Ian Sauter 2/29/16

Red Group

Invasion of the Body Snatchers Cinematic Analysis

Part A
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a post World War 2 horror classic with a main theme of
losing ones freewill and individual identity, sort of a statement against communism. The movie begins in
a mental hospital where a crazed looking man is visited by a psychiatrist. He begs the psychiatrist to listen
to his story and the psychiatrist agrees so the man begins to recount a flashback. His story begins in Santa
Mira, California where the main character, Dr. Miles Bennell has just returned from Europe. He meets up
with his nurse, Sally Withers who was waiting for him at the train station. They are driving down a road
when a screaming boy runs across, this is the first strange occurrence we see. Dr.Bennell gets to his office
where his nurse tells him that many patients called in saying that their family members were acting
strange, then cancelled their appointments every time. He also meets his ex-girlfriend, Becky Driscoll
there who has just returned to town after a divorce. Bennell goes to Beckys cousins house only to find
that her uncle is acting perfectly normal. Later he and Becky Driscoll are at dinner when someone calls
Bennell and tells him to come to their house immediately. When Bennell and Driscoll are leaving the
restaurant they see the town psychiatrist who claims that the epidemic is just mass hysteria. When
Bennell and Driscoll arrive at the callers home they are called inside. The couple, Jack and Teddy
Belicec show Bennell a body that they found in their basement that looks very similar to Jack. Jack cuts
his hand at one point, later the same cut appears on the body doubles hand. Then, Bennell and Driscoll
leave telling the couple not to take their eyes off the body. Bennell then goes to Driscoll's house to find a
body double of her in her basement too. He then went upstairs and got Driscoll and they went back to his
house. The next morning they call the psychiatrist and he comes to Jacks house only to find the body
gone. The psychiatrist says that it must have been a dead body and that Bennell didnt realize it. Then
they go to Driscolls house only to find that one gone too. Later that day, more and more patients claim
that everythings fine now and that they dont need Bennell to come. Bennell, Driscoll, and the Belicecs
are all about to have a cookout when they find a bunch of giant seed pods in a greenhouse. The pods then
opened and bodies fell out of them and they looked like all the people there. Bennell attempts to call the
FBI in vain and then tells the Belicecs to leave town. Bennell and Driscoll drive back to Bennells office
and hide there for the night, taking drugs to stay awake. The next morning they saw emotionless people,
all taking pods in their cars ready to give to their relatives. This part reinforces the theme showing people
lose their independence, all following one command. Eventually the psychiatrist, Jack, and a police chief
come into the office and tell them that the pods are from space and want everyone to live in a happy,
equal society. Reinforcing the communist like theme of the pod people. Driscoll and Bennell are being
held hostage until they go to sleep when Bennell stabs the men with syringes and he and Driscoll escape
the office. They are seen on the street and Driscoll shows too much emotion causing a policeman to
realize theyre still human. They begin to run up a mountain and out of town, with the whole town
chasing them, again showing the theme of losing freewill and individual identity. They hide in a cave
where Driscoll falls asleep, Bennell doesnt realize at first but after kissing her, he knows shes a pod
person. Eventually, Bennell reaches a highway where he screams at all the cars,Youre next! Then it
returns to the present, where the psychiatrists still think Bennell is crazy, until an ambulance driver comes
in and tells them he picked up a truck driver whose truck was full of pods and leaving Santa Mira. Thats
when they realize hes being truthful.

Part B

Invasion of the Body Snatchers takes place in 1950s cold war era United States. It was released
in a time of great panic in the U.S., the nuclear age had just begun (which is mentioned in the
film) and America was technically at war with the USSR. It portrays many significant aspects of
American society at the time, such as the fear of communism. It also portrays women in a sexist
way that was rampant during the 1950s. All throughout the movie, the women need help or are
working at home while their husbands are at work. The movie is certainly a product of his time.
The movie also doesnt have a single black person, Santa Mira is seen as a perfect white
suburb. The most common social statement this film made is about communism. Analysts have
seen in it a metaphor for the creeping threat of Communism(tcm.com). The film does have a
historical bias due to the fact it was made in the 50s. Americans saw communism as an evil,
almost otherworldly thing. The United States was technically at war with communist China in
Korea helping contribute to the bias. Americans believed that the communists were horrible
brainwashing people, the film was being historically connected to the end of "the Korean War
and the well publicized reports of brainwashing techniques" (wikipedia.com). The film also had
a significant impact on the industry as a whole helping spawn an all new genre of film. It was
one of the first sci fi movies ever made, and since it was so critically acclaimed, many more sci fi
films were made. In conclusion, the film had a significant historical and social setting.
Works Cited
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2016.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_the_Body_Snatchers>.
Lacey, Nick. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Nick Lacey on Films. Nick Lacey, 15
Feb. 2012. Web. 6 Mar. 2016. <https://laceysfilms.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/invasionof-the-body-snatchers-us-1956-and-the-invasion-us-aus-2007/>.
Nixon, Rob, and Jeff Stafford. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Turner Classic Movies.
Turner Classic Movies, 2005. Web. 6 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79341/Invasion-of-the-Body-Snatchers/articles.html>.

Part C: Metaphor and Imagery

Invasion of the Body Snatchers was full of metaphors that related to the time when the film
was released. The entire film can be seen as a metaphor for communism and the spread of

communism in the world at the time. The pod people all follow one thing telling them what to
do, they all cooperate to spread their pods. This is sort of a metaphor for what Americans thought
of the USSR and China at the time. They thought they were emotionless people who purely
worked for one evil dictator. The Americans thought that by becoming part of a communist
society, you lost your individual identity and just become a part of a larger machine. This is seen
in the movie with all people becoming completely submissive and working towards one cause.
Another metaphor is the spread of communism. America saw the spread of communism as a sort
of alien infection that created pod people. Communism spread rapidly at the time just like the
way the pod people spread in the movie. This movie is sort of a call to action saying that we must
stop the spread of communism before we all become emotionless people. In conclusion,
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a large metaphor for communism and the spread of
communism.