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  • Essay / Portrayal of the psychological state of Americans during the Cold War in the film The Manchurian Candidate

    The 1962 version of "The Manchurian Candidate" is a typical Cold War thriller film, twisted with sarcastic allusions throughout long its duration. Released at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the film was sure to echo the Cold War drama that Americans faced and deeply feared. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay “The Manchurian Candidate” focuses on the main character Raymond Shaw after his return from the Korean War. Upon his return, Shaw was seen by Americans as a war hero, even greeted by a large public welcome set up by his mother in hopes of benefiting his stepfather's political career in the Senate. American. However, as the plot unfolds, Shaw's accomplishments are revealed to not be as true as society hoped of a war hero and to actually be a cover-up of the blood-washing experiment. mastermind carried out by China and the Soviet Union while he was captured with others during the Korean War. . The audience can see how other characters like Major Ben Marco deal with their recurring nightmares of what really happened during their capture, similar to the post-traumatic stress that many face. Additionally, viewers can see Shaw's actions as the result of a mental trigger that goes off in his brain when he encounters a red queen in a card game (the trigger used to get him to perform a job of 'espionage). In the film, the actors and actresses do an excellent job of portraying the political unrest that was happening in the 1960s. The psychological state of the individuals returning from the war is well portrayed in the film. Scenes where those waking up from a recurring nightmare actually enact the post-war stress many faced upon returning home. Additionally, the general political tension of the time is strongly represented. The tension between the two parties in the film shows a deeper look at what was really happening within America's borders in the build-up to the 1964 presidential election. The filming also compares quite realistically as it dates back to JFK's election in 1960. The Islen family, consisting of Raymond Shaw's mother and stepfather, exquisitely executes the image that American culture feared regarding the integration of communists into the American politics. Passed as a war hero's family and the ideal patriotic family, suddenly enveloped in a political project, this was the power many Americans feared in the 1960s; mainly due to the fact that the country as a whole was facing trust issues. Even the actress who plays Jocelyn Jordan does a great job portraying the female role of that era to support her partner. With this, Frank Sinatra, who played Ben Marco, realistically shows the pressure many Americans in a similar position felt when it came to protecting the country as a whole. Raymond Shaw also shows the greatest fear of the time, that anyone could be a communist. After the brainwashing situation, all the other soldiers started describing Shaw as "the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I have ever known in my life", so that in reality he was quite the opposite. so great by the American company when it turned out to be used..