DVD REVIEW FOR "THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE" (1962) (Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey) (PG-13)
Length
Screen Format(s)
Languages
Subtitles
Sound
Sides
129 minutes
Letterbox (1.85:1) Full Frame (Pan & Scan)
English French Spanish
English French Spanish
Dolby Digital 2.0
2
Plot: Having returned from the Korean War where they were subjected to brainwashing, a commanding officer tries to figure out what happened to him and his platoon, including one soldier who's seemingly been programmed as an assassin.
(Parental Review currently not available)
VIDEO:
(C) The digital transfer suffers from a great deal of compression-related pixelation that's more than readily apparent in many scenes (such as any featuring any one-tone images including any scenes featuring grey skies). While it's surprising that there aren't too many film artifacts (considering the film's age) and the contrast — especially in dimly lit scenes — looks quite good, one can't get away from the pixelation problem that often very noticeable and unfortunately distracting.
AUDIO:
(B) Considering the original source material and the year in which it was recorded, the disc's audio sounds okay, but is certainly nothing to demonstrate to those new to the format. While the dialogue is crisp and free of any artifacts, the score occasionally sounds a bit shrill, although we suspect that has more to do with the original recording than anything related to the audio's DVD transfer.
EXTRAS:
Scene selection/Jump to any scene.
Running audio commentary by director John Frankenheimer.
Theatrical trailer.
7+ minute segment where Sinatra, Frankehnheimer and screenwriter George Axelrod discuss their "making of" experiences with the film.
Booklet insert with brief production notes and trivia facts.
COMMENTS:
Just as powerful and entertaining today — if a bit dated looking — as it was when it was released in the early 60's (before being pulled and "hidden" away due to disturbing similarities to the JFK assassination), this political thriller is still a lot of fun to watch. While Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey deliver great performances, it's Angela "Murder She Wrote" Lansbury who steals the show as one of the best, be-all and end-all manipulative mother characters ever to hit the big screen.
Much like on the "Ronin" DVD release, director John Frankenheimer provides a running audio commentary throughout the disc. Fortunately, he appears a bit more talkative about this one (thus not as many long, silent passages) and delivers some incredibly insightful information about the film's production.
That, coupled with a seven minute conversation between him, screenwriter George Axelrod and Sinatra — who also recount their "making of" experiences — will provide fans of the film (and aspiring filmmakers) with plenty of info to digest. This DVD release — while not of the greatest transfer quality — is nonetheless a must-have for fans of great American cinema.
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