2. Frank Sinatra in The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBDhoUZgsDo Sinatra championed one of the most recognized singing voices in American music, breaking through the charts with his successful debut album The Voice of Frank Sinatra. He is arguably remembered most for his music, catchy as hell, and some of the most iconic melodies to date. That being said, Sinatras acting career is no little known experiment. His Oscar nomination for Supporting Actor in From Here To Eternity is among a rather lengthy filmography, which includes the original Oceans Eleven, The Man With the Golden Arm, High Society and Guys and Dolls, where he famously butted heads with Marlon Brando on set. John Frankenheimers The Manchurian Candidate finds Sinatra in the role of a tormented major with re-occurring nightmares that lead him into a mind-bending investigation of his fellow soldier. The film was highly regarded, especially due to the timing of its release at the pinnacle of the Cuban Missile Crisis and only a year before the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Even now the film echoes throughout contemporary stories like Brothers and Homeland. Frank Sinatras performance highly clashes with the code he had carried as an entertainer. The smooth, velvety elegance of his powerful voice is transported here to a shaky fearful speech, ranging in tones from hopeless to panicked. Major Bennett Marco is the leading force in unraveling the tightly wound mystery around what happened in Korea and what has bled back to the United States. He really carries the film along as his main counterpart is continually losing the audiences trust. The part is colored by his delightful relationship with Janet Leighs character, who allows for some of the more bright and smooth elements of Sinatras persona to shine through.