The classic movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers is very controversial. It can be depicted, of course, as a Horror/Sci-Fi film, but also as a political allegory that talks about McCarthyism. McCarthyism is a period of time from the late 1940’s to the late 1950’s where there was very strong anti-Communist suspicion in the United States. When this movie was first made, Communism was very prevalent around the world and McCarthyism was occurring throughout the United States. Because of that, it is reasonable to believe that this movie’s underlying theme is about McCarthyism. However, I think that this movie is just one of those old scary movies.
John Whitehead states in his review “A Tale for our Time” that Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the “greatest of all the horror and science fiction classics of the 1950’s.” A talented, although previously unknown, cast; the “crafty manner in which director Siegel avoided the use of special effects; and the strong story provided by Jack Finney and Daniel Mainwaring’s screenplay” (Whitehead) combine to make this movie a great movie. This movie has had three re-makes since it first came out in 1956. Each time it was re-made, there was an issue going on throughout the world that people could connect that specific issue to Invasion of the Body Snatchers. For example, at the time of the original movie in 1956, it was Communism; and the last re-make in 2007, the issue was terrorism. Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been re-made so many times, it causes one to question how it is that people from many different generations can easily relate to the movie. There must be some fear common to most humans which this film evokes.
A review by Tim Dirks, provides insight into the universal appeal of this movie. He informs his readers that in the original version of the movie, there was no prologue or epilogue. Without the prologue and epilogue, people found this movie very horrifying. Originally, the movie started with Dr. Miles Bennell meeting his nurse, Sally, after getting off the train. She tells him that there had been something weird going on around town while he was gone. The movie ended with Dr. Bennell wandering around the highway screaming, “Look, you fools. You’re in danger. Can’t you see? They’re after you. They’re after all of us. Our wives, our children, everyone. They’re here already. YOU”RE NEXT!” Because the movie ended like this, it scared people a lot. Having lifeless forms take over your body is a scary thing to people because you would not be able to be independent and be yourself or express emotions. It would just be a dull boring life and we would all be the same. Without the prologue or epilogue, the invasion is predetermined fact and people are helpless to do anything to prevent it. The prologue and epilogue balance the fear with hope.
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is a classic science fiction horror movie. The basic theme is about individuals totally losing their freedom and human identity to alien beings who see humans as something to be used. This is the ultimate in loss of control. Losing control of one’s life to someone more powerful than you is a basic fear common to human beings. This is what accounts for the movie’s continued appeal through the years. Yes, the pod people do resemble the communists in a way that they take over your body, but really, they are just something made to scare the moviegoer. When people come to watch movies, they come for entertainment. They just want to relax and watch a good movie. I don’t understand why people look so deeply into movies. Of course there are some movies where you do want to look more in depth into them, and really think about the message the director is trying to portray, like The Passion of the Christ for example. But why would a director of a scary movie put issues into the movie that try to make you think as to which theme they want you to follow through the movie? Most people do not want to be sitting there thinking, “Hmm, this movie looks like there are political allegories in it.” When the directors made this movie, they were interested in how they could make this movie the best they could, how they were going to pull in the most money at the ticket box, and how they were going to pull in a big audience. They did this by making a plain ol’ scary movie. One which played on common human fears and which would continue to fascinate audiences throughout the years.
Works Cited:
Dirks, Tim. “Invasion of The Body Snatchers (1956).” 1996. 9 Oct. 2007. http://www.filmsite.org/inva.html.
Whitehead, John. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers: A Tale for our Times”. Gadfly Online. 1998. 9 Oct. 2007. http://www.gadflyonline.com/11-26-01/film-snatchers.html.
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