Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

  

"At first glance, everything looked the same. It wasn't. Something evil had taken possession of the town."  

 

 

I wanted to post a heavy hitter for my first film.  No messing around this year.  I also wanted to stay with the idea of a "classic" film so I felt the original 1956 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers was a perfect offering.  Directed by Don Siegel of Dirty Harry and Escape from Alcatraz fame (in fact Siegel directed several Clint Eastwood films and seemed to specialize in westerns including one of my favorite Elvis Presley films Flaming Star), this was Siegels first, and from what I can tell, his only foray into the SciFy/Horror genre.  Oh boy, what a foray it was!  Adapted from Jack Finney's novel of the same name (just take out the "Invasion of" part) Siegel used his expertise as a crime noir film director to create a formula which he used to make a first-class film.

  

 

But Siegel didn't do it alone.  He had actor Kevin McCarthy (who prior to this had mostly starred only in westerns.  Coincidence?) playing the lead role of Dr. Miles Bennell.  McCarthy does a masterful job portraying a character who may or may not be going crazy.  The film opens with him in the hospital trying to explain to Dr. Hill, a psychiatrist (played by an uncredited Whit Bissell) why he is so upset and paranoid.  Most of us know the story: (one version of it or another at least) alien pods fall to earth and each one is capable of taking on the form, memories, and personalities of whoever is placed near the pod.  Unfortunately for the copies they are unable to have emotions leading to the term "pod people" which came from this story and has been used several different times since but not always due to an alien invasion.  I think without Body Snatchers, there wouldn't be The Stepford Wives or even a more recent take on the idea could be 2022's Don't Worry Darling.

 

 

With a nice tight run time of around 80 minutes (lots of directors making films today could take a hint here) it's impossible for there to be a minute wasted.  For a film made in the mid 1950's the special effects are top notch and I could feel McCarthy desperately trying to get people to believe his story as he begins to get more and more desperate in his quest to stop the invasion.  Of course this film played on the Red Scare feeling that was evolving in America at the time.  Replace the aliens with communism and it's basically the same thing.  Is it any wonder that the lead actor shares the same last name of the senator who began it all???  This has been remade several times but for me this still stands out (although the Donald Sutherland led 1978 version is a close second and I can understand any arguments for it being the better interpretation) as the better version.  McCarthy would also be in the '78 version as an homage to the original.  At the time the film did not receive the respect and appreciation that it has come to enjoy today.  A modern classic that had an unexpected but positive feeling to the ending that the producers wanted but was not in the original novel nor was it in the screenplay.  Producers didn't want a downer of an ending so we get the one we got.  I love it and I will give it 4 and a half spores out of five.  Welcome to the Countdown.  Let's have a great month!