History YMMV / TheManchurianCandidate

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In the 1962 film, Janet Leigh's character of Rosie (the LoveInterest) meets Marco on the train and they have a [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment singularly bizarre conversation]]. Later she bails him out of jail and through a shorter but just as weird conversation we learn that she's left her fiancee for him despite only meeting him once. Then she has no impact on the rest of the movie at all other than to [[MsFanservice fill out some dresses]] very nicely. The very odd nature of Rosie and Marco's meeting and the general uselessness of her character have led some (including RogerEbert; see his review [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031207/REVIEWS08/40802006/1023 here]]) to theorize that she's a DeepCoverAgent sent by the Chinese to keep an eye on Marco. Others guess that she's actually an American agent investigating the conspiracy, as [[spoiler: Jonathan Demme did with the character in the 2004 remake.]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In the 1962 film, Janet Leigh's character of Rosie (the LoveInterest) meets Marco on the train and they have a [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment singularly bizarre conversation]]. Later she bails him out of jail and through a shorter but just as weird conversation we learn that she's left her fiancee for him despite only meeting him once. Then she has no impact on the rest of the movie at all other than to [[MsFanservice fill out some dresses]] very nicely. The very odd nature of Rosie and Marco's meeting and the general uselessness of her character have led some (including RogerEbert; see his review [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031207/REVIEWS08/40802006/1023 here]]) to theorize that she's a DeepCoverAgent sent by the Chinese to keep an eye on Marco. Others guess that she's actually an American agent investigating the conspiracy, as [[spoiler: Creator/JonathanDemme did with the character in the 2004 remake.]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In the 1962 film, Janet Leigh's character of Rosie (the LoveInterest) meets Marco on the train and they have a [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment singularly bizarre conversation]]. Later she bails him out of jail and through a shorter but just as weird conversation we learn that she's left her fiancee for him despite only meeting him once. Then she has no impact on the rest of the movie at all other than to [[MsFanservice fill out some dresses]] very nicely. The very odd nature of Rosie and Marco's meeting and the general uselessness of her character have led some, including RogerEbert, to theorize that she's a DeepCoverAgent sent by the Chinese to keep an eye on Marco. Others guess that she's actually an American agent investigating the conspiracy, as [[spoiler: Creator/JonathanDemme did with the character in the 2004 remake.]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In the 1962 film, Janet Leigh's character of Rosie (the LoveInterest) meets Marco on the train and they have a [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment singularly bizarre conversation]]. Later she bails him out of jail and through a shorter but just as weird conversation we learn that she's left her fiancee for him despite only meeting him once. Then she has no impact on the rest of the movie at all other than to [[MsFanservice fill out some dresses]] very nicely. The very odd nature of Rosie and Marco's meeting and the general uselessness of her character have led some, including RogerEbert, to theorize that she's a Chinese agent sent to keep an eye on Marco. Others guess that she's actually an American agent investigating the conspiracy, as [[spoiler: Creator/JonathanDemme did with the character in the 2004 remake.]]

* ParanoiaFuel: The 2004 remake.

* MagnificentBastard: ''Eleanor Iselin''. People who know Creator/AngelaLansbury from ''MurderSheWrote'' would be surprised to watch this movie.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In the 1962 film, Janet Leigh's character of Rosie (the LoveInterest) meets Marco on the train and they have a [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment singularly bizarre conversation]]. Later she bails him out of jail and through a shorter but just as weird conversation we learn that she's left her fiancee for him despite only meeting him once. Then she has no impact on the rest of the movie at all other than to [[MsFanservice fill out some dresses]] very nicely. The very odd nature of Rosie and Marco's meeting and the general uselessness of her character have led some, including RogerEbert, to theorize that she's a Chinese agent sent to keep an eye on Marco. Others guess that she's actually an American agent investigating the conspiracy, as [[spoiler: Jonathan Demme did with the character in the 2004 remake.]]

* CompleteMonster: '''Eleanor Iselin'''! This woman is a fascist who emotionally (and it's implied, sexually) abuses her own son, destroys his relationships and has him brainwashed to kill all of her husband's political opponents. She also has the only woman he loved killed to prevent him from forming any relationships that would break her power over him.
** Eleanor was [[FreudianExcuse sexually abused]] by her own father so he counts as well.

