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Manchurian Candidate (2004), The (HD DVD)
Paramount // R // August 1, 2006 // Region 0
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Forty years ago, the threat of Communism from countries on the opposite end of the globe posed the greatest perceived threat to the United States, but the fear and paranoia that fuel this second adaptation of Richard Condon's The Manchurian Candidate come from within.
The film opens in Kuwait during the first Gulf War. Captain Bennett Marco (Denzel Washington) was leading his men onto what should have been a thoroughly uneventful recon mission, but an ambush caught them completely off-guard, and Marco was knocked unconscious before he had a chance to retaliate. Against
impossible odds, Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber) singlehandedly vanquished the enemy forces, gunning down a couple of helicopters and hordes of soldiers. Shaw also dragged the surviving members of his team to safety, and his heroism earned him both the Congressional Medal of Honor and the admiration of a nation. At least, that's how they remember it. As Shaw is honored with the nomination of Vice President of the United States -- thanks to his military record and the influence of his mother, the immensely powerful Senator Eleanor Shaw (Meryl Streep) -- Marco starts to believe there's some substance to the nightmares that have tormented him for the past decade. Were he and Shaw brainwashed into killing two of their fellow soldiers? Is Shaw's heroism a fantasy concocted in a lab and drilled into their brains? Unable to trust his memory or anyone he encounters, Marco sets out to uncover the truth, a conspiracy that somehow involves a shadowy corporate monolith known as the Manchurian Group. Marco's equally determined to learn what role Shaw plays in this ploy for political power, uncertain if the aloof soldier he once knew is just a pawn or one of the conspirators.
For a political thriller, The Manchurian Candidate is remarkably non-partisan, and I don't believe it's ever explicitly stated which party the Shaws represent. The majority of the film's jabs at the political process apply equally to both parties, such as the unending influence of corporate behemoths and the contrived dog-and-pony show trotted out to dupe voters, but it takes care not to preach. It's a thriller first and foremost. The Manchurian Candidate may be a remake of a film from 1962, but it owes more to the paranoid thrillers of the '70s where the enemy is everywhere, existing more as an abstract concept than a guy in a bad suit chasing our hero across a rooftop.
Denzel Washington isn't the dashing, stalwart hero he's portrayed in so many movies over the past few years. Paranoia has shattered Ben Marco -- not only does he not know who, if anyone, he can trust, but he can't even rely on his own memories and perceptions. This has transformed the once-proud soldier into a gibbering, disheveled, occasionally inarticulate mess, understandably dismissed by nearly everyone he encounters as delusional. Liev Schreiber makes the most of an almost emotionless role. Shaw tells Marco at one point "I don't have dreams", and that can be taken
both literally and figuratively. His character is a prefabricated puppet with no real drive or ambition in the political arena, and his only pleasant memories are his overromanticized recollections of those few days when his mother wasn't yanking the strings behind his every move. I was also deeply impressed with Jon Voight in his small supporting role as a senator who stands in the way of the conspiracy. Without question, the most memorable performance in the movie belongs to Meryl Streep, gleefully gnawing on the scenery every moment she's on-screen. She's completely believable as a senator, oozing charisma even at her politically sleaziest. As reprehensible as her actions may be, Eleanor Shaw is painted as a (perhaps too) loving mother who sincerely believes she's doing what's best for America, and a personable character with moral conviction is far more compelling than moustache-twirling evil.
The film flounders as it comes to an end. There's little doubt what course the climax is going to take, and the movie teases the audience excessively before arriving at that inevitable destination. It also tacks on a couple of unnecessary codas, both of which are ineffective and sap away the strength of the climax's resolution. Its final moments may not be entirely satisfying, but the journey to get there is worth the trip. Demme directs with a sure hand, undeterred by the near-universal derision of The Trouble with Charlie, his previous attempt at remaking a classic film. Demme's film is worth being appreciated on its own merits, not viewed strictly as a remake, and that alone is a remarkable achievement.
Video: One of the more troubling trends in the A/V enthusiast community is the tunnel vision focus on demo-quality video at all costs. The mindset seems to be that shelling out five hundred bucks for an HD DVD player ought to be a guarantee that every movie will boast a razor sharp, natural, peering-out-of-a-window appearance, cinematography and directorial intent be damned. Expect to see a flurry of posts savaging The Manchurian Candidate after its release on Tuesday; this is a film with a strong sense of style, but a showpiece for a decked-out home theater it's not.
