Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Rating:
Summary: One of the great Sci-fi films ever made
Review: By any conceivable standard, the original INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS is one of the greatest Sci-fi films ever made. There was also an excellent sequel in 1978 starring Donald Sutherland, but it lacked the wider political situation that gave the original so much power. That the original is such a great film is a bit surprising. It was, on the face of it, merely another fifties Sci-fi film, with a cast of relatively unknown performers (except for Dana Wynter). The plot was excruciatingly simple: the residents of a small California town are being systematically replaced by clones produced by large pods that are being brought there in vast numbers. As various people that the central characters know get replaced by clones, the paranoia builds to a degree unmatched in any other film.

There has been an ongoing debate as to whether the film is best read as an attack on McCarthyism or a commentary on communist infiltration, or perhaps merely as an attack on conformity in general. In the end, I don't think it matters. What is important is the intensity of the paranoia that the situation engenders. Between the suspicion of one's peers and the incredible tension created by the need of the characters to not fall asleep (the pods take over the moment one falls asleep, if only for a brief second), this is one of the most emotionally stressful films ever made. The moment when, near the end of the film, Kevin McCarthy looks into the face of Dana Wynter and realizes that she has drifted off to sleep for a brief second is one of the most horrible moments I know in Sci-fi.

The film is just so incredibly well done that it is hard to find too many things to praise. The threat of alien invasion is greatly intensified by its taking place in a quiet, peaceful small town. The inhabitants all look so remarkably pleasant, and yet their goal is to rob each individual of his or her soul. The cinematography is extraordinary. If one watches the film on DVD and freezes the screen randomly, one thing that becomes obvious is how magnificently nearly every shot is framed. Everything-the acting, the script, the cinematography-blends together to make this not merely what is arguably the finest fifties Sci-fi film, but one of the greatest psychological thrillers ever made.

Rating:
Summary: Memorable Film in Excellent No-Frills DVD Release
Review: According to Hollywood lore, the cast and crew of this film decided to play a practical joke on actress Carolyn Jones during the filming: while she was out of her bungalow, they slipped in and left one of the large seedpods made for the film on her bed. They received a more memorable response than they expected, for when Jones returned to her bungalow for a nap and found the pod she ran screaming out into the street.

And such is the power of this film. There are no major special effects, and for the most part everything looks the way it should in small town America of the 1950s. But the idea it presents and the paranoia it creates is a remarkable, tangible thing.

Loosely based on the novella by Jack Finney and directed by Don Siegel, THE INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS was just a little black and white horror film--but it exploded within America's 1950s subconscious with all the force of an atomic bomb, tapping into fears of everything from Cold War-era communism to a decreasing sense of community to the notorious House Unamerican Activities Committee. And in the process it became one of the most influential horror films ever made, a motion picture that would exert a strong pull on every one from novelist Stephen King to filmmakers like Wolf Rilla.

The story has been told in no fewer than three film versions, but while the Donald Sutherland and the Meg Tilley versions are each quite fine in their own ways, the original remains the most powerful. Dr. Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) returns to the small California town of Santa Mira from a medical convention--only to discover that several members of the community have developed a strange form of hysteria: they have become convinced that certain friends and relatives are being impersonated by exact duplicates. Bennell brushes this aside as an oddity, but he soon realizes there is more to this than mere hysteria. The people of his small community are indeed being replaced by duplicates--duplicates being spawned by a strange plant-like alien lifeform.

Everything about this film is remarkably fine. The direction is first rate, the script is sharp and intriguing, and the film has a remarkable "everyday" look to it that is gradually subverted by increasing darkness and unexpected camera angles. And the cast is extremely, extremely good. Kevin McCarthy, the beautiful Dana Wynter, King Donovan, and Carolyn Jones all give truly amazing performances in the leads, and the overall ensemble is every bit their equal.

The DVD offers the choice of widescreen and pan & scan. Until I purchased this DVD, I had only seen the film in pan & scan--and indeed I was unaware that it had originally been filmed in widescreen. I must say that fine as it is in pan & scan, it is even better in its original ration. The bonuses are slight, including only a brief interview with McCarthy, but it is quite interesting. And the transfer to DVD is extremely good. Even if you already a VHS version of this film, you may find it worth the cost to replace it with this DVD. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: A classic.
Review: This is a classic film. As with many tales in the "science fiction" genre, the story is simultaneously riveting and surprising in its cleverness, but at the same time a bit simplistic. The special effects are more than adequate, e.g., the blurring of the screen when the narrative transitions from the present to a flash back, and the foaming and jolting motions of the pods as they hatch. The automobiles from the era are a treat to the eye. Despite being simplistic, there are some excellent subtle points, e.g., when the protagonist snatches a "USED" sign from a car in a used car lot and puts it on his own automobile, in order to avoid detection by the police; when the protagonist declines to set forth medical opinions on topics that are beyond his own medical specialty; and when Becky screams upon seeing an endangered dog, thus revealing that she is not (yet) a zombie. There are amusing cultural or linguistic artefacts from the 1950s, e.g., the request by the gas station attendent to wash the window (gas station employees don't do this any more); the respect paid to physicians (the profession no longer commands the prestige that it did in the 1950s, does it?); the need to communicate to an operator when making long distance phone calls; and martinis (weren't martinis a 1950s type beverage?). The story is finely acted. The storyline is forceful and does not contain missteps or distractions. This is not a "camp" movie production. (Note that the more recent color remake has a weak storyline, contains many pointless distractions, and should not be confused with the powerful black'n'white version that is being reviewed here.) It might be amusing to suggest some apparent discrepencies in the story: How did the heroine (Becky) become replaced by a zombie when there were no Becky-pods anywhere near the cave? Pods were required for replacing the other characters. And why did the film show two different Becky-pods, one in a basement and one in a greenhouse? Neither was destroyed. Thus both must have hatched. I guess that one of them could have entered the cave when the protagonist was away. Another obvious question: What happens to the real people when they're replaced by the pod-zombies?