* MagnificentBastard: ''Eleanor Iselin''. People who know AngelaLansbury from ''MurderSheWrote'' would be surprised to watch this movie.

** AngelaLansbury's performance in the original. Lady Macbeth is less evil. Then MerylStreep went and topped it!

* {{Expy}}: Senator John Iselin in the original novel is clearly an Expy of Joe McCarthy.
* ItMakesSenseInContext: but you probably couldn't get away with a heated fight scene in a modern thriller wherein the hero continually screams ''"HOW DID THE OLD LADIES TURN INTO RUSSIANS?"''

* UncannyValley: The animated video used to brainwash the subjects in the 2004 film is just realistic enough to raise the hackles.

* CompleteMonster: Eleanor Iselin, UpToEleven.

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: A graphic depiction of a murder by asphyxiation with plastic wrap in the 2004 film. The victim gags and vomits while his eyes bulge and he claws desperately at his assailant, all to no avail.
** AngelaLansbury's performance in the original. Lady Macbeth is less evil.
*** Then MerylStreep went and topped it!

** Angela Lansbury's performance in the original. Lady Macbeth is less evil.

* MagnificentBastard: ''Eleanor Iselin''. People who know Angela Lansbury from ''MurderSheWrote'' would be surprised to watch this movie.

* MagnificentBastard: ''Angela Lansbury''. People who know her from ''MurderSheWrote'' would be surprised to watch this movie.

* ParanoiaFuel: The 2004 remake.

* ParanoiaFuel: The 2004 remake.
* This troper has read the book and watched both movies. However it is never stated exactly why the 1960s-era versions have Mrs. Shaw being a Communist at all, and only barely touches on why she decided to run her own right-wing authoritarian dictatorship through Iselin. Kind of confusing...

* This troper has read the book and watched both movies. However it is never stated exactly why the 1960s-era versions have Mrs. Shaw being a Communist at all, and only barely touches on why she decided to run her own right-wing authoritarian dictatorship through Iselin.

* ParanoiaFuel: The 2004 remake.

* MagnificentBastard: ''Angela Lansbury''. People who know her from ''[=~Murder, She Wrote~=]'' would be surprised to watch this movie.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In the 1962 film, Janet Leigh's character of Rosie (the LoveInterest) meets Marco on the train and they have a [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment singularly bizarre conversation]]. Later she bails him out of jail and through a shorter but just as weird conversation we learn that she's left her fiancee for him despite only meeting him once. Then she has no impact on the rest of the movie at all other than to [[MsFanservice fill out some dresses]] very nicely. The very odd nature of Rosie and Marco's meeting and the general uselessness of her character have led some, including RogerEbert, to theorize that she's a Chinese agent sent to keep an eye on Marco. Others guess that she's actually an American agent investigating the conspiracy, as [[spoiler: Jonathan Demme did with the character in the 2004 remake.]]

* MagnificentBastard: ''Angela Lansbury''. People who know her from ''[=~Murder, She Wrote~=]'' would be surprised to watch this movie.

* JerkassWoobie: Raymond Shaw, especially in the 1962 film. Quite the {{Jerkass}}, but what happens to him is awful.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In the 1962 film, Janet Leigh's character of Rosie (the LoveInterest) meets Marco on the train and they have a [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment singularly bizarre conversation]]. Later she bails him out of jail and through a shorter but just as weird conversation we learn that she's left her fiancee for him despite only meeting him once. Then she has no impact on the rest of the movie at all other than to [[MsFanservice fill out some dresses]] very nicely. The very odd nature of Rosie and Marco's meeting and the general uselessness of her character have led some, including Roger Ebert, to theorize that she's a Chinese agent sent to keep an eye on Marco. Others guess that she's actually an American agent investigating the conspiracy, as [[spoiler: Jonathan Demme did with the character in the 2004 remake.]]
** WordOfGod (John Frankenheimer) said on the DVD commentary that the scene in question came straight from the book and he had no idea what that bizarre conversation meant.