The opening moments of the film are especially stylized, alternating between the soft, ruddy introduction of the soldiers in Kuwait, startlingly sharp and detailed footage as night approaches, the blurry green tint of night vision googles, and the haze and flattened contrast in Marco's speech to a troop of Boy Scouts. Sharpness is somewhat inconsistent, and perhaps because of the thin veneer of grain visible throughout much of the film, edges are often not crisply defined. The subdued palette reflects the movie's bleak perception of the world, although some of its hues can still
be striking, perhaps most notably the almost otherworldly appearance of Vera Farmiga when her character is first introduced.
I don't have Jonathan Demme or director of photography Tak Fujimoto on speed dial to get their thoughts, but I suspect that this 1.85:1 high definition presentation is representative of the look of the film as it was originally shot, even if it's not as objectively impressive as many other HD DVDs. One gripe, though, is that there is a small amount of dust visible throughout The Manchurian Candidate. It's not terribly intrusive but still unusual for such a recent theatrical release.
Audio: The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio is most aggressive in the battle, real and imagined, in Kuwait and during the nightmare sequences. The war footage is particularly enveloping, with the din of battle roaring from every channel and the automatic weapons accompanied by a gutteral, low frequency assault. The pervasive sense of paranoia throughout the remainder of the film also makes for some occasional effective use of the surround channels. The rear speakers are primarily reserved for ambiance throughout much of the movie, but the sound design does a considerably better job than usual in making this seem like an active, bustling world. The Manchurian Candidate may not be a sonic assault from beginning to end, but I'm not left with any major complaints. As is the case with Paramount's other HD DVD releases, a DTS track is also included alongside the usual assortment of dubs and subtitles.
Supplements: The extras are ported over from the 2004 DVD, beginning with an audio commentary by director Jonathan Demme and co-writer Daniel Pyne. Their discussion is light on technical details, the usual on-set antics, and backstory, instead focusing almost entirely on the storytelling. Demme gleefully points out the many cameos in the film, including his eight year old daughter and schlock legend Roger Corman, and notes that at least some of the elements that make the movie seem so timely were really just happy coincidences. Pyne and Demme also answered some of the lingering questions I had about the movie, such as why it took so long for Marco to notice an implant jutting out of his shoulder and whether or not the Arab women with the immaculately detailed designs on their faces were supposed to contribute anything other than a sort of surreal quality to the nightmares. It's not an especially engaging discussion, but I found it worth setting aside a couple hours to give a listen.
"The Enemy Within" is a fourteen minute featurette on the production of the movie, avoiding the usual missteps of a promotional featurette. It's so far removed from the usual lightweight EPK that it discusses the ending of the movie in detail. Much of the key cast and crew are interviewed, and the featurette's emphasis is primarily on the film's updated take on the original story. Short but significantly above-average. The twelve minute featurette "The Cast of The Manchurian Candidate" focuses on Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, and, briefly, Liev Schreiber as well as the portrayals of their characters. A wide variety of cast and crew comment, as well as Streep and Schreiber themselves, but it winds up seeming like an endless parade of praise with only Streep offering any genuine insight.
The deleted/extended footage on this
disc is divided into two sections, the first of which amounts to nine minutes of material. The initial scene fleshes out the relationship between the two leads during their time in the Middle East, but the rest of the five are fairly inessential, showing Marco's uneventful daily routine (and explaining why he'd buy romance novels), more with Senator Jordan and the Manchurian suits, a montage of Shaw hitting daycares and churches on the campaign trail, and Marco getting interrupted when he finally does catch up with Shaw. Demme and Pyne explain why these were trimmed out in the optional commentary. A couple of fake news personalities interview Eleanor Shaw in the 'Outtakes' reel, which runs a little over two minutes and includes optional, uninsightful audio commentary.
Liev Schreiber's screen test is also presented on this disc, and it's surprisingly polished: shot on film, properly lit, on some sort of set with the appropriate wardrobe and props, and Meryl Streep, even. This is also the sole extra to appear in anamorphic widescreen.
Some of the background political chatter is offered in its entirety in the ten minute "Political Pundits", which is accompanied by an optional minute-long intro by Demme. While it's vaguely neat to see Sidney Lumet and Fab Five Freddy (who does not tell me that everybody's fly) in this context, it's r-e-e-e-e-e-e-ally dry.
Although the film's theatrical trailer is presented at 1080p, it's indistinguishable from upconverted, standard definition video.
Conclusion: Comparisons to the original film may be unavoidable, but The Manchurian Candidate stands on its own as a film. It's not the instant classic that the original was, but The Manchurian Candidate is an effective, well-crafted paranoid thriller elevated by several exceptional performances. Recommended to people with a genuine interest in the material, but gearheads seeking out another home theater tech demo should steer clear.
