The Manchurian Senator(Candidate)-Paramount's Lansing afraid of offending Hillary

NewsMax ^ | James Hirsen | Tuesday, June 22, 2004

[fight_truth_decay]

In the remake of the movie classic "The Manchurian Candidate," actress Meryl Streep portrays a diabolical, cold, manipulative member of the U.S. Senate.

Any thoughts on a real-life middle-aged blonde who might fit the description?

Well, the New York Daily News reports that, much to the chagrin of Hollywood execs, Streep's character is frighteningly similar to a certain former first lady.

Devoted Dem and Kerry fund-raiser Sherry Lansing, who also happens to run Paramount, green-lighted the movie as a way of damaging President Bush, Premiere magazine has reported. The movie is likely to copy the original in lampooning the character as an evil right-winger, but now Lansing is said to be concerned about offending Mrs. Clinton because the character is also -- oops! -- a conspiratorial harpy who will do anything to seize power.

A studio spokesman has denied reports that executives asked director Jonathan Demme to cut scenes containing Democrat activist Streep's unintentional Hillary-like gestures.

Paramount bigwig Robert Friedman stated that "it's patently untrue that we're re-editing her performance."

The Left Coast Report hears that Streep was planning on using Nancy Pelosi as a model but producers thought that would be too scary.

[fight_truth_decay]

"THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE"

?? minutes | Rated: ??
WIDE: Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Starring Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, Meryl
Streep, Kimberly Elise, Jon Voight, Vera Farmiga,
Jeffrey Wright, Ted Levine, Miguel Ferrer, Dean
Stockwell, Zeljko Ivanek, Bill Irwin, Bruno Ganz,
Charles Napier

This is, alas, another remake! Hollywood wants to get their message out fast, perhaps? So dive into the old film classics and find something to fit the "political season". The Manchurian Candidate first produced in 1962 by director-producer John Frankenheimer's falls into the film-noir genre. A Cold War thriller about brain-washing, conspiracy, the dangers of international Communism, McCarthyism, assassination, and political intrigue. Old Blue Eyes, Angela Lansbury, Lawrence Harvey and Janet Leigh captured the starring roles. However, although the film initially failed at the box-office and its plot was considered far-fetched; the studio anticipated the American obsession with conspiracy theories. The film was banned in the 'Iron Curtain' countries due to the anti-Communist subject matter, until 1993 (when the Soviet Union collapsed).

[goldstategop]

The original is unbelievably good. I don't think any one can imitate Frank Sinatra - when you see him in the film, you realize just what a classic the 1962 Manchurian Candidate was.

[mtbopfuyn]

He should be afraid. Others have paid dearly for offending Hitlery.

[ml/nj]

although the film initially failed at the box-office

It did?

That's not my recollection. I remember the ads that told people to get to the theater for the start of the film so they would understand what was going on. (Then theaters had "continuous showings" and many people would come and go during the movie.) I remember seeing the movie during its first run and that the theater was full.

ML/NJ

[grellis]

To this day, my husband is so creeped out by Angela Lansbury that he can't be in the room if the kids are watching "Beauty and the Beast." She was diabolical in the original "Candidate." I don't see Streep matching that performance, no matter how many awards clutter up her bathroom.

[Cicero]

This will be like "The Lady Killers," a third-rate remake of a great original movie.

Skip these movies at the theater nearest you and go rent the old one on a DVD instead.

[Cicero]

Also, I strongly recommend "Winter Kills" by the same director as "The Manchurian Candidate." There's more right-wing nonsense in the background, but it's even better. It's a paranoid myth based on the Kennedy assassination.

[Anglospheroid]

I wonder if they will leave in the incestuous subplot.

This is a film that doesn't need to be remade.

[Mamzelle]

Has anyone seen "Stepford Wives"? I always thought with the increased technical talent, and the changes in women's roles (there and back again), that this Ira Levin story could be a dynamite rewrite and remake.

[SuziQ]

I think the new Stepford Wives is supposed to take some pot shots at conservatives. Don't know how, it's just what I've heard. I wasn't particularly interested in seeing it, but the new Manchurian Candidate might be interesting.

[OSHA]

The real manchurian candidate.

[fight_truth_decay]

Hollywood execs, Streep's character is frighteningly similar to a certain former first lady.

So..that means the first person that came to their minds when viewing the prescreening was Hillary? So...that means more points to Hillary then just a few arm gestures perhaps? What arm gestures single out Hillary? Does that mean that Streep will have to compromise her artistic integrity and become less animated? Now, I will relate the character to Senator Clinton should I see the film.

Paramount: Move to strike!
Strike that remark to the jury..
Me: Too late!

[freekitty]

That also means that somewhere in themselves, whether they want to admit it or not, they believe Hitlery to be evil. Let the movie roll as is.

[fight_truth_decay]

Agreed! They can change the hand gestures, but we will know it is her!

[malakhi]

So..that means the first person that came to their minds when viewing the prescreening was Hillary?

Meryl Streep as Eleanor Shaw in Jonathan Demme's The Manchurian Candidate - 2004

[timydnuc]

The original was a heck of a film. I'll bet I've see it 25 times. It's so powerful that I can only take it once a year or so. All the actors were superb. As a matter of fact the very first time I saw HRC my very first thought was Angela Landsberry's "Red Queen". Ironic, that in order to righteously duplicate Landsberry's performance you have to pattern it after HRC.

I'm a big fan of Denzel but Streep gives me a large PITA (pain in the a@@). I'll not waste my money on this. I'll just rent the original again.

[unspun]

Original Manchurian evil enemy: Communism

2004 Manchurian evil enemy: "Manchurian Global Corporation"

Need we say more? I sure don't intend to support this message at the box office.