“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” Review

            The 1943 film Casablanca is a classic cinema that that is revered by many who have cinephilia. From the stunning costumes worn by the actors too the amazing cinematography, such opening scene in Ricks bar where there is an excellent use of continuity editing as the audience is able to view the entire inside of the bar in one fluid motion with very without the need for any cuts or change of scenes. In addition, to being known as a film classic this film is also known for the use of anti-Nazi propaganda as the American Rick ends up helping two Europeans escape the clutches of German Nazi’s who are portrayed to be the villains of the film, which in turn tried to persuade the audience of the film that the Nazi’s are evil and the people of the world need freed from their dictatorship. One film that had taken influence from this kind of propaganda is the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers a 1956 B-film without colour starring Kevin McCarthy, that was made to scare the populous from communism and the super power rival of the Soviet Union during the period known as the red scare within the United States during the cold war. The film was such a success that it inspired a remake color film in 1978 which stared Donald Sutherland; under the same title the film took the same primus of the original with the idea of an alien plant invading the planet and making life like copies of humans and then replacing them to create its own emotionless totalitarian society. Coming out right after the Vietnam War the film is meant to scare the audience once again into fearing the communist movement as the Cold War continued between the United States and the Soviet Union. This film shocked many for it forced them to think if their loved ones or neighbors are actually not what they appear to be, for in the film the plant would make living copies of humans and then put the copies into society and have them produce copies of others and replace them through spores created by the plant. As the audiences watched the film they got to see the main protagonist who is played by Donald Sutherland try to figure out just what these emotionless drones are and if he can escape from being assimilated, they are thrown into realization that no one can escape for the final scene it has Sutherland being approached by one of his companions that had managed to escape just for them to realize through a close up shot that he too was assimilated once he let out a loud shriek to signify that his former companion still showed emotion. As film critic for the Wall Street Journal, Joe Morgenstern had stated “Gives remakes a good name” and I couldn’t agree more, for through the amazing crew the film managed to scare the populous once again and create a new fear of communism.