"The Manchurian Candidate" is a paranoid thriller about a former army major called Ben Marco trying to regain his sanity whilst unravelling a conspiracy theory that has become apparent to him in his dreams. There are two versions of this film, the first made in 1962 and the remake made in 2004, I am reviewing the 2004 make of the film but will be making comparisons to the earlier version.
This film can fit into a range of genres. Paranoid thriller, Political thriller and Greek tragedy are the best descriptions of the film. The greek tragedy refers to the story of Oedipus and how he has an unnatural attraction to his own mother, this is reflected in the relationship between Raymond and Eleanor Shaw.
The murder of Senator Jordan in this film is differs from the original version. The way Senator Jordan drowns creates a dream like state, the lighting and focus pulling in the scene makes it seem like a dream. The scene was this way because the director said he wanted the scene to symbolise that all the characters were drowning at this point in the film. The fog in the lake symbolises the lack of clarity all the characters are experiencing at this time. The non diegetic music creates tension in this scene, which is key in the thriller genre. Finally the close up on Raymonds face shows he is in hypnotic state.
The film climaxes when Raymond realises his soul is corrupted, therefore he sacrifices himself and his mother to eliminatebeing owned and operated. It ends with with a prominent picture of mount Rushmore on the backdrop. This invites viewers to ask questions about the past/present leaders and corruption.
The murder of Senator Jordan in this film is differs from the original version. The way Senator Jordan drowns creates a dream like state, the lighting and focus pulling in the scene makes it seem like a dream. The scene was this way because the director said he wanted the scene to symbolise that all the characters were drowning at this point in the film. The fog in the lake symbolises the lack of clarity all the characters are experiencing at this time. The non diegetic music creates tension in this scene, which is key in the thriller genre. Finally the close up on Raymonds face shows he is in hypnotic state. The film climaxes when Raymond realises his soul is corrupted, therefore he sacrifices himself and his mother to eliminatebeing owned and operated. It ends with with a prominent picture of mount Rushmore on the backdrop. This invites viewers to ask questions about the past/present leaders and corruption.