Rating:
Summary: THEY'RE HERE!
Review: This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite sci-fi films of all time. Never has more been done with less. The special effects are kept to a minimum. Yet, the sense of unrelenting terror and fear keeps mounting.

This film was the first and, to my mind, best adaptation of the book of the same name, written by the wonderfully inventive Jack Finney. The book appears to have spawned a cottage industry all its own, as it has been adapted three times, thus far.

The film tells the tale of events that occurred in the small town of Santa Mira, California, as seen through the eyes of its young doctor, Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy). It seems the town is undergoing a drastic change that is as subtle as it is deadly. It seems that all the townspeople are not who they seem. They look the same. They sound the same. Their memories are intact. Still, they are just not the same.

Those who have noticed this, suddenly end up retracting their concerns days later. Something is not right in the town of Santa Mira, and Dr. Bennell knows it. Those large seed pods that are suddenly showing up every where are at the root of it. Their unearthly presence is connected to the profound changes that the people of Santa Mira are undergoing, and Dr. Bennell will stop at nothing to save his beloved town and the world from the invasion of the body snatchers.

Kevin McCarthy is sensational as the handsome young doctor, Miles Bennell. His all-American good looks underscore the perniciousness of what is going on in Santa Mira. The lovely Dana Wynter is excellent in the role of Becky Driscoll, Dr. Bennell's childhood sweetheart, infusing it with just the right amount of pathos. King Donovan and Carolyn Jones are perfect in the roles of Jack and Teddy Belicec, the couple who bring Dr. Bennell closer to discovering the truth about what is going on in the town of Santa Mira.

This is a great story beautifully directed by Don Siegel, who understood that less is more. Keeping special effects to a minimum and relying, instead, on a steady buildup of terror and paranoia through the wonderful performances by the entire cast, it succeeds brilliantly. The suspense is such that the viewer is kept riveted to the screen until the very end. It is no wonder that this film has developed a cult following, as it is a masterpiece for its genre. Bravo!

This DVD is well worth having as it provides a clear, clean transfer print and excellent audio. It offers full screen, as well as widescreen letterbox, format. The special features are limited but a nice bonus is the interview with the still handsome Kevin McCarthy, though it is quite brief.

Those who enjoy this film should read the book, if they have not already done so. They should also view the other two film adaptations, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and Body Snatchers (1994).

Rating:
Summary: Crisp, Clean, Digitally Re-mastered Black-and-White Thrills
Review: Special effects can really enhance a story, but these days, most producers insist on a storyline that requires special effects, starting at the wrong end of the creative process. That's okay, and like most people, I've enjoyed some of these special-effects feasts tremendously, and some of them are my favorite movies. But sometimes the plot suffers. Long before special effects became the main attraction in films, every now and then someone treated science fiction as something for grownups who possessed fully developed attention spans. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS is one of those times. This is a purely story-driven film, with a creeping sense of futility. The plot seems simple, but the effectiveness is in its originality: Human-sized vegetable pods -- similar to the pod for peas -- can replicate human beings, and they do so, one by one, to the population of a small California town, leaving them emotionless members of a hive-like species. It's a chilly tale of pervasive dread as more people are replaced, as staid pillars of the community who had previously represented impeccable character become cold, rational participants in the displacement of their fellow townspeople. It is merciless, replacing even children with loveless facsimiles. They hold collusive gatherings, instinctively committed to their objective, unresponsive to any plea to reconsider their loyalties, the memory of their past humanity having no appeal. The aliens take over every public institution, every utility, leaving nowhere to turn. It's a nightmare of the first degree. The aliens act with a near blank passivity, automatons evincing emotions they don't really have. This fits in nicely with the overall quietness of the film, working smoothly with the small-town setting, all of it somewhat lulling, so when action does occur, it's jarring.

Easily one of the creepiest storylines ever devised, a lot of film critics said that this story was an allegory for the communist movement, but it could just as easily -- and in my opinion, more likely -- apply to the rampant McCarthyism that was suffocating Hollywood at the time. In either case, I think such analyses are more the result of people unable to let go for just a little while their political partisanship, thereby infusing their biases into something that was meant as pure entertainment. Based on the novel by Jack Finney, it was simply a very good tale, like nothing that had gone before it, a nightmare of dark helplessness.

