A Pervasive, Propagandist Medium

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

The Manchurian Candidate is the quintessential, reigning example of American propaganda. It captures the hysteric McCarthy-esque fever of paranoia, while also demonstrating American virtue. The film follows a few soldiers from a platoon, one of which gets brainwashed: Sergeant Raymon Shaw. His captain Ben Marco, slowly uncovers the plot after he gets nightmares of the Sergeant being programmed. Shaw unconsciously assassinates, while Marco strives to deprogram him. The climax: Sergeant Shaw kills his programers, and then himself. The film evokes conspiracy in one another, and how Americans should try to “decondition” their neighbors who had fell under the promise of Communism. Interestingly, film producers didn’t want to make the movie as America was in great tension with Cuba. The feelings were real and it was a reflection of the fear many Americans felt during the time. The movie finally proceeded after its prodigious actor, Frank Sinatra, received blessing from JFK to go through with the movie. 

The scene above remains the most famous scene from the movie, as it walks through the brainwashing of Sergeant Raymond Shaw.

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

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