The Manchurian Candidate: Frank Sinatra vs Denzel Washington Version

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is director-producer John Frankenheimer's prophetically tragic, chilling, brilliant, blackish (film-noirish) Cold War thriller about brain-washing, conspiracy, the dangers of international Communism, McCarthyism, assassination, and political intrigue. Laurence Harvey is brilliant as a brainwashed Korean war hero who has been programmed as a Soviet sleeper/mole agent to assassinate a Presidential candidate.

The 1962 film the Manchurian Candidate is a certified classic. The political thriller was so good that it earned the best tribute it could get. A remake. In 2004, Denzel Washington took on the role originally played by Frank Sintra.

There was of course some updating in the remake, some new tweets, and lots of color. But the original black and white, still holds it own. So which one is better and what has been said in comparing the two films?Most film fans who were familiar with the original political thriller tend to side with the 1962 version. But under the direction of Johnathan Demme with a cast that included along side Denzel the likes of Meryl Streep and Liev Schreilber, they do a fabulous job. It’s a strong piece of cinema that comes as a fresher, bright version of the dark and foreboding original.

The Manchurian Candidate (1959), by Richard Condon, is a political thriller novel about the son of a prominent US political family who has been brainwashed into being an unwitting assassin for the Communist Party.

Mildred Pierce: a wig was custom built for Evan Rachel Wood's crotch

The "True Blood" star, Evan Rachel Wood, explained at a recent NY press event, she slated to go full frontal in the HBO miniseries "Mildred Pierce". "Let’s just say, I had to wear a wig because it was in the 30s, and everything had to look like it was in the 30s."

Evan Rachel Wood is getting all sorts of buzz for a special wig she had to rock for an upcoming HBO project (a wig that was custom built for her crotch). According to Wood, her co-star Kate Winslet encouraged her to do it -- “I looked at Kate and she was like, ‘You’ve got to do it. Trust me, it’s so brave. Put a merkin on and you’ll be fine.”

"She coached me through my first nude scene," Wood told E! News at Monday evening's premiere. "I mean, she's done it all. She was literally next to the camera going.

Winslet also told the actress to cover up as much as possible: "I looked at Kate and she was like, 'You've got to do it. Trust me, it's so brave,'" Wood said in an interview with Fancast.com. "'Put a merkin on and you'll be fine.'" (A merkin is a pubic wig.)

The 'Titanic' star's final piece of advice? "You keep the room as empty as possible," Winslet told Wood. "Just kind of being there for her, really, and letting her know there was someone to hold her hand and throw a robe over her at the right moment...made her feel better."

Source:

• Popeater
• TMZ