INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS: NEW LOOK FOR A CLASSIC

If there is anyone in the world who isn’t familiar with the story of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS I would be surprised. The original film was released in 1956 to a lukewarm reception but gained a huge following over the years with repeat viewings on TV. Enough so that it inspired later film makers to remake the film first in 1978, then in 1993 and later in 2007. But it was always the original that left the biggest mark and now Olive Films is releasing the film in perhaps the best presentation ever offered.

For those who aren’t aware the story revolves around a doctor arrested and in custody who begins telling his tale to a psychiatrist called in to handle him. Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) returns home to Santa Mira early from a conference when numerous patients requests to talk to him. It seems that several of them believe that their loved ones are not quite the same, that they look as they always have but are just not the same person.

Bennell is happy to discover that also returning to town in his absence is Becky Driscoll (Dana Wynter), his long lost love returning after getting a divorce. Divorced himself he immediately sets out to woo Becky back. The interest is reciprocated but time doesn’t allow that to happen as more people begin showing these strange symptoms. When discussing it with the town psychiatrist Dan Kauffman (Larry Gates), Kauffman poses the theory that it’s mass hysteria for some reason.

Going out to dinner with Becky, Miles gets a call from his friend Jack Belicec (King Donovan). The pair head over to find Jack’s wife Teddy (Carolyn Jones) hysterical. Jack takes them into the den and uncovers a body lying on his pool table. There lies a body not quite yet formed but the same size and similar to Jack. Miles tells Jack to stay and watch the body and takes Becky home.

Later that night Jack calls again. When Miles arrives they see that the body has now changed and is nearly identical to Jack. Realizing it took place when he fell asleep Miles tells him to stay awake. He also remembers Becky’s father acting strange and rushes over to find a near duplicate of her in the basement. Carrying her out of the house he takes her to his house where Jack and Teddy have gone. The next morning they wake and when he steps out into his greenhouse he finds four giant pods that pop open, each containing the beginnings of duplicate of them.

Miles destroys them and they work out a plan for Jack and Teddy to go get help while he stays to answer the phone, now taken over by whoever is behind this. From there things get stranger as these pod people have taken over the entire town. Now Miles and Becky must wait for help to come once Jack alerts the state. In the meantime they witness trucks loaded with the pods distributing them into various cars all with the intent of spreading them through nearby towns.

The movie works on numerous levels. The sense of paranoia that you being with not knowing if Miles is sane or not yields to the realization that there is an actual invasion taking place. Since its release many critics have made note that the film came out at the same time McCarthyism was taking place. But while watching it depends on your point of view whether that notion supports or condemns that line of thinking.

Made for a fairly minor budget and directed by the great Don Siegel (DIRTY HARRY, THE SHOOTIST) the movie is one of the classic science fiction films of all time. What little money they had to make the film all shows up on screen and includes some amazing performances from all involved. Once seen there is no way one can forget the sequence of Kevin McCarthy running down the middle of the highway screaming that they’re here, they’re here! It is one of the most memorable scenes in movies and one he repeated in the 1978 remake.

Olive Films is releasing the film as part of their Signature Series with a wonderful restoration that’s crisp and clean. In one of the extras on hand director Joe Dante talks about the film being shot in Superscope, a way of creating a widescreen film by placing black bars across the top and bottom that didn’t require an anamorphic lens to shoot like Cinemascope did. This meant that when first shown on TV the film not only cut off bits of the top and bottom but along both sides as well since TV featured a square picture at the time. This version provides the picture in that Superscope format, something I don’t believe has happened with it in the past.

In addition to that the release includes a ton of extras to watch and enjoy. They include an audio commentary track by film historian Richard Harland Smith, an audio commentary by actors Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, and filmmaker Joe Dante, "The Stranger in Your Lover's Eyes" – A two-part visual essay with actor and son of director Don Siegel, Kristoffer Tabori, reading from his father's book A Siegel Film, "The Fear is Real" – Filmmakers Larry Cohen and Joe Dante on the film's cultural significance,
"I No Longer Belong: The Rise and Fall of Walter Wanger" – Film scholar and author Matthew Bernstein discusses the life and career of the film's producer, "Sleep No More: Invasion of the Body Snatchers Revisited" – Never-before-seen appreciation of the film featuring actors Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, along with comments from film directors and fans, John Landis, Mick Garris, and Stuart Gordon,
"The Fear and the Fiction: The Body Snatchers Phenomenon" – Never-before-seen interviews with Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, along with film directors John Landis, Mick Garris and Stuart Gordon, discussing the making of the film, its place in history, and its meaning, a 1985 archival interview with Kevin McCarthy hosted by Tom Hatten, "Return to Santa Mira" – An exploration of the film's locations
"What's In a Name?" – On the film's title, a gallery of rare documents detailing aspects of the film's production including the never-produced opening narration to have been read by Orson Welles, an essay by author and film programmer Kier-La Janisse and the original theatrical trailer. Trust me there is plenty here that will take up most of your evening to get through.

Kudos to Olive Films for offering this classic movie in the best presentation every offered for fans. If you’ve never seen the movie then by all means you need to pick up a copy. It would be a worthwhile addition to any film fans collection. And if you have a copy already then ditch it and pick this one up. It will seem like you’re watching the film for the first time all over again.

Click here to order.