I finally got around to seeing both 1962 and 2004 versions of The Manchurian Candidate. (Not back to back, I waited a respectable couple weeks in between.)
And the one that I endorse is....
Envelope, please?....
As if you couldn't tell by the picture or link: 1962!
The synopsis of both: US soldiers are captured (Korean War & Iraq, respectively) and brainwashed. Trouble follows, especially for the Congressional Medal of Honor winner.
The remake with Denzel Washington is ok. But I really, REALLY liked the original!
The '62 version is a lot more Hitchcock-y (and Twilight Zone-y) than '04: It's black & white rather than color. It's a lot more suspenseful. A little more to think about. (AAACK! GOD FORBID! NOT THESE DAYS!!) And the political climate of the time-frame is a lot more interesting.
But chiefly for me, there was a huge, glaring omission in the remake. Like I'm going to tell you what it is and spoil the surprise. But it was one of the best and integral parts. It defined characters. It fed into the ending perfectly. It was poetry!... Totally omitted in '04.
I have to concede that the original is a little slower paced (but not much!) and a bit dated in dialogue in a few sections. But this is serious nit-picking. If you have any attention span whatsoever and a little understanding that you're revisiting the Korean War era when people talked and acted a little strangely - by today's standards - you'll love the original as I did.
Like I said '04's remake was ok. But the 1962 original is a must see!
