By today’s standards, the simplicity of this movie would turn off the young viewers even though Dr. Bennell’s message can be applied in today’s society. The substance of the movie lies in the following quote from Dr. Bennell. After reading it, it is easy to determine that his message in this movie can intersect any point in time.
“In my practice, I’ve seen how people have allowed their humanity to drain away. Only it happened slowly instead of all at once. They didn’t seem to mind. .All of us—a little bit—we harden our hearts, grow callous. Only when we have to fight to stay human do we realize how precious it is to us, how dear.” (Dirks 5)
There have been numerous critical reviews of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” This essay will take a look at two of these reviews, one by Whitehead and the other by Dirks. These reviews suggest a parallel message of Communism and McCarthyism that today’s youth would find difficult to relate to.
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” was filmed in the 1950’s during the height of the “Communist witch hunt” led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy’s “Committee on Un-American Activities” saw Communists under every rock and around every corner. No individual or segment of our society could escape the McCarthy mentality sweeping across the country during this era. Free-thinking individuals were the hardest hit. The movie industry, and in particular, the Hollywood establishment, felt the wrath of “McCarthyism.” Hollywood was in shock and shambles after film industry personnel were sent to jail and black-listed as being Communist. Actors, writers, directors, and other members of the film industry were asked to sign loyalty oaths swearing they were not Communist sympathizers. If they refused to sign such an oath, for whatever reason, their lives were destroyed. (Whitehead 1)
John W. Whitehead’s article, “A Tale for Our Times,” states that “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” “captures the ideology and politics of this timeframe perfectly.” (Whitehead 2) This article compares the mass hysteria, paranoia, police state, witch-hunt mentality of the movie to the climate surrounding the McCarthy hearings. (Whitehead 1)
Tim Dirks’s review of this movie shares some of the same political interpretation of paranoia toward the spread of Communism and the mass hysteria associated with the McCarthy hearings (Dirks 2). Dirks suggests that the movie’s main theme was the alien-communist takeover turning people into emotionless individuals unable to express love, desire, ambition, or faith (Dirks 2)
I have a hard time drawing any comparison between “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and the time of McCarthyism of the 1950’s. I was not even born then so there is this big disconnect using horror as an allegory for Communism. Art does imitate or mirror life. If this film was made in the 1930’s, some would surely make the comparison to Nazi Germany and Hitler’s goal for a super German master race. The comparison today would be with the hysteria surrounding terrorism and the threat of weapons of mass destruction that led to the war in Iraq. Also, one might conclude that “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” has a direct link to our present day society that is over medicated on prescription drugs.
For pure entertainment, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” was a good movie. However, it fails with horror movies and sci-fi movies of my generation. No special effects, black and white, no violence, no deaths, just the invasion and snatching of your body while you sleep. Give me “Jeepers Creepers” or “The Ring” for true horror and fright.
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” does depict the basic fear of dark and night. Most scenes are shot in the dark or at night. The audience does not know what to expect in the dark. The break-in through the basement window when Dr. Bennell finds the developing pod of his girl friend, Becky, is in the dark with the only light coming from a lit match. The greenhouse scene of pods that resemble Dr. Bennell was in the dark or low light. When the Doctor and Becky attempt to escape from the pods, it is at night. Becky and the Doctor hide from the townspeople that are chasing them by hiding in the hole under boards in a dark cave or tunnel. Even the closing scene where Dr. Bennell tried to warn all the passing motorists about the pod takeover was filmed during the nighttime. The anxiety of falling asleep adds to the fear of the dark. The pods take over your body when you are asleep. The eavesdropping scene on a house where a married couple is discussing the baby states, “Is the baby asleep yet?” “No, but she will be soon. There will be no more tears then,” sends cold chills down your spine. A classic moment occurs in the scene when the girlfriend draws the Doctor down into a slow kiss, and the camera moves in close to her face showing her blank expressionless eyes as you realize she, too, has been taken over by the pods. The moment is climatic to the movie.
In the end, the audience is not really sure of the final outcome. Are we safe or is it too late? Even though Dr. Bennell successfully persuaded authorities of the eminent danger, and the FBI and the state police were called in and the nation was put on alert, was it in time to protect the human race?
From my point of view, the movie, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” is a science fiction, horror movie meant to entertain. The movie has a simple, straight forward plot that requires no serious mental debate. Enjoy it for what it is.
Works Cited
Dirks, Tim. Home page. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” 1996-2007. 7 October 2007 www.filmsite.org/inva.html
Whitehead, John W. “’Invasion of the Body Snatchers’—A Tale for Our Times.” Gadfly Online. November 2001. 4 October 2007 www.gadflyonline.com/11-26-01/film-snatchers.html
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