Discover the 1962 Political Thriller 'The Manchurian Candidate' Adapted from a Top Novel

Will SayreMon, April 27, 2026 at 3:55 AM UTC

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Some of the best movies to date are based on groundbreaking novels.

Just look at some of the top-ranking selections on the American Film Institute's list of 100 Greatest Movies of All Time: The Godfather, The Graduate, etc.

And scrolling down AFI's survey to No. 67 sits The Manchurian Candidate, starring Frank Sinatra. Yes, the renowned singer was also an accomplished actor.

Modern-day film buffs might hear the film's title and recall the 2004 remake starring Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep — though it's been universally agreed that the Sinatra-led version takes the cake.

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And like many other political thrillers in cinema (All the President's Men, Argo), The Manchurian Candidate was also adapted from a book. In fact, the source material — written by Richard Condon and published in 1959 — was ranked among "10 of the Best Political Fiction Books" on Early Bird Books in 2024.

Here's the official synopsis of the 1962 film, which holds an impressive 96% average critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes:

Near the end of the Korean War, a platoon of U.S. soldiers is captured by communists and brainwashed. Following the war, the platoon is returned home, and Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) is lauded as a hero by the rest of his platoon. However, the platoon commander, Captain Bennett Marco (Sinatra), finds himself plagued by strange nightmares and, together with fellow soldier Allen Melvin (James Edwards), races to uncover a terrible plot.

Earlier this month, meanwhile, the aforementioned All the President's Men film celebrated 50 years since it was released. The Wire calls it "one of the finest films about investigative journalism ever made," arguing that the movie's themes are as relevant now as they were on first release.

AFI also paid tribute to the movie’s 50-year milestone on April 9 via its Instagram account, given that the Robert Redford starrer ranks among the institute's “greatest American films.” See the social media reel below.

This story was originally published by Parade on Apr 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”