Standard image disclaimer: The images in this review were lifted from the official movie site and do not necessarily reflect the appearance of this HD DVD.
The film opens in Kuwait during the first Gulf War. Captain Bennett Marco (Denzel Washington) was leading his men onto what should have been a thoroughly uneventful recon mission, but an ambush caught them completely off-guard, and Marco was knocked unconscious before he had a chance to retaliate. Against
impossible odds, Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber) singlehandedly vanquished the enemy forces, gunning down a couple of helicopters and hordes of soldiers. Shaw also dragged the surviving members of his team to safety, and his heroism earned him both the Congressional Medal of Honor and the admiration of a nation. At least, that's how they remember it. As Shaw is honored with the nomination of Vice President of the United States -- thanks to his military record and the influence of his mother, the immensely powerful Senator Eleanor Shaw (Meryl Streep) -- Marco starts to believe there's some substance to the nightmares that have tormented him for the past decade. Were he and Shaw brainwashed into killing two of their fellow soldiers? Is Shaw's heroism a fantasy concocted in a lab and drilled into their brains? Unable to trust his memory or anyone he encounters, Marco sets out to uncover the truth, a conspiracy that somehow involves a shadowy corporate monolith known as the Manchurian Group. Marco's equally determined to learn what role Shaw plays in this ploy for political power, uncertain if the aloof soldier he once knew is just a pawn or one of the conspirators. For a political thriller, The Manchurian Candidate is remarkably non-partisan, and I don't believe it's ever explicitly stated which party the Shaws represent. The majority of the film's jabs at the political process apply equally to both parties, such as the unending influence of corporate behemoths and the contrived dog-and-pony show trotted out to dupe voters, but it takes care not to preach. It's a thriller first and foremost. The Manchurian Candidate may be a remake of a film from 1962, but it owes more to the paranoid thrillers of the '70s where the enemy is everywhere, existing more as an abstract concept than a guy in a bad suit chasing our hero across a rooftop.
Denzel Washington isn't the dashing, stalwart hero he's portrayed in so many movies over the past few years. Paranoia has shattered Ben Marco -- not only does he not know who, if anyone, he can trust, but he can't even rely on his own memories and perceptions. This has transformed the once-proud soldier into a gibbering, disheveled, occasionally inarticulate mess, understandably dismissed by nearly everyone he encounters as delusional. Liev Schreiber makes the most of an almost emotionless role. Shaw tells Marco at one point "I don't have dreams", and that can be taken
both literally and figuratively. His character is a prefabricated puppet with no real drive or ambition in the political arena, and his only pleasant memories are his overromanticized recollections of those few days when his mother wasn't yanking the strings behind his every move. I was also deeply impressed with Jon Voight in his small supporting role as a senator who stands in the way of the conspiracy. Without question, the most memorable performance in the movie belongs to Meryl Streep, gleefully gnawing on the scenery every moment she's on-screen. She's completely believable as a senator, oozing charisma even at her politically sleaziest. As reprehensible as her actions may be, Eleanor Shaw is painted as a (perhaps too) loving mother who sincerely believes she's doing what's best for America, and a personable character with moral conviction is far more compelling than moustache-twirling evil. The film flounders as it comes to an end. There's little doubt what course the climax is going to take, and the movie teases the audience excessively before arriving at that inevitable destination. It also tacks on a couple of unnecessary codas, both of which are ineffective and sap away the strength of the climax's resolution. Its final moments may not be entirely satisfying, but the journey to get there is worth the trip. Demme directs with a sure hand, undeterred by the near-universal derision of The Trouble with Charlie, his previous attempt at remaking a classic film. Demme's film is worth being appreciated on its own merits, not viewed strictly as a remake, and that alone is a remarkable achievement.
Video: One of the more troubling trends in the A/V enthusiast community is the tunnel vision focus on demo-quality video at all costs. The mindset seems to be that shelling out five hundred bucks for an HD DVD player ought to be a guarantee that every movie will boast a razor sharp, natural, peering-out-of-a-window appearance, cinematography and directorial intent be damned. Expect to see a flurry of posts savaging The Manchurian Candidate after its release on Tuesday; this is a film with a strong sense of style, but a showpiece for a decked-out home theater it's not.
