The 1962 version of "The Manchurian Candidate" is a typical Cold War suspense film laced with sarcastic hints throughout. Released during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the film would surely have resonated with the Cold War drama Americans were facing and deeply feared. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "The Manchurian Candidate" focuses on the main character Raymond Shaw after his return home from the Korean War. With his return, Shaw is perceived by Americans as a war hero, even greeted with a large public welcome organized by his mother in the hope of furthering his stepfather's political career within the United States Senate. However, as the plot unfolds, Shaw's achievements are revealed to not be as true as society hoped from a wartime hero and in fact to be a cover-up for China and China's brainwashing experience. Soviet Union while captured with others during the Korean War. . Audiences can witness how other characters like Major Ben Marco deal with their recurring nightmares about what really happened during the capture, similar to the post-traumatic stress many face. Additionally, viewers get a glimpse into Shaw's actions as a result of a mental trigger that goes off in his brain when he encounters a red queen inside a deck of playing cards (the trigger used to get him to do a job of espionage). the actors and actresses do a great job of portraying the political turmoil that was occurring in the 1960s. The psychological state of people returning from war is well represented in the film. Scenes where those who wake up from the recurring nightmare truly put into practice the post-war stress many faced returning home. Furthermore, the general political tension of the time is strongly represented. The tension between the two parties in the film shows a more in-depth look at what was really happening within America's borders in the lead-up to the 1964 presidential election. The footage also compares quite realistically as it relates to the election of JFK in 1960. The Islen family, consisting of Raymond Shaw's mother and stepfather, exquisitely represents the image that American culture feared regarding the communist medal in American politics. Coming out as a war hero's family and the ideal patriotic family, suddenly being drawn into a political scheme was the power that many Americans feared during the 1960s; mainly due to the fact that the country as a whole was facing trust issues. The actress who plays Jocelyn Jordan also does a great job of portraying the female role of this period to support her partner. With this, Frank Sinatra, who played Ben Marco, realistically shows the pressure that many Americans in a similar position felt when it came to protecting the country as a whole. Raymond Shaw also demonstrates the greatest fear of the time, which was that anyone could be a communist. After the brainwashing, all the other soldiers began describing Shaw as "the kindest, bravest, loving, most wonderful human being I have ever known in my life" when in reality he was the exact opposite. so great on the part of American society when it is discovered that he was being used as a spy. The biggest concern in this era was who you could get to.