INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS - Don Siegel
[FULL REVIEW - SPOILERS AHEAD]
I haven't read 'The Body Snatchers', the book by Jack Finney that was the basis of this film, but feel very inclined to do so on account of what I've seen.
The plot deals with a small town in the US, where the protagonist, a physician coming home after an outstation trip, begins to notice some strange behavior among the townsfolk - people making appointments with him and then mysteriously canceling them, people temporarily claiming that their relatives aren't actually their relatives. As it turns out there's an alien race propagating via pods, which take the face and form of human beings, even absorbing their memories, though not feelings. Their intention is to completely take over the human race by substitution with the 'pod people'.
A lot has been said about the political metaphors that one can draw from this book and film - even without those metaphors I'd say it works fine as a 50's sci-fi paranoia piece. The plot is absolutely first-rate and the mainstay of the film's power. It builds up in a generally credible manner (although there is some unintentional humor in scenes like when a couple that discovers a growing body in their home does little more than inviting the local physician and his fiancée over for a drink to discuss this matter over). The pod people are depicted in a convincing way as beings that have the form and memories of people but not human emotions, which they consider unnecessary baggage.
Siegel directs the proceedings in a crisp fashion. There are some very nice visuals, for instance the scene where they discover a host of pods in the greenhouse, all tilted angles and tight close-ups effectively conveying the tension of the scene. Another is when the leads hide in a mine while trying to escape from a mob of the pod people, great use of shadows and perspective shots.
The film ends on a somewhat upbeat note with the hero managing to convince the authorities of the dastardly invasion.
[FULL REVIEW - SPOILERS AHEAD]
I haven't read 'The Body Snatchers', the book by Jack Finney that was the basis of this film, but feel very inclined to do so on account of what I've seen.
The plot deals with a small town in the US, where the protagonist, a physician coming home after an outstation trip, begins to notice some strange behavior among the townsfolk - people making appointments with him and then mysteriously canceling them, people temporarily claiming that their relatives aren't actually their relatives. As it turns out there's an alien race propagating via pods, which take the face and form of human beings, even absorbing their memories, though not feelings. Their intention is to completely take over the human race by substitution with the 'pod people'.
A lot has been said about the political metaphors that one can draw from this book and film - even without those metaphors I'd say it works fine as a 50's sci-fi paranoia piece. The plot is absolutely first-rate and the mainstay of the film's power. It builds up in a generally credible manner (although there is some unintentional humor in scenes like when a couple that discovers a growing body in their home does little more than inviting the local physician and his fiancée over for a drink to discuss this matter over). The pod people are depicted in a convincing way as beings that have the form and memories of people but not human emotions, which they consider unnecessary baggage.
Siegel directs the proceedings in a crisp fashion. There are some very nice visuals, for instance the scene where they discover a host of pods in the greenhouse, all tilted angles and tight close-ups effectively conveying the tension of the scene. Another is when the leads hide in a mine while trying to escape from a mob of the pod people, great use of shadows and perspective shots.
The film ends on a somewhat upbeat note with the hero managing to convince the authorities of the dastardly invasion.