Assembled from bits and pieces of Cold War mythology, The Manchurian Candidate is a classic action film that crosses the action of an Ian Fleming novel with the sinister political satire of Dr. Strangelove.

A group of American soldiers in Korea are captured by the Chinese. Led by Captain Marco (Frank Sinatra, in what he later called the high point of his film career), they escape and return home as celebrated heroes. Among the soldiers is the disagreeable Raymond Shaw (Lawrence Harvey), who is awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions that no one can quite recollect.

Marco is tormented by nightmares of his experiences as a POW, and his visions lead him to suspect foul play behind Shaw’s accolades. Shaw has his own problems: his father-in-law (James Gregory) is a McCarthy-like congressman, and his mother (Angela Lansbury) possesses an odd idea of what constitutes maternal affection.

Why is Shaw so heavily praised by men who hate him? Does Mrs. Iselin really have the hots for her son? What exactly happened in that prison camp? The film gradually builds to a hypnotic revelation about a communist conspiracy and Marco makes a desperate attempt to prevent nothing less than a Soviet takeover of the White House.

First released in 1962, The Manchurian Candidate feels more contemporary than any other action movie of its decade. Much of its freshness comes from the uncanny parallels to history since the initial release. Sinatra, who owned the rights, kept the film out of release from 1964 until 1988, some say because he felt the film so eerily resembled the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy. The real reason more likely has to do with Sinatra’s financial disagreements with United Artists, but it is nevertheless fascinating to watch a film that seems to predict the near future. Bobby Kennedy’s 1968 assassination mirrors the film even more closely than the death of his brother.

The Manchurian Candidate is one of the great American thrillers, made timeless by its explosive climax, dark lampooning of the American political system and enough links to contemporary history to keep conspiracy theorists in business for years to come.

OFS Film: Saturday in West Lecture Hall at 7, 9 and 11 p.m.

Deerhoof
By Review staff

Wondering about the band behind the disturbing, fruit-filled signs seen around campus? Check out Deerhoof this coming Monday night at the ’Sco. A critically acclaimed four-piece band from the Bay area, Deerhoof has been called “an aesthetic assualt as sneaky as it is fundamentally devastating” (The Wire) and “the most exciting rock band of the moment” (Nashville Scene).

The band’s sound is a mixture of noise rock, minimalism, the Shaggs and Sesame-Street-style melodies with mystical fairy tale lyrics. Deerhoof is legendary for its exhilarating live sets — don’t miss this opportunity to see them live!

Deerhoof’s stop in Oberlin is a part of their national tour in support of their new album, Milk Man, on the Kill the Rock Stars/5rc labels.

Monday, April 26, 10 p.m. at the ’Sco. $4 O.C.I.D. $8 General, available at Wilder Desk