Few thrillers from the '50s retain their intensity and impact as well as "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." The movie is nearly 40 years old, but it still feels fresh, vital and surprisingly relevant to the world today.
A small town doctor (Kevin McCarthy) returns from a medical convention to find the residents of his town behaving very oddly. Several people are reporting that family or friends have been acting nothing like they used to. These people claim that, even though they look exactly the same, family members are not who they appear to be.
Even more curiously, these people soon retract their complaints and try to convince the doctor that everything is fine and that nothing was wrong with them in the first place.
The good doctor fails to hear the warning bells going off in his head. By the time he realizes what is going on, the town is already almost completely taken over by an alien force.
He fights back with help from an old flame (Dana Wynter) and races against time to warn the general public about the alien menace.
Based on a serialized story by Jack Finney - "They Came From Another World" - the film, upon its original release in 1956, was read as an allegory about McCarthyism and the Cold War. Trust was a scarce commodity at the time, as anyone could defame anyone's reputation simply by declaring him or her to be associated with the Commies. In addition to their biologically horrific ramifications, the pod people clearly represented the threat of Communist infiltration.
Today, the body snatchers read more like a powerful metaphor for conformity and individuality. They seek to take over the mind and make people into automatons. It can be said that everyday life and work do the same thing, and this sociological aspect heightens the film's thrills and its intellectual qualities. It's also a potent reminder never to lose touch with your own humanity.
There is a powerful sense of paranoia and impending doom built into "Body Snatchers" that transcends time and remains challenging no matter how the film is interpreted.
Considered too intense and disturbing in its original form, a framing device was attached to make the film more palatable and to allow for the possibility of a happy ending. The tacked-on opening and ending are in jarring contrast, stylistically and atmospherically, to the rest of the film. Though they are aggravating, they ultimately fail to detract too severely from the film's impact if it had been left alone.
This is one of the few films that has been remade twice, once in 1978 and once in 1993. Both remakes are unique and interesting on some levels, but the original excels across the board and leaves them in the dust.
Director Don Siegel is a master of the craft, and he brings a bold style and attitude to every scene. It is this boldness that keeps "Body Snatchers" credible despite its out of this world subject matter in addition to maintaining its urgency - the film doesn't seem dated at all.
Tension is built admirably in the early scenes in which things are supposed to be normal, yet something rings false about everything in the town. As more and more bizarre events occur, the intensity is cranked up and the audience is taken right along.
Kevin McCarthy is simply great as the small town doctor who tries to take on the alien menace. His terror and fierce determination are utterly believable. His climactic shouted warning to the unsuspecting people on the highway is chilling and unforgettable.
The music and cinematography are outstanding, making for a well-rounded thriller in all areas. The opening theme and the score during the chase are particularly eerie.
This fits particularly well into the Film Festival's "Masquerades" theme since, by the end, there seems to be almost no one who isn't wearing a mask. The nature of the few characters that remain human is laid bare, and everyone changes dramatically over the course of the film.
"Body Snatchers" is good, creepy fun that still holds the power to send chills up audience's spines. It works equally well as an allegory and straightforward thriller.
"Body Snatchers" will be screened at 4 p.m. Sunday at Regal Downtown Cinema.
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