The 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, is a film that critics have been analyzing and interpreting for many years. The main character is a small-town doctor in California named Miles Bennell. When he returns from a convention, he finds that a few people in the town have had instances where they don’t recognize their relatives anymore. They look and act the same, but they say there is just something different about them. It is later found out that alien pod plants are being planted and grow humans that replace people’s bodies when they go to sleep. When the people wake up they realize what has happened and enjoy it. They then try to recruit more people. Dr. Miles Bennell is the only person who is trying to fight against the pod plants, and save the Earth from being dehumanized. When first watching the film, I was going to argue it was a B-grade sci-fi/horror film, but by the end of watching the film and reading some research, I decided it is definitely a politically charged film. Although Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been a film of much discussion throughout the years, I believe it is a perfect example of Communism.
The essay written by John Whitehead explains many of the different theories and arguments, like Communism and McCarthyism that have come from Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He talks about how people have interpreted the movie in a variety of ways. Some of them seemed legitimate while others seemed ridiculous, such as the spreading of AIDS. During the Cold War, many people were worried about the atomic bomb and feared death. This lead to the threat of the communism, which scared many Americans that the government might take away simple freedoms. The essay by Tim Dirks explains the film the same way, as an allegory for Communism and McCarthyism. Communism is defined as, “a theory or system of social organized based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state” (dictionary.com). I believe this is a perfect definition for Invasion of the Body Snatchers because all the people are in common after being taking over by the pod plants. McCarthyism is described as, “the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, especially of pro-Communism activity, in many instances unsupported by proof or based on slight, doubtful, or irreverent evidence” (dictionary.com). I don’t think McCarthyism explains the movie as well as Communism because McCarthyism is described as the accusation of disloyalty, whereas Communism described a common social organization.
After reading these essays and then watching the movies, my expectations were mostly met. At the beginning of the film, I couldn’t really see the political aspects. I just saw it as a B-grade sci-fi/horror film. It wasn’t until the end of the film when Dr. Miles Bennell is running wild through the road 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…they’re here already! You’re next” (McCarthy), I started thinking as the film as a political allegory. That line makes it sound like he is warning people that the communists are already there and taking over people, so to watch out because they will be taken over next. It happens to them while they are asleep. It is like they are unconscious and don’t know what is happening to them. He says that they can’t do anything about it, because it is almost like they are brainwashed. Once they are brainwashed, they enjoy what has happened to them. While some of the thoughts that were discussed in the reviews seemed overblown, I think that particular one is reasonable.
I don’t think this film is relevant to people today. There was the scare after September 11 pertaining to all the new rules stated in The Patriot Act, but it doesn’t seem to me like the same loss of freedom as they are speaking of in the movie. The earlier issues seemed to deal more with dehumanizing people and having a monotone society, whereas The Patriot Act is theoretically safety precautions, and today we are more diverse than ever. The Patriot Act has the potential to violate civil liberties, whereas the Invasion of the Body Snatchers involves the loss of people’s thoughts and identity. I think people today should watch this movie for fun, but not as a political allegory. It had an interesting plot line, and it was also pretty humorous. The fact that there were no special effects and the acting was horrible, definitely classified the movie for people today as a B-grade sci-fi/horror film that they should just watch for pleasure. People could also watch it as maybe learning some of the political views of the time or if they are interested in that time period. They shouldn’t watch it expecting the movie to be relevant to political views today.
Works Cited
dictionary.com. 10 October 2007
dictionary.com. 2007. 10 October 2007
Dirks, Tim. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956). 1996-2007.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Dir. Don Siegel. Perf. Kevin McCarthy. 1956.
Whitehead, John W. Gadfly Online . 1998-2007.
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