Invasion Of The Body Snatchers [1956]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is considered one of the best science fiction films of the 1950s and 1960s. The classic paranoid thriller was widely interpreted as a criticism of the McCarthy era, which was characterised by anti-Communist witch-hunts and fear of the dreaded blacklist. Some hailed it as an attack on the oppressive power of government as Big Brother. However viewers interpret it, this original 1956 version of Invaders of the Body Snatchers (based on Jack Finney's serialised novel The Body Snatchers) remains a milestone movie in its genre, directed by Don Siegel with an inventive intensity that continues to pack an entertaining wallop.

Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) is unconcerned when the townsfolk accuse their loved ones of acting like emotionless impostors. But soon the evidence is overwhelming--Santa Mira has been invaded by alien "pods", which are capable of replicating humans and taking possession of their identities. It's up to McCarthy to spread the word of warning, battling the alien invasion at the risk of his own life. Look closely and you'll find future director Sam Peckinpah (an uncredited cowriter of this film) making a cameo appearance as a meter reader! --Jeff Shannon

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-08-27 rating:
A great and exciting sci-fi movie.

Definitely one of the most exciting sci-fi movies ever made!

This is one of those movies that can be watched over and over again and still be enthralling - no re-make could ever match this original, starring Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter.

Huge seed pods arrive from outer space that 'hatch' and take on the form of 'imageless' human bodies. As soon as the nearest person falls asleep, 'it' becomes that person - exactly the same in every way, but without emotion. A Doctor and his girl put up a tremendous fight against this phenomenon, and this film is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end!

Great stuff!

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review by: Belkin1959 date: 2008-03-26 rating:
BAD PRINT!
This is a very clever, full on, classic sci-fi adventure that captures a style of film-making enbracing noir and expressionism in a delightfully morbid-sense of cinematic storytelling. So why 3 stars? Because this print (welcomed in widescreen) looks as if (at times) it has been transferred from a long defunct Nickleodean. Sloppy grainy presentation. Shame.

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review by: artist & illustrator date: 2005-07-19 rating:
The Sophisticated Creature Feature
Based on a Collier's Magazine serial by Jack Finney, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is an intelligent, superb example of its era and genre, with excellent direction and cast. Director Don Siegel said that this was probably his best film, though he deplored that the film studio (United Artists) made him add a prologue and epilogue, and tell the story with narration as a flashback. Though this format would weaken the chilling effect of the story somewhat, it is nevertheless riveting and quite frightening. When Doctor Miles Bennell returns from a business trip, he finds his small town changed, with people saying that their loved ones are "no longer the same." Miles also finds that his sweetheart of many years ago, Becky Driscoll, has come home after a 5 year absence, and a divorce, and they make a marvelous duo, quoting Shakespeare to each other, and with some dialogue that in the mid 1950s would have been quite racy.

Kevin McCarthy is marvelous as Miles, who runs a race against time and sleep to fight the pod people, and Dana Wynter is beautiful as Becky. There are others in the above average cast that will be familiar to old time TV viewers, like Carolyn Jones (Morticia of "The Adams Family"), Virginia Christine (Mrs. Olsen of the Folger's Coffee commercials), and Richard Deacon (Mel Cooley of "The Dick Van Dyke Show"). Among the credits, the great Carmen Dragon did the soundtrack, Ellsworth Fredericks the cinematography, and Daniel Mainwaring the bright and clever script.

The premise as I see it (and I think every viewer will bring his own interpretation to this film depending on his viewpoint) is still valid, as conformity is still king, and pod people are ever present. The 1978 remake is one of the few that lives up to the original, and is also highly recommended. Total running time is 80 minutes.

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review by: 1000_pages date: 2004-05-10 rating:
They come from another world!
Dr Miles Bennel (Kevin McCarthy) returns to his small town home to discover that many of his patients are convinced that they're relatives are impostors. He is understandable sceptical, however events soon unfold that change his mind. It doesn't take long for the entire town to be 'podded' leaving only him and his long time love (Dana Wynter) as the only people not taken over. They must escape before all of America, and eventually the world, are taken over.

This film is a classic, because it reflects a rather disturbing time in American history. Many believe that the pods are a metaphor for communism. So the pod people, who like McCarthy and the other red baiters, look like typical fine upstanding American's search out rebels like Dr Miles who refuse to conform to what has been newly defined as the American Way. They make an exact replica of your body but take away any rebellious nature or emotion. In other words they force you to conform to their ideals.

The pod metaphor and allegory for McCarthy-ism reflects a time in American history when the House Un-American Committee destroyed those who refused to knuckle under the pressure.

The film’s atmosphere resonates with this scary Communist backdrop as it is classed as horror, however sub genre’s are very apparent, such as science fiction because of the alien invasion. It is also sometimes referred to as a Film Noir because it’s shot in black and white on a very low budget, with dramatic lurking shadows and stark contrasts. Daniel Mainwaring who also wrote the classic Noir film Out Of The Past in 1947 in fact wrote the screenplay, and some of his Noir expertise can be seen in Invasion.

This film has been re-released many times since its original release. However none of the later remakes really compare. Watch this version to fully appreciate it.


review by: eredfearn2 date: 2004-02-10 rating:
Er, Are They Really Here?
Made during one of the most turbulent periods of American Politic History, when the Communist Witch Hunt was at its height, it remains a powerful film even today. The underlying story concerns a Doctor (Kevin McCarthy) who realises that many of his friends are not quite what they seem. Discovering *The Enemy Within* an Alien race determined to survive by duplicating other peoples body's through *Pods*. Some of the scenes are quite atmospheric, especially in the Green house where some of the *Pods* are discovered changing into a likeness of the inhabitants of the house above. Overall, it remains a scary movie, more pschologically scary though. You never know who is who. This film maybe inspired the X-Files. The only drawback with the film is that it contains a message bearing in mind the suspicion that American freedom would always be compromised by *Reds Under the Bed*. Still, much has changed over the years, and that fear is no longer realised since Global Terrorism now seems to be the new danger since the collapse of communism during the late 1980s. A very watchable film though.

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