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WSR Detailed DVD Review
Manchurian Candidate, The


Special Edition
Genre: Thriller

Reviewed In Issue 93 (Feb 2005) Of Widescreen Review®

Stars:
Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh & Angela Lansbury

WSR Review Scores
WSR Picture Rating: 3
DD Sound Rating: 4
DTS Sound Rating: NA
Download WSR Review
Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score: 4
Internet Links
http://www.mgm.com/dvd

Special Features
Special features include audio commentary by the director; an exclusive eight-minute interview with Frank Sinatra, George Axelrod and John Frankenheimer; two featurettes: the 15-minute "Queen Of Diamonds" hosted by Angela Lansbury; and the 13-minute "A Little Solitaire" hosted by William Friedkin; a photo gallery; the theatrical trailer and other MGM releases.


 DVD General Information

(Studio/Distributor): MGM Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number): 1006975
(MPAA Rating): PG13
(Rating Reason):

NA
(Retail Price): $14.95
(DVD Type): Single Side, Dual Layer (DVD9)
(Widescreen Edition): Yes
(Full Screen Edition): No
(Anamorphic Widescreen): Yes
(Running Time In Minutes): 126
(Color Type): Black & White
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Regional Coding): 1
(Theatrical Year): 1962
(Theatrical Release): Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release): No
(DVD Release Date): 07/13/04
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

 Credits Information

(Director): John Frankenheimer
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  DVD Picture Information

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  DVD Sound Information

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  WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
Based on a novel by Richard Condon, The Manchurian Candidate is the chilling and suspenseful political thriller hailed by critics everywhere. Frank Sinatra stars as Major Bennett Marco, whose premonitions lead him to believe the honorable Sgt. Raymond Shaw (Harvey) is a traitor. Desperately, Bennett scrambles to stop a national catastrophe after a series of prisoner-of-war experiments turns the war hero into a mind-controlled assassin.

DVD Picture:
The black-and-white 1.78:1 DVD picture is very much an improvment over the previously released, non-anamorphic DVD. With greater resolution, images appear sharper and more solid throughout. Still, there can be a softness about the picture. The gray scale is nicely balanced, with pleasing contrast. Blacks can be undefined, but are certainly deep. While dirt has certainly been cleaned out of the picture, some film grain is still inherent in the source element. Still, for the film

Soundtrack:
The remastered Dolby