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'''The Manchurian Candidate''' is a 1962 [[motion picture]] about a [[Communist]] conspiracy to drug and hypnotize an American [[POW]] into assassinating a candidate for [[President of the United States]].

'''The Manchurian Candidate''' is a 1962 Hollywood film about a [[Communist]] conspiracy to drug and hypnotize an American [[POW]] into assassinating a candidate for [[President of the United States]]. The film was directed by John Frankenheimer. 

== Cast ==

== Cast ==

Marco is not the only member of the patrol to be plagued by a strange dream. Corporal Alan Melvin also dreams of sitting in a room full of Soviet and Chinese senior officers and other officials, and watching as Shaw strangles one of his buddies and shoots another at point-blank range. Melvin's wife encourages him to write to Shaw, which he does. Independently of one another, each man, when asked how he feels about Shaw, says in a monotone that Shaw is a wonderful person. The truth, however, is vastly different: Raymond Shaw, far from being attractive, is personally repulsive.

Marco is not the only member of the patrol to be plagued by a strange dream. Corporal Alan Melvin also dreams of sitting in a room full of Soviet and Chinese senior officers and other officials, and watching as Shaw strangles one of his buddies and shoots another at point-blank range. Melvin's wife encourages him to write to Shaw, which he does. Independently of one another, each man, when asked how he feels about Shaw, says in a monotone that Shaw is a wonderful person. The truth, however, is vastly different: Raymond Shaw, far from being attractive, is personally repulsive.

Marco traces Shaw to [[New York City]], where Shaw at first was the confidential assistant to a well-known newspaper columnist (probably suggested by [[Walter Lippman]]), and now writes the column himself after the columnist has been found murdered in his bed. When Marco finally comes to Shaw's apartment, he is horrified to confront Chunjin, the former interpreter to the patrol who was also present in the interrogation session that Marco recalls in his recurring dream. He lashes out at Chunjin and repeatedly roars questions at him about Raymond's obsessive behavior with his hands before he committed the murders, and why Chunjin himself was present, not as a captive, but as a capt''or''. He is arrested, but the G-2 vouches for him, and Rosie comes to take him home.

Marco traces Shaw to [[New York City]], where Shaw at first was the confidential assistant to a well-known newspaper columnist (probably suggested by [[Walter Lippmann]]), and now writes the column himself after the columnist has been found murdered in his bed. When Marco finally comes to Shaw's apartment, he is horrified to confront Chunjin, the former interpreter to the patrol who was also present in the interrogation session that Marco recalls in his recurring dream. He lashes out at Chunjin and repeatedly roars questions at him about Raymond's obsessive behavior with his hands before he committed the murders, and why Chunjin himself was present, not as a captive, but as a capt''or''. He is arrested, but the G-2 vouches for him, and Rosie comes to take him home.

The G-2 then convenes a meeting of his staff and questions Marco more closely. Marco identifies two known Soviet and Chinese officials from his dream, and the G-2 announces that he believes Marco's story and has formed a joint [[CIA]]/[[DIA]]/[[FBI]] team to investigate Raymond Shaw. Marco is assigned to this team as military liaison.

The G-2 then convenes a meeting of his staff and questions Marco more closely. Marco identifies two known Soviet and Chinese officials from his dream, and the G-2 announces that he believes Marco's story and has formed a joint [[CIA]]/[[DIA]]/[[FBI]] team to investigate Raymond Shaw. Marco is assigned to this team as military liaison.

=== The investigation ===

=== The investigation ===

Marco concentrates on Shaw and even encourages Shaw to tell him a sad story: he had once met a lovely and kind young woman, the daughter of Senator Jordan, and his mother had written an offensive letter in Shaw's name and forced Shaw to sign it. The next day, Marco meets Shaw in a bar and finds Shaw playing a game of solitaire. Marco barely hears the bartender tell another customer a story of how he had encouraged his brother-in-law to take a [[taxicab]] to [[Central Park]] and jump in the lake. And then Marco is stupefied when Shaw does exactly that. Marco follows Shaw and arrives in time to see Shaw jump in the lake, but Shaw has no memory of having done this. Nevertheless, Marco now remembers that Raymond had been playing with an imaginary—or perhaps not imagionary—deck of cards at the bar.

