2004 | Directed by Jonathan Demme |
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When his army unit was ambushed during the first Gulf War, Sergeant Raymond Shaw saved his fellow
soldiers just as his commanding officer, Major Ben Marco, was knocked unconscious. Brokering the
incident for political capital, Shaw eventually becomes a vice-presidential nominee, while Marco
is haunted by dreams of what happened - or didn't happen. Remake of the 1962 classic, starring Frank
Sinatra, Laurence Harvey & Angela Lansbury. |
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| ADDITIONAL CAST & CHARACTERS |
Denzel Washington
Meryl Streep
Liev Schreiber
John Voigt
Kimberly Elise |
... Seargent Ben Marco
... Eleanor Prentiss Shaw
... Raymond Shaw
... Senator Thomas Jordan
... Rosie |
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Jonathan Demme, The Hollywood Reporter, June 2004
"We may be seeing a lot more of "the real Meryl Streep" in certain subtle ways in this movie
than we've ever seen before. She's a very brilliant human being, and her character's a very
brilliant human being. I think in various other parts, it's possible Meryl has needed to put a
little governor on the extent to which she can allow her massive intelligence and confidence
to show through; it's a value Jodie Foster was able to capitalize on in 'The Silence
of the Lambs'."
Brian De Palma was (briefly) considered to direct this film, a suggestion made by one of De Palma's former representatives. However, the idea was ultimately nixed by producer Scott Rudin.
Neil Jordan was also briefly considered to direct this remake.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Meryl Streep watched political talk shows to prepare for her role: "anything with Peggy Noonan, 'Karen Hughes (V)' ... it's hard to get more hyperbolic than that." She didn't watch the original film until after filming wrapped.
Emma Thompson, Glenn Close and Jessica Lange where considered for the role of Eleanor Shaw.
Liev Schreiber was handpicked by Paramount Pictures boss Sherry Lansing for the title role.
In Rosie's cousin's apartment, there is a poster of an angel crouching down. This is a print from the cover art of Tony Kushner's play "Angels in America". Jeffrey Wright, who plays Al Melvin in the film, starred in both the original staging of the play and also the HBO dramatization "Angels in America" (2003)
The movie opens with Marco's and Shaw's fellow soldiers playing a card game; this is a reference to The Manchurian Candidate (1962), in which cards play a very important role in the plot.
Production Assistant Chris Rodriguez's photo is used on the front page of the newspaper that Kimberly Elise picks up on the train, under the caption, "Muslim Yale student murdered by angry mob."
Tina Sinatra who was instrumental in deciding to remake the film, inherited the production rights from her father, Frank Sinatra who played Bennett Marco in the 1962 version.
In developing his character, Liev Schreiber watched footage of Robert F. Kennedy.
The Manchurian Candidate - Official Website
General information on the cast & crew, photos and games
Additional Information at the Internet Movie Database
Full cast & credits, trivia and business information
| AWARDS / NOMINATIONS FOR MERYL STREEP |
(Nomination) British Academy Award - Best Supporting Actress
(Nomination) Golden Globe Award - Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
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Features: Featurettes, deleted scenes
Video: Widescreen, Color
Languages: English (Dolby)
BUY DVD AT AMAZON.COM |
DVD Release: December 21, 2004
Region Code: 1
Distributor: Paramount
ASIN: B0006210ZG
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