I was thinking the same thing throughout: “Hmm, Tracy and Stewart were too old–Holden might have been good . . .” Sinatra wasn’t terrible, but he was one of the weaker links. Thank goodness he didn’t have his way and have Lucille Ball cast in the Angela Lansbury role! I Love Lucy, but she was no great shakes as a dramatic actress.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but I’m pretty sure his handlers - maybe when he was in the “hospital” - instructed him to kill any witnesses that might finger him.
Another convention that I appreciate it flouting is the audience’s need to identify with the character in order to support him. Raymond Shaw despairs of his lack of likability (Lawrence Harvey was well-cast for this: in everything from Room at the Top to WUSA, he was never someone you could warm up to; except perhaps in appreciation of his striptease-Hamlet in The Magic Christian). But at the end of the movie when Marco is reading his Medal of Honor citation, we agree that he suffered and performed heroically.
The most likable character, by miles and miles, is of course Khigh Dheigh’s brain-washer. Even though he’s the one who did that terrible thing to Raymond Shaw, and we know from the gardening club what vicious thugs he’d have to whom he’d have to answer, we still wish him well.
One thing, in the original, that irritates me no end is that when Marco is de-programming Shaw, he says something to the effect of “you’re free”. Of course, Harvey cannot act as somebody who is free, but, I had hoped for a better ending for somebody who was ‘free’.
And, of course, Sinatra sucked.
Otherwise, fantastic movie. I liked the remake at least as well as the original. Totally different vibes, tho.
My favorite was when the Senator kept spouting crazy numbers of Commie infiltrators and his wife tells him to pick one number and stay with it. The Senator sees a bottle of Heinz ketchup on the table. . .
“There are exactly 57 card-carrying members of the Communist Party in the Department of Defense at this time!”
I’m not seeing it. I mean, Marco gets roped into doing a job he’s not cut out for, and in his spare time finds himself caught up in events without really knowing what’s going on; aside from doing fine in the fight scene, and playing “drunk” convincingly, he’s pretty much just called on to portray a tense guy who fumbles around a bit but ultimately keeps it together in his sweaty but clear-eyed way. You could make the case that other actors would’ve done better, but near as I can tell he did okay.
I know Angela Lansbury was young but for those of you (Eve, Roderick) that said she was the daughter - she was the wife of the Senator.
Was she wearing a queen of diamonds costume? 
It was not merely a hint in the book.
Eve! Good to see you!
Well, 103 weeks ago at least, although I doubt she’s changed much in the interim.
Zombie :smack: 's
Yes, specificity is what sells a Big Lie.
(A lesson not lost on today’s pols.)
I think you’re misunderstanding what people have said. (OK, spoilers for a 50+ year old film)
[SPOILER]Lawrence Harvey’s character (possibly incidentally) killed his own wife, who was the daughter of a senator who was a rival to his mother and step-father (who was also a senator). He also killed that senator (the father of his wife). He did this with a pistol in that senator’s house.
Then later he killed his mother, who was the wife of a senator who was going to be the puppet president, and also killed that senator (his step-father).
So body count is four: his wife, his father-in law, his mother and his step-father. Oh, and himself for five.[/SPOILER]
Roddy
Got it.
One of the all-time great movies. I just got the Criterion Collection Blu-Ray of Seconds, the third part of Frankenheimer’s “Paranoia Trilogy” - also quite good, though not up to the level of The Manchurian Candidate.
I’ve heard that this film, and Sinatra, is what is alluded to in the Godfather. How the ‘singer’ got a role in this important movie to turn around his career.
Anyone else heard that or know anything about it?
No, that was earlier, with Sinatra and* From Here to Eternity*, for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.