# Invasion of the Body Snatchers



## ravenus (Jul 25, 2004)

*Note:* My review is on the 1956 version, but please feel free to post reviews/opinions on the other adaptations.

*INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS - Don Siegel* 

I haven't read *The Body Snatchers*, the book by *Jack Finney* that was the basis of this film, but feel very inclined to do so on account of what I've seen. 

The plot deals with a small town in the US, where the protagonist, a physician coming home after an outstation trip, begins to notice some strange behavior among the townsfolk - people making appointments with him and then mysteriously canceling them, people temporarily claiming that their relatives aren't actually their relatives. As it turns out there's an alien race propagating via pods, which take the face and form of human beings, even absorbing their memories, though not feelings. Their intention is to completely take over the human race by substitution with the 'pod people'. 

A lot has been said about the political metaphors that one can draw from this book and film - even without those metaphors I'd say it works fine as a 50's sci-fi paranoia piece. The plot is absolutely first-rate and the mainstay of the film's power. It builds up in a generally credible manner (although there is some unintentional humor in scenes like when a couple that discovers a growing body in their home does little more than inviting the local physician and his fiancée over for a drink to discuss this matter over). The pod people are depicted in a convincing way as beings that have the form and memories of people but not human emotions, which they consider unnecessary baggage. 

Siegel directs the proceedings in a crisp fashion. There are some very nice visuals, for instance the scene where they discover a host of pods in the greenhouse, all tilted angles and tight close-ups effectively conveying the tension of the scene. Another is when the leads hide in a mine while trying to escape from a mob of the pod people, great use of shadows and perspective shots. 

The film ends on a somewhat upbeat note with the hero managing to convince the authorities of the dastardly invasion. 

In short, fabulous story, thrilling movie.


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## Brian G Turner (Jul 25, 2004)

Great film - and thanks for the review. 

 Odd point, though - my memory of the film is that it ends with the protagonist running onto a highway, to flag down help. A truck stops for him, and he goes around the back to hop in - only to find it filled with pods. The ending is one of horror - the pods have spread beyond anyone's ability to stop it.


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## polymorphikos (Jul 25, 2004)

Brian, you are correct, but the authorities are told of one of these trucks being up-ended just as the man finishes his story. Frankly, I found that a bit of a cop-out, and would have prefered the complete disbelief, but a fine film nonetheless.


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## Brian G Turner (Jul 25, 2004)

It's a long time since I saw the film, and it was pretty scary. Having grown with colour TV, black and white often suggests lower budgets, lower skill, and overall lower quality. However, this is  one fine example of a film  that totally challenges this stereotype.


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## ravenus (Jul 26, 2004)

Really Brian, you must get over that impression. Genres like noir and some psychological horror worked best when done in B&W.


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## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy (Jul 27, 2004)

I'd have to agree with ravenus here. In addition, black and white has it's own special aesthetic quality - it isn't simply picture minus colour.


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## Brian G Turner (Jul 27, 2004)

Indeed - I was simply making the point that it's easy to look down on black and white films, simply for their lack of "colour". It's an easy stereotype to get sucked into subscribing to, without actually testing it.I wasn't actually snubing black and white in general - my bad, as I wasn't being very clear.


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## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy (Jul 27, 2004)

We are suitably mollified. 

BTW, ravenus, I have a copy of the Jack Finney novel, Invasion of the Body Snachers. If we're doing the Suratkal trip, I'll bring it along for you.


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## ravenus (Jul 27, 2004)

knivesout said:
			
		

> We are suitably mollified.
> 
> BTW, ravenus, I have a copy of the Jack Finney novel, Invasion of the Body Snachers. If we're doing the Suratkal trip, I'll bring it along for you.


There's a good boy now, and of course we're doing the trip.


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## Starbeast (May 4, 2011)

Fantastic sci-fi, it scared me when I was a kid. Especially the scene where you see the pods bursting open to reveal imitations.


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