Invasion of the Body Snatchers | | Cast : | Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams | | Director : | Philip Kaufman | | Studio : | Mgm/Ua Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | December 20, 1978 | | DVD Released Date : | July 17, 2001 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 21, 2005 | | Summary | "You'll be born again into an untroubled world free of anxiety." | Content
 | As far as big budget, glossy Hollywood remakes go, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) is surprising good, compared to the 1956 version starring Peter McCarthy. It didn't have the same punch for me, but then the 50s were an interesting, exciting and wholly unique time for science fiction in the cinema...speaking of remakes, I recently heard the original is being remade yet again, for a 2006 release, titled Invasion and starring Nicole Kidman. Hey, I say go for it, because if it stinks, at the very least I'll always have the original, along with the 1978 version (I have yet to see the 1993 version titled Body Snatchers, but I heard its pretty good). Based on a novel by Jack Finney, directed by Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff, Henry & June, Quills), the film stars Donald Sutherland (Animal House, The First Great Train Robbery) and Brooke Adams (Murder on Flight 502, Shock Waves). Also appearing is Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, Independence Day), Veronica Cartwright (Alien, The Right Stuff), Art Hindle (The Brood, Porky's), and Leonard Nimoy (The Brain Eaters, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan). Also keep an eye out for a few surprise cameos by the likes of Robert Duvall (in the role of the holy swinging man), and also Don Siegel (cabbie) and Kevin McCarthy (crazed running man), the director and star (respectively) of the 1956 film...nice way to pay respects of what came before...
The film begins with scenes of a creepy, cosmic landscape inundated with space spores, which begin to drift off into space, carried by solar winds (this can't be good). Eventually some end up drifting towards Earth, specifically to San Francisco, where they start glomming onto the local foliage, much like that of a parasite onto a host. The cross-pollination results in some rather unique looking flowers that catch the attention of Elizabeth Driscoll (Adams), a civil servant working for the Department of Health...there's a joke in here somewhere with regards to the 1967 Scott McKenzie song `San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)', but its not coming to me. The next morning she notices her boyfriend Geoffrey (Hindle) isn't quite himself...oh, he looks and sounds like Geoffrey, but he's odd, emotionless, and distant. She brings up her concerns to co-worker Matthew Bennell (Sutherland), who suggests maybe she should visit one of his friends, a famed psychiatrist named Dr. David Kibner (Nimoy), not because he thinks she's crazy, but just to help `put things in perspective'. Turns out the doctor has been receiving a number of patients who are claiming the same thing as Elizabeth, to which he accredits to some sort of psychological flu. Anyway, Matthew, along with friends Jack (Goldblum) and Nancy (Cartwright) Bellicec, who run a local Turkish mud bath (seems strangely fitting for some reason), learn that Elizabeth's fears are very real, as the Earthbound space spores not only grown pretty little flowers, but also good sized pods which act as organic replicating devices that create an exact duplicate of an individual while they sleep...but what happens to the human being duplicated? Perhaps the question is moot, as soon the four find themselves neck deep in an ever growing conspiracy, looking for answers, never knowing whom can be trusted. The pods are here, and humankind will never be the same...
Okay, first of all, if the alien presence really knew what they were getting themselves into, do you think they would really try to clone Jeff Goldblum? I have to figure this would result in a serious case of `assimilation' remorse. As I said earlier, I did enjoy this remake, but my favorite is still the original, as it seemed to resonant more so with the time period of when it was made, despite director Don Siegel's denying any intentional efforts to present an allegory towards the political situations of the time. I think one of the aspects I liked a lot about this film was that while it went further with the effects than they ever could have with the 1956 version, there was a sense of staying true to the material, a respect not often seen in remakes as many see it as a challenge to out do what came before, put their own spin on it, and also distance themselves as perhaps not to be labeled as a plagiarizing hack, I guess...regardless, I truly believe Kaufman meant this in more of a complementary sense rather than trying to do it bigger and better. The story is pretty much the same, with a few changes. Some aspects felt a little odd, like the quickness in Elizabeth's perception of something not being right. She seemed to pick up on it almost immediately, even though many around her thought she was just suffering a mental disorder of some kind. Also, I thought Matthew seemed a little too naive at times, especially when he was trying to work his way through the gooberment channels, hoping to warn those in power of the situation most dire. But these were relatively minor things, as the rest of the story is a lot of fun, especially the widening conspiracy aspect, the key players never knowing whom to trust as the pod culture spreads like a plague. How do you fight something so invasive that takes hold while you sleep? Not only does it steal your identity, but essentially destroys your soul, turning you into a human/plant hybrid devoid of the qualities that make us human. The creepiest sequence (besides the dog with the mans face...see the film and you'll know what I'm talking about) was the one with the little children being led into the front of a building (probably their school), with one saying "Why do we have to take a nap? I'm not tired." while in the back of the building we see people carrying pods through an open doorway. I thought the special effects were well done, and felt a lot like something often found in a David Cronenberg (Scanners, Videodrome) film, especially the hideously grotesque pod `babies'. There is a real sense of unease developed throughout the film, aided by an odd, but suitable musical score, topped off by a strong, chill down your spine ending...
MGM presents on this DVD both the non-anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and fullscreen versions. The picture quality is decent, but it could have used some cleaning, and it did appear murky at times. It is definitely watchable, but some of the flaws are noticeable. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround audio comes through cleaning, and I had no complaints. There are some special features, including a commentary track with director Philip Kaufman and an original theatrical trailer. There is supposed to be a booklet included, one that contains trivia, production notes, and a `Pod Culture' retrospective, but it was not to be found in my DVD case. Perhaps this was one that didn't get it, I don't know, but I did send a note to MGM and am waiting for their reply. Overall a good transfer of an excellent film, one that acknowledges and celebrates from whence it came, rather than trying to avoid or overly outdo its predecessor.
