When mom’s go bad and use their children to commit atrocities, any and all empathy drains out of me in the blink of an eye. In the Manchurian Candidate by Richard, Condon, Mrs. Iselin, the Senator’s wife and communist agent, plays the perfect patriot in public while plotting the downfall of the United States. More insidious, she hypnotizes her son to do her dirty work. The line ” Why don’t you pass the time by playing a little solitaire?” triggers his actions.
Smooth, articulate, and comfortable at the highest levels of power, Mrs. Iselin’s control and coldness make my skin crawl. Angela Lansbury — who I enjoyed immensely as the sharp but warm Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote — plays Ms. Iselin to frigid perfection in the original movie version, Meryl Streep in the remake.
The psychiatrist character summarizes the tragedy of Ms. Iselin and her son.
Human fish, swimming at the bottom of the great ocean of atmosphere, develop psychic injuries as they collide with one another. Most mortal of all are those gotten from the parent fish.
Does she love her son or is he only a tool to achieve her goal? If it is love, is it the love of a mother or a sexual predator? Those question and their complex relationship keep us transfixed, in a truly riveting thriller. Take a look. This scene says it all.
Credit: picturefan2009 on youtube.
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I haven’t seen this but I think she sounds equally fascinating and appalling!
Debbie
I watched this the first time because I was I was going through a Laurence Harvey phase (he played the son). I loved the movie.