction and George Axelrod's adaptation of the 1959 book by the same name offer Laurence Harvey a career defining role.

Set in 1950's, A Korean War veteran Raymond Shaw(Harvey) returns home to a medal of honor for rescuing his POW platoon from behind Chinese lines and back to safety. One of the returning soldiers, (played effectively by Frank Sinatra) however, has recurring dreams of his platoon being brainwashed and Shaw committing acts of murder.

He eventually convinces army brass that Shaw is still a puppet of his Communist-Marxist operators.

Angela Lansbury, (although barely a few years older than Harvey was at the time) plays his mother in a tour de force role. She absolutely captivates and steals every scene she is in, playing a very complex role that needs to convince the viewer of many things without much dialogue.

There's a rich cast of characters, including Janet Leigh, Henry Silva, James Edwards, and a painfully accurate James Gregory. Each character weaves through the methodical subplots and tapestry of Frankenheimer's masterful "Hitchcockian" pace.

I won't give away the plot, but dear readers, allow me to sat that this one is really worth watching--until the nail-biting and chilling conclusion.

There are many undertones in this film -- political, sexual, class and power, and social. You will want to view this film several times to approach it from different perspectives.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (248 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Mrs. Iselin toastmoocow
The real reason it's not a great film Bluemoon_Royale
Angela Lansbury's Accent eldnepm
Was the Sentator Iselin meant to look like Nixon? ribak
A QUESTION dwaitkoss-1
Something you don't see nowadays bruchsie7
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Watchmen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang La battaglia di Algeri The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp Sunshine
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb top 250 movies IMDb Drama section
IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.