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The Manchurian Candidate

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( 87 ratings, 16 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Manchurian Candidate explores the chilling story of an American serviceman brainwashed during the Korean War and manipulated into becoming an assassin. This seminal 1962 political thriller by John Frankenheimer offers a sophisticated yet harrowing plunge into Cold War paranoia and American political intrigue, brought to life by standout performances from Laurence Harvey, Frank Sinatra, and Angela Lansbury.
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Ideal for readers fascinated by film history, political thrillers, and cultural analysis, especially those interested in the intersections of politics, cinema, and society.

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"First published in 2002 by the British Film Institute"--Copyright page.

A study of John Frankenheimer's 1962 political conspiracy thriller The Manchurian Candidate in the BFI Film Classics series

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

"It may be the most sophisticated political thriller ever made in Hollywood," film critic Pauline Kael wrote of John Frankenheimer's terrifying 1962 political thriller about an American serviceman brainwashed in Korea and made into an assassin. Sophisticated to be sure, it's also a headlong fall through the looking-glass of American politics and the most deeply prophetic film of the second half of the American century.

As Greil Marcus reconstructs the drama, The Manchurian Candidate is a movie in which the director and actors, including Laurence Harvey, Frank Sinatra, and Angela Lansbury in an Academy Award-nominated performance, were suddenly capable of anything, beyond any expectations.

This edition includes a new foreword highlighting the movie's terrifying contemporary relevance in the age of Trump and Russian interference in the US Presidential election.

Series: BFI Film Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Marcus is a compelling writer, and he hits the nail on the head when he talks of โ€œthe Iron Maiden of repression,โ€ which sums up Laurence Harvey's acting in The Manchurian Candidate. The Best American Poetry blog

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781838719647

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 28 May 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: BFI Publishing

Edition: 2nd edition

Illustration: 60 bw illus

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 6.0mm

Width: 136.0mm

Height: 188.0mm

Weight: 155g

Pages: 96

About the Author

Greil Marcus is the author of Double Trouble (2000), Dead Elvis (1999), Lipstick Traces (1989), The Old, Weird America (1997/2001) and Mystery Train (1975). His pieces have appeared in a wide range of publications, including Artforum, Interview, The New Yorker, the New York Times and Esquire. He has taught at Princeton University and the University of California at Berkeley, USA.

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