“Living for the STREEP” Series: We are here to celebrate the career of Mary Louise Streep….now known to most as Meryl Streep who has become widely known by critics, film-lovers, and audiences as likely our GREATEST LIVING ACTRESS. Ever since her earlier breakout roles in the late 1970’s in films such as The Deer Hunter, and Kramer Vs. Kramer, she has carved out a filmography filled with brilliant performances in memorable films spanning a variety of genres including biopics, thrillers, family dramas, AND comedies. During this time, she has also earned a STAGGERING TWENTY-ONE Oscar nominations including THREE wins. Over the next several months, I will be revisiting one notable Streep film each month – each highlighting a different type of performance – culminating with the May 1 release of the long-awaited sequel featuring one of her more ICONIC roles as Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada 2.

How you remake a stone cold classic like The Manchurian Candidate? John Frankenheimer's seminal cold war paranoia thriller was released in 1962 and became one of the more celebrated thrillers of that decade? Well if you're Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Something Wild), you assemble a very top-flight A-list cast lead by Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, and Liev Schreiber alongside a slew of up-and-coming talent at the time who would eventually become celebrated actors including Jeffrey Wright, Vera Farmiga, Kimberly Elise, and Anthony Mackie. The crazy story (which loosely adapts that of the original) centers on a Desert Storm verteran officer (Washington) who keeps having strange dreams and/or flashbacks to the war....and he's not the only one as he also served with a up-and-coming senator (Schreiber) who is about to run for Vice President, who MIGHT be having the same types of visions. Beyond that, the senator has a very controlling mother (Meryl Streep) who is also a senator and she has some VERY unique plans for her son to rise to power. And the shadowy organization behind all of this is named Manchurian Global who happens to have a lot of military contracts. Things gets just increasingly intense and dangerous for all involved....

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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The Manchurian Candidate (2004) - "Living For The Streep" Series