Review: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Stars: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter

Budget: $416k

Directed By: Don Siegel

Originally a novel and possibly one of the most done story lines of all time. Just this alone is probably one of the most remade films of all time. But then who can blame it?
The thought of everyone being a hive mind of sorts and no individuality is a terrifying aspect to most people.

Every version has aspects of the times paranoia, such as cold war, conformity and being taken over. Almost versions show people being taken over by a plant like organism, a pod, tendrils or tiny plant copying it's subject with all memories looks etc but devoid of emotion.  It's interesting to see how each take on the movie is dealt with, especially of its time period. Some bleak others hopeful.
I've done reviews for similar films in the past like puppet masters, also originally a novel too, you'll find it in my history to the right.

Directed by Don, or Donald Siegel who most people these days might only recall from such films as Dirty Harry and/or Escape from Alcatraz.

It stars Kevin McCarthy who most people should still know these days he's been in a lot of films and TV series's throughout his lifetime. What a lifetime too born 1914 and died 2010 he acted right up until his death (beyond even, as the grand inquisitor in the ghastly love of Johnny X in 2012). McCarthy also pops up in the 70's version of the film too as a cameo, as a 'running man'.
His female co-star Dana Wynter was not well known and didn't go on to do anything notable other than TV roles, some quite prominent in later years such as Magnum PI and Hawaii 5-0.

Lets get on with the movie itself now, this particular iteration starts somewhat near the end of the movie. With our hero Dr Miles Bennell (McCarthy) recounts his story to a doctor, Dr Hill willing to listen to his story.
He begins by telling him that there was a strangely high number of cases of Capgras delusion happening in his town. (this is a delusion where you think someone close to you has become 'different' or isn't the same person, there's more to it than that but that's the gist of it).
Miles later bumps into Becky Driscoll (Wynter) an old flame, typically she's been divorced, a cousin of hers believes her uncle Ira has also been replaced.
His friend & psychiatrist (Kauffman) butts in, to suggest it could have just been the start of mass hysteria. Such as one person hearing something then believing it's happening to them spreads like wildfire.

Placated Miles returns home, that night a friend of his Jack finds a body which is almost an exact replica of him, yet its not quite fully formed. They find another one later on an exact copy of Becky, Miles gets Kauffman to come and take a look but when they do the bodies have mysteriously vanished, he accuses Miles of believing in the same hysteria.
The next night Miles, Jack, Becky along with Jacks wife stay together at Bennells. They once more find copies of themselves emerging from giant seed pods in Miles greenhouse (an amusing note here, these pod are used in many films and TV series's as props or background decoration such as Gremlins 2 and Eerie Indiana). They finally come to the conclusion that these pods are copying people when they sleep, when Miles attempts to contact further higher authorities he is told all lines are busy.
They send Jack and Teddy to a neighboring town to seek help with their predicament. Moving around town Miles and Becky soon come to realise most if not all of the town has been replaced. They go and hide out at Miles office where they try to spend night staying awake.

They are alerted by loud vehicle noises which when they look outside they see large trucks delivering loads of the pods. They overhear that these are to be distributed to nearby towns in an effort to take them over too. Both Kauffman and Jack have been turned into pod people now, they attempt to deliver new pods to Bennells office to take them over.
They both try to convince Miles and Becky that the pods are for the best, they come from outer space and take over any planets by copying their inhabitants. Once all copied the now emotionless people exist in harmony free from war and conflict. Miles see's this as an affront to humanity getting into a fight with Kauffman and the others him and Becky escape his office. They pretend to be copied by appearing emotionless, however Becky exposes them as she accidentally calls out when a dog is almost run over, they are once again chased.

Tired and exhausted both of them manage to get to and hide inside a mine on the outskirts of town. Delirious from tiredness Miles hears some noise fearing he goes to check what it is. He see's another farm where people are loading trucks with the giant green seed pods. He runs back to Becky who's acting a little strange, when he receives an emotionless kiss from her he realizes that she has been taken over while he was gone.
She quickly reveals him to the others and he runs off from her, again he's chased by a giant mob again. He makes his way to a highway seeing a truck of pods on its way out of town. He does the line most famous in this film to all the people around.
"They're here already!, you're next, you're next!"

I don't usually spoil things here unless films are seriously bad and not worth watching but this film is so old and still worth watching even if you know the ending.
So the flashback ends with Miles back in the office with Dr Hill, despite all the describing Dr Hill still does not believe Miles. Dismissing his story as nightmarish ramblings.
That is until the truck driver is brought in after being in a crash with people saying the man had to be dug out of loads of plant like pods. Believing Miles now they call the authorities and have the town sectioned off with barricades.
This version tells a somewhat hopeful story that they managed to stop the invasion before it got to far, it keeps some of the paranoia that we could lose our individualism but ties it up in a bow that if we keep fighting we'll be okay.
50's films were rarely bleak this is still an era in filming where a lot of stories were still hopeful even in the face of adversity, no truer than in early american films too, I feel this ages the film and it does show (though the original cut did not have the truck crash just loads of pod bearing trucks driving past Miles). We will see in the future remakes if this stance holds up!
THN gives Invasion of the body snatchers 1956, a strong 4 out of 5 stars.