All of the original creepiness is enhanced by a digitally remastered, rich, crisp, black and white image: In other words, the shadows are more shadowy. The DVD also has an interview with the actor Kevin McCarthy, who plays Miles. The original trailer is also included. If you liked this film, this DVD is a must-have for you. And it's a nice change from the crash-bang-boom extravaganzas of today.

The book, by the way, is good, too. I read it back in 1967, and I've placed it on my Wish List, here at Amazon[.com].

Rating:
Summary: Why this film belongs on everyones top 10 sci fi list
Review: when I first saw this film in the late fifties in a saturday double feature at the local moviehouse, I couldnt eat brussel sprouts for years....(the pods reminded me of elongated
sprouts)...It defies usual sci fi films in a very distinct way. There is absolutely no alien technology in the film, no flying saucers, no ray guns,shapeshifting ...which is unusual for a film classified as sci fi...Its total impact is in the script, the acting, the lighting and the editing. Even those bubbles oozing out of the pods as they grow into a human being were probably made by a simple bubble machine...so the strength of this film is not the usual fare to even be classified as sci fi...It also is a mystery that takes the audience along with Dr. Bennell as the script brilliantly unfolds in black and white to the scene everyone remembers from the film.....the kiss in the cave...at the end of the film....and the horror on kevin Mccarthy's face as he looks at dana wynters face ...emotionless....and he realizes that she has been taken over by the pods..... No one will deny that this film belongs in the science fiction genre, but the way it makes its points is totally unique of any science fiction film made....It reminds me more of a very good twilight zone episode...which minimized special effects in favor of acting, and writing, inferences, and irony...Its definately one film to be on every sci fi buffs collection of the best of the best.

Rating:
Summary: A small masterpiece
Review: OK, so it's "sci-fi" and filmed in BW. But good writing and acting transcend any genre. Nowadays when movie writers don't seem to me to understand how to create and maintain suspense without unbelievable gimmicks (Was Hitchcock the last one who understood this?), this little potboiler has more going for it than any 140 minute action-packed, totally unbelieveable special effect extravaganza. It's a corking good story, acted superbly and filmed wonderfully. There were a couple of endings tried out, but they got it right in the end. If you like really good filmmaking, this is a must-see. If you are a sci-fi fan, this is a must-own.

Rating:
Summary: Great Film but tech woes
Review: This film is a classic which is why I bought it. I was disappointed in the DVD itself. The language/subtitle controls don't work. When I tried doing anything but letting it autoplay, I kept getting Spanish audio.Unfortunately, I left the country right after purchasing it and sending it back would cost more than the video is worth. The DVD picture quality is there and it's a great flick if you don't mess with anything (search, etc)on the DVD itself.

Rating:
Summary: work of artistic imagination
Review: Being 9 yrs. of age when I first saw this movie in 1955 and now being 57 years young I still get a thrill everytime I see it. Several years ago there was a colorized version when that was the rage, and I must admit seeing in color really blew me out of my seat. I prefer color movies...but even though the DVD version is in original black and white, the clarity of DVD is awesome and more than makes up for its lack of being filmed in original color.(But if you ever run across that colorized version...grab it!)

Rating:
Summary: Deserves FIVE FULL stars, please...uh, excuse me! MUST OWN!!
Review: Fantastic...

This version plays like a LEAVE IT TO BEAVER episode gone awry. Absolutely glorious. My father, who teaches science fiction, prefers the 1978/ Sutherland version.

What many people are apparently not aware, however, is that the original intention of this film was not to depict any "Red Scare" business or 1950s style "commie fear." The laughter associated by later observers with this film, is misguided and misplaced. If truly concerned with the facts, and not just rumors, lies, and innuendo, one might like to hunt down, in a complete form, the comments Don Siegel had to make about his original film.

One begins to realize, having done so, that this is a rather different film than the one it is so often touted and mocked as being. One perhaps starts to see, having heeded Don Siegel's words, that INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS is less the double- feature companion to Jack Webb's classic RED NIGHTMARE than is advertised by variously underinformed and semi-educated observers.

This film is really about a perceived homogenization of outlooks, tendencies, and prejudices in America, whether of the left or the right. We find that neither side has the monopoly on the willful desire to 'make everyone conform.' Both have the tendency.

Sorry to disappoint anyone who may be pleasurably wallowing in currently fashionable theories. But a word to the wise should suffice.

I used to have an excellent page I photocopied from SIGHT AND SOUND film magazine on precisely this subject.

Hopefully this proves useful. Do see the film. And OWN it, please. Surely it's as important as CITIZEN KANE, or ROGER RABBIT. I am sure you will want to see it more than once.

At these prices, you can afford to own two: a colored, and a black- and-white version. I've owned a copy for several years. I've watched it thirty times.

The colorized edition/version is not bad. It makes it easier to show the film to otherwise reluctant friends, to whom black-and-white is the equivalent of dying, or spending time at the library.

It is an extremely valuable experience, and the 1950s version simplifies the whole matter immensely. It is void of lengths of thready red jello and other special distracting "effects" that detract from the real purpose of the film.