To the Point
'The Manchurian Candidate'
Today, Paramount Pictures releases the remake of The Manchurian Candidate. Guest host Diana Nyad explores how politically themed films are being used to inspire political debate.
By Diana Nyad • • 1h 0m ListenMichael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 has grossed over $100 million, surpassing all distribution and box office records for documentary films. Control Room offers a birds-eye view into al Jazeera's coverage of the Iraq War to the Arab world. Tour of Duty, due out before the November election, examines the military career of John Kerry. Today, Paramount Pictures releases Jonathan Demme's remake of The Manchurian Candidate, starring Denzel Washington as a brainwashed soldier and Meryl Streep as a Senator that sends up a bit of Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Dole and Bush-advisor Karen Hughes. The Communist plot of the original 1962 film is updated by the hegemony of a greedy corporate conglomerate, and takes place during a presidential political convention. Guest host Diana Nyad explores America's fascination with conspiracy theories, and how politically themed films are being used to inspire political debate.
Other movies discussed on today's show:
The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer, 1962)
The Parallax View (Alan J. Pakula, 1974)
Three Days of the Condor (Sydney Pollack, 1975)
Conspiracy Theory (Richard Donner, 1995)
Silver City (John Sayles, estimated September, 2004)
Bullworth (Warren Beatty, 1998)
Primary Colors (Mike Nichols, 1998)
The Hunting of the President (Harry Thomason and Nickolas Perry, estimated September, 2004)
The Passion of the Christ (Mel Gibson, 2004)
Making News: Democrats Wind Down, Republicans Wind Up
The Democratic Convention began Monday with former President Clinton’s rousing speech, and continued with a wide range of tone, from the fiery Al Sharpton to the homespun John Edwards. But all the hoopla was only prelude to last night's speech by presidential candidate John Kerry. Peter Grier of the Christian Science Monitor looks back at Kerry's speech, and forward to campaign efforts to the Bush-Cheney team.
Reporter's Notebook: NASA Goes to Mercury
We've been treated to stunning photographs of Saturn's rings, and seen evidence suggesting lakes on Mars. On Monday, Spaceship Messenger will blast off from Florida's Cape Canaveral and begin the seven-year journey to Mercury, the planet in our solar system closest to the Sun. Sean Solomon, principal investigator for the mission, says scientists hope the long-term space venture will help us understand how Earth-like planets are formed.
2004 Democratic National Convention
John Kerry's acceptance speech
2004 Republican National Convention
Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1997