Characteristics of Manchurian Candidate

Aided by a former soldier, Bennett Marco, whose recurring nightmares alert him to Shaw's brainwashed condition, Shaw eventually sacrifices his life at his very own hands, after killing his mother and his step-father instead of the presidential candidate. The film ends with Marco musing on a meaning of heroism, patriotism, and sacrifice in light of Shaw's death.

The Manchurian Candidate is paranoiac, surrealistic, macabre, cynical and satirical in mood and tone. The film's opening credits run over a stars-and-stripes motif along with a Queen of Diamonds which will become a important plot element because it sets-off Shaw's programming. The following scene continues with patriotic symbols, of which several are employed inside the film with contradictory and ironic meanings, as we see an American Eagle over a side of a drum that is certainly being beaten during the ceremony for Sergeant Shaw, who is being decorated as being a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. At this point during the film we are treated on the character of Shaw's mother, Mrs. Iselin, who is meant to symbolize one of the communist zealots from the McCarthy era whose politically-motivated, power-mad, ambition and right-wing sympathies are represented being a larger threat to American freedom than communism. Draped in an American flag to demonstrate they are as American as apple pie, the Iselin's know a photo-op as soon as they see a single and take in advantage from the ceremony to further Iselin's political ambitions.

We see the further threat this sort of politically-motivated ambition presents to American society in terms of freedom of concept and freedom of speech in the way that Mrs. Iselin despises the liberal New York publisher that Johnny decides to consume work with. Gaines is denounced as being a communist by Mrs. Iselin. As soon as Johnny informs his mother that he is repulsed by her and his step-father's virulent anti-communism, he also tells her that he and his new employer share something in popular "We both found that we each loathe and despise you and Johnny.

 

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