The Manchurian Candidate

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

3 corrected entries

(3 votes)

Corrected entry: In the scene where Cap. Marco has his dream, in the shots of him asleep before it fades to the dream you can see him open his eyes twice.

Correction: Not a mistake. He's supposed to be in REM state and his eyelids flutter open a couple of times. This was a way of depicting the fitful sleep Marco was experiencing night after night.

Corrected entry: Released in 1962, the film was put on the shelf after its initial run because its plot reminded people a little too much of the Kennedy assassination the year later. It wasn't available again until it was released for home video in 1988.

Correction: This story has been refuted as a complete fabrication. There are various theories as to why this rumor was started, but it is a rumor nonetheless.

Corrected entry: When Frank Sinatra walks into his apartment carrying a copy of the New York Post, the headlines are visible on the screen. The main headline is about the death of Senator Jordan and Jocie; it takes up most of the front page, and this is obviously what the audience is meant to read. However, above the words "New York Post" there is another headline - "VIOLENT HURRICANE HITS MIDWEST: 20 DEAD, HUNDREDS HOMELESS." Curious considering a hurricane hitting the Midwest is about as likely as one hitting Siberia.

Correction: Such a headline, which actually said SWEEPS not HITS, is plausible if one looks at the history of hurricanes such as Audrey or Camille. Or even this 1998 CNN.com headline: "Upper Midwest hit by hurricane-force storm: 5 dead; hundreds of thousands without power" (http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/9805/31/midwest.storms/) And there is a Midwest Hurricane Center in St. Louis, MO.

Factual error: In the scene when the Senator and Raymond's mother are in the hotel room, the newspaper headline (upside down in the lower right) states that he will address the Senate that day. However, in the next scene when he proclaims there are 57 Communists (based on the Heinz ketchup), there is an uproar in the chamber and he yells "Point of order, Mr. Speaker." The Speaker (of the House) is not in the Senate, he is the head of the House of Representatives.

More mistakes in The Manchurian Candidate

Marco: It's not that Raymond Shaw is hard to like. He's impossible to like.

More quotes from The Manchurian Candidate
More trivia for The Manchurian Candidate

Question: A part of this film's critical acclaim was caused by an unfocused shot, which the critics called brilliant - even though the lack of focus was an accident. What is that shot and where exactly in the movie does it appear?

Answer: The shot in question occurs when Sinatra's character, Marco, holds up a deck full of queens while trying to deprogram Raymond. On the DVD commentary track, the director, Frankenheimer, acknowleges that the scene was out of focus, and that though Sinatra supplied several other takes of the scene, the other takes weren't nearly as good, so he went with the flawed one. Later, Frankenheimer was praised by critics for the unfocused shot showing Raymond's disturbed perceptions.

More questions & answers from The Manchurian Candidate

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.