The Manchurian Candidate
When you've seen it all, you'll swear there's never been anything like it!
1962 | 126m | English
Popularity: 4 (history)
| Director: | John Frankenheimer |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Richard Condon, George Axelrod |
| Staring: |
| Near the end of the Korean War, a platoon of U.S. soldiers is captured by communists and brainwashed. Following the war, the platoon is returned home, and Sergeant Raymond Shaw is lauded as a hero by the rest of his platoon. However, the platoon commander, Captain Bennett Marco, finds himself plagued by strange nightmares and soon races to uncover a terrible plot. | |
| Release Date: | Oct 24, 1962 |
|---|---|
| Director: | John Frankenheimer |
| Writer: | Richard Condon, George Axelrod |
| Genres: | Drama, Thriller |
| Keywords | cold war, korean war (1950-53), stepparents, conspiracy, brainwashed assassin, brainwashing, black and white, election, presidential candidate, sleeper agent, queen of diamonds, korea |
| Production Companies | United Artists, MC Productions |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $7,700,000
Budget: $2,200,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Frank Sinatra | Capt./Maj. Bennett Marco |
| Laurence Harvey | Raymond Shaw |
| Angela Lansbury | Mrs. Iselin |
| Janet Leigh | Eugenie Rose Chaney |
| James Gregory | Sen. John Yerkes Iselin |
| Henry Silva | Chunjin |
| 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 |
| Bess Flowers | Gomel's Lady Counterpart (uncredited) |
| Leoda Richards | Woman at Press Confrence (uncredited) |
| Reggie Nalder | Gomel (uncredited) |
| Colin Kenny | Senator (uncredited) |
| Bert Stevens | Officer |
| Arthur Tovey | Second Reporter |
| Paul Frees | Narrator (voice) |
| Whit Bissell | Medical Officer |
| James Yagi | Chinese Officer (uncredited) |
| Tom Lowell | Pvt. Bobby Lembeck (uncredited) |
| Joe Adams | Psychiatrist |
| Merritt Bohn | Jilly |
| Robert Riordan | Benjamin K. Arthur |
| Raoul Freeman | Reporter (uncredited) |
| Rudy Germane | Delegate (uncredited) |
| Herschel Graham | Delegate (uncredited) |
| Stuart Hall | Reporter (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Ferris Webster | Editor |
| Joe Edmondson | Sound Mixer |
| Arden Cripe | Property Master |
| Gene Shacove | Hairstylist |
| Philip M. Jefferies | Assistant Art Director, Art Direction |
| John M. Elliot | Set Dresser |
| Gaylin P. Schultz | Props |
| Gordon Doversola | Stunt Coordinator |
| Felix Barlow | Assistant Camera |
| Eugene Levitt | Assistant Camera |
| Angela Alexander | Wardrobe Specialized Technician |
| Rose Viebeck | Wardrobe Master |
| Mollie Kent | Script Supervisor |
| Carl Mahakian | Assistant Editor |
| Mary Westmoreland | Hairstylist |
| Ron Berkeley | Makeup Artist |
| John Mehl | Camera Operator |
| Richard Sylbert | Production Design |
| George R. Nelson | Set Decoration |
| Lionel Lindon | Director of Photography |
| A. Paul Pollard | Special Effects |
| Moss Mabry | Costume Design |
| Jack Freeman | Makeup Artist |
| Thom Conroy | Dialect Coach |
| Del Harris | Sound Effects Editor |
| Bernard Ponedel | Makeup Artist |
| David Salven | Assistant Director |
| Richard Borland | Props |
| Seymour Klate | Set Dresser |
| Joseph S. Toldy | Set Dresser |
| Beau Vanden Ecker | Stunt Coordinator |
| John Indrisano | Stunt Coordinator |
| Robert Campbell | Gaffer |
| William Read Woodfield | Still Photographer |
| Morris Brown | Wardrobe Master |
| Amalia Wade | Script Supervisor |
| Gene Martell | Production Assistant |
| Joseph C. Behm | Assistant Director |
| Richard Carruth | Music Editor |
| Dorothy Parkinson | Makeup Artist |
| Read Killgore | Assistant Director |
| Lucius O. Croxton | Set Dresser |
| Richard M. Rubin | Props |
| Bill Flannery | Boom Operator |
| Joe Gray | Stunts |
| Bill Craemer | Still Photographer |
| Wesley Jeffries | Costumer |
| Ron Talsky | Wardrobe Master |
| Grace Dubray | Script Supervisor |
| John Frankenheimer | Director |
| Richard Condon | Novel |
| George Axelrod | Screenplay |
| David Amram | Original Music Composer |
| Robert "Buzz" Henry | Stunt Double |
| Al Wyatt Sr. | Stunt Double |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| George Axelrod | Producer |
| John Frankenheimer | Producer |
| Howard W. Koch | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Angela Lansbury | Nominated |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 26 | 40 | 18 |
| 2024 | 5 | 34 | 53 | 27 |
| 2024 | 6 | 30 | 52 | 17 |
| 2024 | 7 | 25 | 42 | 16 |
| 2024 | 8 | 22 | 43 | 13 |
| 2024 | 9 | 17 | 29 | 10 |
| 2024 | 10 | 18 | 29 | 11 |
| 2024 | 11 | 21 | 45 | 14 |
| 2024 | 12 | 18 | 23 | 13 |
| 2025 | 1 | 19 | 36 | 14 |
| 2025 | 2 | 17 | 25 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 7 | 25 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 2 |
| 2025 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| 2025 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| 2025 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | 758 | 845 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 361 | 631 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 676 | 826 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 607 | 780 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 910 | 917 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 933 | 938 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8 | 866 | 872 |
An outstandingly (and Golden Globe winning) vile performance from Angela Lansbury - well and truly putting her silly old maid roles to one side, makes a magnificent contribution to one of the most thought-provoking thrillers ever to come out of 1960s Hollywood. Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey retu ... rn from the Korean War - the latter to great acclaim, winning the Medal of Honour. Both suffer from terrible nightmares and when Sinatra discovers that other survivors from their unit are also suffering; and that somehow Harvey is the fulcrum of it all we descend into an abyss of manipulation, brain "dry-cleaning", mind-control and red-bashing that is really quite unsettling - and entirely plausible. Janet Leigh, James Gregory and a truly malevolent Khigh Dhiegh as "Dr. Yen Lo" all gel well to create a masterpiece of tension and threat with the tightly shot direction; subtle use of light and music and a truly gripping dialogue contributing to a truly menacing adaptation of Richard Condon's visionary novel. A must see...