The Manchurian Candidate (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Description

The name John Frankenheimer (Seconds) became forever synonymous with heart-in-the-throat filmmaking when this quintessential sixties political thriller was released. Set in the early fifties, this razor-sharp adaptation of the novel by Richard Condon concerns the decorated U.S. Army sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), who as a prisoner during the Korean War is brainwashed into being a sleeper assassin in a Communist conspiracy, and a fellow POW (Frank Sinatra) who slowly uncovers the sinister plot. In an unforgettable, Oscar-nominated performance, Angela Lansbury plays Raymond s villainous mother, the controlling wife of a witch-hunting anti-Communist senator with his eyes on the White House. The rare film to be suffused with Cold War paranoia while also taking aim at the frenzy of the McCarthy era, The Manchurian Candidate remains potent, shocking American moviemaking.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- Audio commentary from 1997 featuring director John Frankenheimer
- New interview with actor Angela Lansbury
- New piece featuring filmmaker Errol Morris discussing his appreciation for The Manchurian Candidate
- Conversation between Frankenheimer, screenwriter George Axelrod, and actor Frank Sinatra from 1988
- New interview with historian Susan Carruthers about the Cold War brainwashing scare
- Trailer