The opening moments of the film are especially stylized, alternating between the soft, ruddy introduction of the soldiers in Kuwait, startlingly sharp and detailed footage as night approaches, the blurry green tint of night vision googles, and the haze and flattened contrast in Marco's speech to a troop of Boy Scouts. Sharpness is somewhat inconsistent, and perhaps because of the thin veneer of grain visible throughout much of the film, edges are often not crisply defined. The subdued palette reflects the movie's bleak perception of the world, although some of its hues can still
be striking, perhaps most notably the almost otherworldly appearance of Vera Farmiga when her character is first introduced. I don't have Jonathan Demme or director of photography Tak Fujimoto on speed dial to get their thoughts, but I suspect that this 1.85:1 high definition presentation is representative of the look of the film as it was originally shot, even if it's not as objectively impressive as many other HD DVDs. One gripe, though, is that there is a small amount of dust visible throughout The Manchurian Candidate. It's not terribly intrusive but still unusual for such a recent theatrical release.
Audio: The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio is most aggressive in the battle, real and imagined, in Kuwait and during the nightmare sequences. The war footage is particularly enveloping, with the din of battle roaring from every channel and the automatic weapons accompanied by a gutteral, low frequency assault. The pervasive sense of paranoia throughout the remainder of the film also makes for some occasional effective use of the surround channels. The rear speakers are primarily reserved for ambiance throughout much of the movie, but the sound design does a considerably better job than usual in making this seem like an active, bustling world. The Manchurian Candidate may not be a sonic assault from beginning to end, but I'm not left with any major complaints. As is the case with Paramount's other HD DVD releases, a DTS track is also included alongside the usual assortment of dubs and subtitles.
Supplements: The extras are ported over from the 2004 DVD, beginning with an audio commentary by director Jonathan Demme and co-writer Daniel Pyne. Their discussion is light on technical details, the usual on-set antics, and backstory, instead focusing almost entirely on the storytelling. Demme gleefully points out the many cameos in the film, including his eight year old daughter and schlock legend Roger Corman, and notes that at least some of the elements that make the movie seem so timely were really just happy coincidences. Pyne and Demme also answered some of the lingering questions I had about the movie, such as why it took so long for Marco to notice an implant jutting out of his shoulder and whether or not the Arab women with the immaculately detailed designs on their faces were supposed to contribute anything other than a sort of surreal quality to the nightmares. It's not an especially engaging discussion, but I found it worth setting aside a couple hours to give a listen.
"The Enemy Within" is a fourteen minute featurette on the production of the movie, avoiding the usual missteps of a promotional featurette. It's so far removed from the usual lightweight EPK that it discusses the ending of the movie in detail. Much of the key cast and crew are interviewed, and the featurette's emphasis is primarily on the film's updated take on the original story. Short but significantly above-average. The twelve minute featurette "The Cast of The Manchurian Candidate" focuses on Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, and, briefly, Liev Schreiber as well as the portrayals of their characters. A wide variety of cast and crew comment, as well as Streep and Schreiber themselves, but it winds up seeming like an endless parade of praise with only Streep offering any genuine insight.
The deleted/extended footage on this
disc is divided into two sections, the first of which amounts to nine minutes of material. The initial scene fleshes out the relationship between the two leads during their time in the Middle East, but the rest of the five are fairly inessential, showing Marco's uneventful daily routine (and explaining why he'd buy romance novels), more with Senator Jordan and the Manchurian suits, a montage of Shaw hitting daycares and churches on the campaign trail, and Marco getting interrupted when he finally does catch up with Shaw. Demme and Pyne explain why these were trimmed out in the optional commentary. A couple of fake news personalities interview Eleanor Shaw in the 'Outtakes' reel, which runs a little over two minutes and includes optional, uninsightful audio commentary. Liev Schreiber's screen test is also presented on this disc, and it's surprisingly polished: shot on film, properly lit, on some sort of set with the appropriate wardrobe and props, and Meryl Streep, even. This is also the sole extra to appear in anamorphic widescreen.
Some of the background political chatter is offered in its entirety in the ten minute "Political Pundits", which is accompanied by an optional minute-long intro by Demme. While it's vaguely neat to see Sidney Lumet and Fab Five Freddy (who does not tell me that everybody's fly) in this context, it's r-e-e-e-e-e-e-ally dry.
Although the film's theatrical trailer is presented at 1080p, it's indistinguishable from upconverted, standard definition video.
Conclusion: Comparisons to the original film may be unavoidable, but The Manchurian Candidate stands on its own as a film. It's not the instant classic that the original was, but The Manchurian Candidate is an effective, well-crafted paranoid thriller elevated by several exceptional performances. Recommended to people with a genuine interest in the material, but gearheads seeking out another home theater tech demo should steer clear.
Standard image disclaimer: The images in this review were lifted from the official movie site and do not necessarily reflect the appearance of this HD DVD.
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