[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
phone call that triggers a subliminal command, prompting Raymond to report
to a New York apartment. Apparently in a trance the whole time, he is then
examined by communist agents. Surprisingly, during the examination the
communist scientist from earlier in the film reappears. The sinister character
Conspiracy in the New Frontier 51
is content when he confirms that his subject remains unaware of what really
happened. He also determines that Raymond remains under their influence
and that he still does not realize that anything is out of the ordinary.
In the central part of the film, viewers see cracks develop in communist
deception. The scene shifts to the story of Bennett Marco, who served in
Korea with Raymond and remained in the service after the war, attaining
the rank of major. Marco is troubled by repeated nightmares, however. The
dreams seem bizarre and sinister. They always focus on hazy and jumbled
memories of the Garden Club hallucination, an incident that Marco does
not consciously remember. Slowly, however, his amnesia about the incident
begins to fade. He begins to regain a cloudy memory of what really had
happened to the two members of his unit who had died at Raymond s hands.
Marco dutifully reports his vague suspicions to his superiors, unsure if he is
experiencing a psychological condition or if the vaguely returning memories
are real. It is only when another member of his unit independently reports
similar nightmares that American military officials take the matter seriously.
They assign Marco to investigate what has happened and what, if anything,
these strange dreams mean.
Raymond s mother, meanwhile, takes on an ever-increasing role as the film
heads toward a climax. Already, viewers realize that she is cold and calculating
and that she is angling in every way possible to assure that her husband receives
the nomination.
As Marco begins to figure out what is happening, however, the situation
becomes more chaotic. Viewers discover that Raymond s mother is his com-
munist controller and that she is willing to sacrifice her son to the cause. Now
under her spell, Raymond commits several murders to advance this plan.
Finally, the main point of the plot is revealed. Raymond has been selected
to assassinate the front-running presidential nominee on national television.
According to the scheme, this is supposed to cause the party to clamor for the
tough-minded Senator Iselin to accept the nomination, just as Raymond s
mother planned.
The appointed time draws near, but it is unclear whether Marco will be
able to thwart the plan in time. Raymond has his intended victim in his gun
sights from a hidden location above the convention hall. Just when it appears
Marco is an instant too late, Raymond redirects his focus to a new target. In
an abrupt plot twist, Raymond shoots the senator and his mother instead of
his assigned target. At the same moment, Marco and a police officer burst
into the room, and the officer shoots Raymond dead. Then, following a brief
denouement, the improbable tale draws to a close.
The Manchurian Candidate brought together conspiracy themes as it re-
framed 1950s-style anticommunist fears into a complicated package.9 Its
fantastic portrayal of brainwashing brings a science fiction element to the film
to explain how seeming innocents could turn against their homeland. This
portrayal was more subtle than the mind-control elements of 1950s science
52 Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics
fiction movies such as Invaders from Mars, but in terms of dramatic effect,
it worked in the same way. Communism was again seen as a thief of free
will. Almost no amount of caution, the film seems to suggest on one level, is
too much when confronted with an enemy that can deceive and control the
people. The story implies that defeat can come without people even being
aware that the fight has started.
Frankenheimer s skillful direction glosses over several inconsistencies within
the story that extend beyond the dubious possibility of mind control in the
way the movie suggests. As the film nears the end, the pace quickens, and
viewers have little time to think about the many leaps in logic and the many
strokes of luck that would be required for the assassination plot to achieve
the outcome the conspirators envision.
The absurdity of some plot elements is nonetheless difficult to miss, and
since Frankenheimer toys with traditional symbols of the all-American life,
a satirical reading of the film is suggested. Certainly, there are few dramas
in American filmmaking that take the seeming delight that this film does in
portraying the dark side of motherhood as construed in mid-twentieth century
America. Raymond, robbed of his free will, turns out to be the victim of his
mother s misguided scheming, having no choice in the matter. A throwaway
line early in the film turns out to be prophetic and portending monstrous
consequences: It s a terrible thing to hate your mother, he says. Indeed,
Raymond s mother is not merely controlling in the way that assumedly bad
mothers are; she is literally his controller in an elaborate plot that destroys
both of them.