Marco concentrates on Shaw and even encourages Shaw to tell him a sad story: he had once met a lovely and kind young woman, the daughter of Senator Jordan, and his mother had written an offensive letter in Shaw's name and forced Shaw to sign it. The next day, Marco meets Shaw in a bar and finds Shaw playing a game of solitaire. Marco barely hears the bartender tell another customer a story of how he had encouraged his brother-in-law to take a [[taxicab]] to [[Central Park]] and jump in the lake. And then Marco is stupefied when Shaw does exactly that. Marco follows Shaw and arrives in time to see Shaw jump in the lake, but Shaw has no memory of having done this. Nevertheless, Marco now remembers that Raymond had been playing with an imaginary—or perhaps not imaginary—deck of cards at the bar.

Marco asks the other members of the special task force about this, and they conclude that Raymond Shaw is acting under an elaborate series of suggestions implanted in his mind through [[hypnosis]]. They also identify the likely trigger: the queen of diamonds, a symbol of his mother.

Marco asks the other members of the special task force about this, and they conclude that Raymond Shaw is acting under an elaborate series of suggestions implanted in his mind through [[hypnosis]]. They also identify the likely trigger: the queen of diamonds, a symbol of his mother.

== Themes and Receptions ==

== Themes and Receptions ==

There was much discussion in the 1950s about "brainwashing" practiced on American POW's by the Chinese and North Koreans during the [[Korean War]].  Scholars have concluded there was no such brainwashing but it was a real fear at the time. The film picks up and elaborates on this fear.

The 1950s was a time of intense interest in accounts of mind control, and the term "brainwashing" was coined in 1950. At a time of high Cold War tension, the book ''I Was Stalin's Prisoner'' (1952), a first-person account of US executive Robert A. Vogeler's experiences with mind control as a political prisoner in Hungary, produced derivative fiction. ''Brain-Washing in Red China'' (1951) and other writings by Edward Hunter proclaimed the danger and potentially devastating possibilities of brainwashing.  Inaccurate reports to the effectthat numerous American POW's had defected to the Chinese in Korea caused alarm; in fact there were only a few.  Richard Condon's novel ''The Manchurian Candidate'' (1959) tapped into public fascination and concern over mind-control techniques. Condon's novel is the basis of the film.  Novels by William Burroughs, A. E. van Vogt, and Francis Pollini all incorporate brainwashing themes. By the time of Walter Wager's ''Telefon'' (1975), the subject of brainwashing techniques had become passé.<ref>David Seed, "Brainwashing And Cold War Demonology." ''Prospects'' 1997 22: 535-573.  </ref>

 

Scholars have concluded there was no such brainwashing but it was a real fear at the time. The film picks up and elaborates on this fear. The film was based on the 1959 novel by John Condon.  The 1954 film "Prisoner of War" also is based on brainwashing POW's in Korea.

 

A key premise of the movie was that it was possible to [[brainwash]] an unsuspecting prisoner into committing [[murder]]:

A key premise of the movie was that it was possible to [[brainwash]] an unsuspecting prisoner into committing [[murder]]:

== Recent remake ==

== Recent remake ==

The movie was remade with [[Denzel Washington]] in the Sinatra role and [[Liev Schreiber]] as a the assassin controlled by a [[microchip]] brain implant. The villains in the remake are not communists, but simply people with a [[political agenda]].<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manchurian_candidate/about.php 'Rotten Tomatoes' Plot Summary]</ref>

The movie was remade with [[Denzel Washington]] in the Sinatra role and [[Liev Schreiber]] as a the assassin controlled by a [[microchip]] brain implant. The villains in the remake are not communists, but simply people with a vague political agenda.<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/manchurian_candidate/about.php 'Rotten Tomatoes' Plot Summary]</ref>

==Colloquial Usage==  

==Colloquial Usage==  

In modern day usage, to describe a political candidate as a "Manchurian Candidate" is to say that they are hiding their real beliefs in hope of being elected, and afterwords able to advance their hidden agenda.  Barack Obama is frequently accused of being a Muslim Manchurian Candidate, by sources such as [http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=79411 WorldNetDaily] and others.

In modern day usage, to describe a political candidate as a "Manchurian Candidate" is to say that they are hiding their real beliefs in hope of being elected, and afterwords able to advance their hidden agenda.  Barack Obama is frequently accused of being a Muslim Manchurian Candidate, by sources such as [http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=79411 WorldNetDaily] and others.

 

==Notes==

==Notes==

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