As the idealistic 1960s bled into the cynical 70s, Hollywood thrillers became increasingly paranoid. But before post-Watergate efforts such as The Parallax View and The Conversation (both 1974) came The Chairman, a globe-trotting 1969 oddity starring Gregory Peck.
Instead of the enemy within, the film rattled with anxieties about communist China’s scientific capabilities. It was hardly the sexiest of subjects for a spy thriller – which was reflected in its poor box office showing – but it provided a fascinating insight into real-life East-West relations.
Originally developed for Frank Sinatra by writer Jay Richard Kennedy, it was ultimately scripted by Ben Maddow and directed by J. Lee Thompson. The latter had worked with Peck on the rather more gung-ho World War II film The Guns of Navarone (1961).
Read Full Article At Source