Cookieman108
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| Rating | | | Date | August 08, 2005 | | Summary | "Matthew.....Matthew...Matthew" | Content
| One of the most unsettling films ever produced, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is set in picturesque San Francisco. It is one of those films that really has a perfect cast. Veronica Cartwright is so perfect as the intellectual health nut, as are Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams and Jeff Goldblum. Frightening and subtle in its creepiness, the whole film from beginning to end has the feeling of paranoia. This first remake is far better than the original and stands up as the best thus far, even though Abel Ferrara's version is visually and aurally stunning with Meg Tilly's great performance. As a whole this film is far superior and very powerful. It will be interesting to see if the next version with Nicole Kidman will be comparable, It is doubtful with the way films are being produced these days. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 16, 2005 | | Summary | GOOD MOVIE | Content
| I remember when I first saw the 1951 movie, that was spectacular and frightening - apart of the political ideology -, this movie it's very well directed and the acting it's superb. You feel you can't trust anybody while watching it and you feel the tension of the characters, you never know who is human and who's a copy. And the end of the movie it's so surprising you just can feel terror. I recommend this movie if you want to watch a good horror movie, you'll enjoy it. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 17, 2005 | | Summary | Truly Fun Sci Fi Thriller | Content
| Very rarely do remakes match the original, but "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," to my mind, tops the original. At the very least, it invests fresh ideas and high production values, including camera angles and music, to the story and achieves a wonderful end result. The story involves human beings who are being replaced by "pods" (without feeling and emotion) in San Francisco, certainly a great setting; ostensibly these pods are coming from outer space and first appear as innocuous red flowers that "get you while you sleep." The metaphor isn't hard to imagine.
Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) and Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) work at the Department of Health where Elizabeth draws Matthew's attention to a strange flower she found growing near her home (a Victorian house, by the way) that is unclassifiable and not found in any of her botany books. Elizabeth places the flower in a vase by her bedside, intending to take it to the Department for examination the next day, and in the morning when she wakes up, discovers that her boyfriend, Geoffrey (Art Hindle), a dentist, has inexplicably and undefinably changed. There's a lot of sly irony, humor, and mounting suspense in this tale, as San Francisco is indeed the target of an alien takeover spreading across California (pun intended; California is in the same position today). What makes it hang together so beautifully, besides wonderful skewed camera angles and observances of 70's "New Age" philosophies, is the terrific cast down to the extras. The chemistry between Brooke Adams and Donald Sutherland is truly wonderful and believable; they seem to glow in one another's company as people smitten with one another do, although they play mere friends at the start. Their friends, Jack and Nancy Belicec (Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright) are also well-suited, both quirky and offbeat characters, both physically and personalitywise. Leonard Nimoy is also the perfect choice for the "Dr. Phil"-type guru: popular psychiatrist David Kibner. Both Kevin McCarthy and Don Siegel from the 1956 original make cameos in this.
Also loved the interiors and exteriors of the Victorian house in which Elizabeth and Jeffrey live. *SPOILER* I did have to shake my head, however, with amusement that the shapely Brooke Adams unaccountably is the only pod who seems to be walking around without clothes midway into the film. The reason is pretty transparent, too. But it's all very well done and great fun. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 16, 2005 | | Summary | Like Peas In A Pod | Content
| By and large, when films are remade, they don't quite live of up to the standards set by the original. There are of course exceptions, and in the case of the 1978 version of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, it not only pays homage to its forebearer, but it finds a way to stand on its own and remain relevant.
In this remake of the 1956 cult classic and based on the book by Jack Finney, terror slowly and quietly strikes San Francisco. The city is mysteriously covered by alien spores that produce strangely beautiful flowers, unknowingly, the flowers are the bearers of alien pods that make a spiderlike webbing once they capture their human victims as they sleep and replicates their form. Although they still look like us, the "Pod People" are transformed into emotionless creatures by a strange alien culture out to consume and control humanity.
Soon there are only four people are left to stop them. Matthew Bennel (Donald Sutherland), a Department of Health inspector whose close friend and coworker Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) is overwhelmed by fear and paranoia when she begins to suspect her boyfriend, Geoffrey (Art Hindle), of no longer being human. Together, with their friends Jack (Jeff Goldblum) and Nancy (Veronica Cartwright), they vow to stop the bizarre alien invasion before they fall victim to the pods. Dr. David Kibner (Leonard Nimoy) is a guru psychiatrist who might not be whom he seems.
Like the original, the film makes social commentary about the time in which it was made, but even if that subtext isn't why your watching, it's veiled quite well and doesn't hit you over the head. The screenplay by W.D. Richter and direction by Philip Kaufman makes sure that its job to provide chills is accomplished first. Sutherland gives a knockout performance as humankind's last hope. I had fogotten too, how good that a very young Goldblum, Cartwright (pre Alien) and Nimoy were in this film. But it's Sutherland who makes it work. Kevin McCarthy, who played Bennell in the '56 film pops up as well. Nice touch.
The DVD loses some points for a rather lackluster video transfer of the film. I know the film is decades old, but c'mon MGM usually does a better job than this. The disc includes a full-length screen-specific audio commentary from Kaufman. It's informative, as he shares some nice antedates about the making of the film. There is also the standard MGM 8-page booklet included inside the disc case, with some production notes, stills and a 'pod culture' retrospective, all about on the history and various incarnations of the body snatchers. Topping things off is a clever full-screen theatrical trailer.
The '78 version of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers is cool mix of 50's schlock and "modernization" that holds up. Recomended |
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