On a broader level, there can hardly have been more dramatic circum-
stances to accompany the debut of this film. Hitting American theaters on
October 24, 1962, its release coincided with the height of the Cuban mis-
sile crisis, a time when many Americans feared quite correctly according to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szkicerysunki.xlx.pl
phone call that triggers a subliminal command, prompting Raymond to report
to a New York apartment. Apparently in a trance the whole time, he is then
examined by communist agents. Surprisingly, during the examination the
communist scientist from earlier in the film reappears. The sinister character
Conspiracy in the New Frontier 51
is content when he confirms that his subject remains unaware of what really
happened. He also determines that Raymond remains under their influence
and that he still does not realize that anything is out of the ordinary.
In the central part of the film, viewers see cracks develop in communist
deception. The scene shifts to the story of Bennett Marco, who served in
Korea with Raymond and remained in the service after the war, attaining
the rank of major. Marco is troubled by repeated nightmares, however. The
dreams seem bizarre and sinister. They always focus on hazy and jumbled
memories of the Garden Club hallucination, an incident that Marco does
not consciously remember. Slowly, however, his amnesia about the incident
begins to fade. He begins to regain a cloudy memory of what really had
happened to the two members of his unit who had died at Raymond s hands.
Marco dutifully reports his vague suspicions to his superiors, unsure if he is
experiencing a psychological condition or if the vaguely returning memories
are real. It is only when another member of his unit independently reports
similar nightmares that American military officials take the matter seriously.
They assign Marco to investigate what has happened and what, if anything,
these strange dreams mean.
Raymond s mother, meanwhile, takes on an ever-increasing role as the film
heads toward a climax. Already, viewers realize that she is cold and calculating
and that she is angling in every way possible to assure that her husband receives
the nomination.
As Marco begins to figure out what is happening, however, the situation
becomes more chaotic. Viewers discover that Raymond s mother is his com-
munist controller and that she is willing to sacrifice her son to the cause. Now
under her spell, Raymond commits several murders to advance this plan.
Finally, the main point of the plot is revealed. Raymond has been selected
to assassinate the front-running presidential nominee on national television.
According to the scheme, this is supposed to cause the party to clamor for the
tough-minded Senator Iselin to accept the nomination, just as Raymond s
mother planned.
The appointed time draws near, but it is unclear whether Marco will be
able to thwart the plan in time. Raymond has his intended victim in his gun
sights from a hidden location above the convention hall. Just when it appears
Marco is an instant too late, Raymond redirects his focus to a new target. In
an abrupt plot twist, Raymond shoots the senator and his mother instead of
his assigned target. At the same moment, Marco and a police officer burst
into the room, and the officer shoots Raymond dead. Then, following a brief
denouement, the improbable tale draws to a close.
The Manchurian Candidate brought together conspiracy themes as it re-
framed 1950s-style anticommunist fears into a complicated package.9 Its
fantastic portrayal of brainwashing brings a science fiction element to the film
to explain how seeming innocents could turn against their homeland. This
portrayal was more subtle than the mind-control elements of 1950s science
52 Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics
fiction movies such as Invaders from Mars, but in terms of dramatic effect,
it worked in the same way. Communism was again seen as a thief of free
will. Almost no amount of caution, the film seems to suggest on one level, is
too much when confronted with an enemy that can deceive and control the
people. The story implies that defeat can come without people even being
aware that the fight has started.
Frankenheimer s skillful direction glosses over several inconsistencies within
the story that extend beyond the dubious possibility of mind control in the
way the movie suggests. As the film nears the end, the pace quickens, and
viewers have little time to think about the many leaps in logic and the many
strokes of luck that would be required for the assassination plot to achieve
the outcome the conspirators envision.
The absurdity of some plot elements is nonetheless difficult to miss, and
since Frankenheimer toys with traditional symbols of the all-American life,
a satirical reading of the film is suggested. Certainly, there are few dramas
in American filmmaking that take the seeming delight that this film does in
portraying the dark side of motherhood as construed in mid-twentieth century
America. Raymond, robbed of his free will, turns out to be the victim of his
mother s misguided scheming, having no choice in the matter. A throwaway
line early in the film turns out to be prophetic and portending monstrous
consequences: It s a terrible thing to hate your mother, he says. Indeed,
Raymond s mother is not merely controlling in the way that assumedly bad
mothers are; she is literally his controller in an elaborate plot that destroys
both of them.
On a broader level, there can hardly have been more dramatic circum-
stances to accompany the debut of this film. Hitting American theaters on
October 24, 1962, its release coincided with the height of the Cuban mis-
sile crisis, a time when many Americans feared quite correctly according to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]