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the manchurian candidate
LOOKING FOR THE TRUTH
Major Marco (Washington) studies the drawings he finds in the flat of a former platoon mate who committed suicide.
As he follows Shaw around, Marco himself becomes a target for the military establishment, which believes (not, it has to be said, without some justification) that he is becoming unhinged. Marco also becomes aware of the involvement of a sinister corporation called Manchurian Global, which appears to be pulling most of the strings. The multinational also seem to have direct links to the
“WITH THE NATION’S EYE FOCUSED ON A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THIS YEAR, I COULDN’T THINK OF A BETTER TIME TO ADDRESS DARKER THEMES ABOUT THE POLITICAL PROCESS AND THE FORCES THAT TRY TO UNDERMINE IT”
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sinister Dr Atticus Noyle (Simon McBurney), who appears in Marco’s dreams and soon shows up again in real life. Just like the first film, The Manchurian Candidate climaxes with a presidential rally, a gunman with a high-powered rifle, and long-buried commands being triggered by sinister powers…
Demme’s Manchurian Candidate boasts an impressive cast, including - in addition to those already mentioned - Jon Voight, Kimberly Elise, Jeffrey Wright, Bruno Ganz, singer Robyn Hitchcock and veteran actor Dean Stockwell. Shooting took place in and around Washington and New York, with a huge desert set built in a sand quarry to represent Kuwait. Denzel Washington, like everyone else, was aware of the original film, but chose not to look at it while preparing for his role. “When playing a part that has already been created by another actor, the decision always arises as to whether or not seeing that interpretation would be valuable,” he says. “I chose not to look at the original movie so that my ideas about Marco would be completely my own.
“This is a very interesting, complicated story, and my character is very complex. What Marco remembers about the ambush doesn’t coincide with what he sees in his dreams and believes to be true. So he’s very conflicted. He’s been taught what to say, but that’s not what he actually feels.”
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