Film Review
Possibly the most famous, and certainly one of the best, of the 1950s
American B-movies,
Invasion of the
Body Snatchers is a science-fiction classic than no aficionado
of the genre should miss. Although a modest film, made on a very
tight budget, it proved to be one of the most influential films of its
kind, inspiring two direct re-makes (one quite good, the other less so)
and helping to define sci-fi in the movies and on television for
several decades. Unlike many sci-fi/fantasy films of this era,
this one holds up pretty well today, and manages to be chilling,
thought-provoking and strangely amusing.
More has been written about this film than perhaps any other sci-fi
movie. It has been described both as an allegory of the
anti-Communist paranoia that swept America in the 1950s and a film that
blatantly endorses the anti-immigration stance of the extreme right
wing. This is despite assertions from director Don Siegel and
writer Jack Finney (on whose novel the film was based) that the story
had no political subtext when they were working on it. This is
one of those films where you can read into it almost any messages you
want...
Although it is masterfully shot and edited,
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
falls short of being a masterpiece. The slightly embarrassing
B-movie flaws are all too apparent in the overly melodramatic
performances and stilted (and at times slightly bonkers) dialogue -
dialogue of the kind that you only ever find in American B-movies of
this era. Indeed, the first half of the film seems almost
to parody the B-movie, showing a quaint depiction of a small American
town, with no inkling of the horror and darkness that would fill the
screen and the mind of the spectator in the film's last forty or so
minutes. One of the film's most apparent flaws stems from
the decision to change the aspect to Superscope in post-production -
this was done for commercial, not artistic, reasons and slightly
weakens the film's visual impact.
Perhaps the main reason why
Invasion
of the Body Snatchers works so well, and why it is still so
frightening today, is that it never tries to be too clever with what
was technologically possible at the time. Special effects are few
and far between here, and the ones it does have are remarkably
effective, and will probably still look good in a hundred year's
time. Rather than relying on effects, the film achieves its
impact through ingenious lighting, photography and staging. The
overall result of this pared down approach is far more effective and
memorable than what we find in today's crop of special effects
saturated films.
Curiously, the recent worrying trend towards soulless effects-dominated
cinema has a particular resonance with this film. If
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is
anything it is a warning against the creeping dehumanisation of mankind
- not through an alien invasion, but through technological and social
developments. Compare this film with its terminally bland
2007 remake and you can see what we are in danger of losing - or have
perhaps already lost...
© James Travers 2008
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Don Siegel film:
Dirty Harry (1971)
Film Synopsis
Dr Miles Bennell is attending a conference when anxious calls from his
patients compel him to return to his home town of Santa Mira in
California. Many of the town's population have become convinced
that close friends and relatives appear to have changed in a subtle and
disturbing away - they look and behave as before, but they lack any
emotions. At first, Dr Bennell dismisses this as mere paranoia
but then he is surprised when his initially disturbed patients suddenly
become quiescent again. His curiosity turns to alarm when a
crudely formed human body is found lying on the pool table in a bar
owned by a friend. Its features are unfinished and it has no
fingerprints. Bennell then finds another body - one that
resembles his girlfriend Becky Driscoll. He realises the
horrifying truth in an instant. The town's entire population is
being replaced by alien beings...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.