The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

A movie that was shelved for 25 years; part life imitating art, part Sinatra buying up the rights because of profit disputes. In spite of that, he said it was one of his finest experiences in film making. It’s interesting that it continued a feeling of noir (so glad it’s in black and white) and added the obsession with psychology and the red scare themes of the day--incorporating fearful frenzy with real global power shifting.

In the real world, the creepy kiss would not be so strange. After all, Angela Lansbury is only 3 year older than Laurence Harvey, but in the context of the film, it is earth shattering—a declaration of just how convoluted and disturbing their relationship is. Lansbury makes a formidable femme fatale with a nauseating twist.

I was confused by Janet Leigh. Was she the red herring, or just redemption? I was glad she was there for Bennett Marco’s sake though. (nice side note--little did I know, but I named one of my sons Bennett!) Also, the garden club meeting astounded me