In what ways does Invasion of the Body Snatchers reflect the time in which it was made?

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a film that reflects the time it was made, through social/political matters.

The film opens with the final scene where Miles is in a panic about an as of yet unseen force, the film them cuts to the beginning of the story. This shows us that Miles is in state of panic and shock as the film opens in a time of state of panic that reflects the issues going on in American society at that time. The nation is gripped with fear and paranoia, thanks to the “red scare” and “communism” as well as the McCarthy Witch Hunts. The film taps into the fears and paranoia felt by many Americans at that time, from the opening shot the film reflects this panic and paranoia and instantly tells the audience about the unseen threat to Miles and the inhabitants of Santa Mira, a small town that represents the many small towns that make up US.

After the prologue, the film opens with Miles returning to his hometown of Santa Mira, where the film is set. It is quite unusual for a film of this genre to be set in a small town and not a big city however this challenges what the audiences expect from the film which adds to the sense of unease that the film intends to create. The setting connotes to the fact that McCarthyism was an internal problem from the USA; the film is designed to speak to the normal/average American and tap into their existing fears of communists and ‘others’.

At first, Miles encounters only two individual problems, which are complaints about their family members seeming ‘different’ however he shrugs off the complaints as psychological conditions’ because of the small scale of reports. The two individuals, Little Jimmy’s mother and Uncle Ira, both look and sound normal however their families feel that ‘something’ has changed. The ‘Grimaldi’ family business had also gone out of business as a result of the changes – this is a comment on the threat to American way of life.  This links to McCarthy as McCarthyism grew from a small issue to a nationwide one. At first, a minority of people had fears about communist infiltration as a result of the ‘red scare’ however the problem was perceived to be with those who were paranoia, not the people under suspicion just as Miles had labelled Little Jimmy’s mother and Uncle Ira’s problems as paranoia and psychological.

As more and more people start complaining of these symptoms, Miles then begins to take serious notice and beings to think that a genuine problem is emerging in Santa Mira. We start to see more and more people become affected by the mysterious ‘Psychological condition’, like Becky’s father, etc. however Miles still is quite confident that the problem is the psychological condition. This connotes to the fact that more and more people began to adopt McCarthy’s P.O.V and ideologies as their paranoia and fear grew, they also begin to see people that do not share their P.O.V/ideologies as threats/‘others’.

As the number of PODS grow, they begin to show up in positions of power and authority, like the doctor and the police officer who shrugs off Mile’s complaint about the dead body/POD that was on the pool table at Becky’s fathers home. The PODS begin to grow in numbers and power, those who seem concerned and/or question/challenge the POD people are labelled as crazy/paranoid or are accused of imagining things, just like Miles did to the two individual problems. They’re also threatened with imprisonment if they do not persist/give up, just like ‘blacklisting’ that happened to people who did the same. As McCarthy’s influence over the American society’s P.O.V and ideologies grew, people in positions of power (like the doctor and police officer) began to adopt his P.O.V and some believed him however others did it from fear of being labelled a ‘Communist’ and being shunned in society.

The day after the events with the bodies/PODS and authority figures, Miles wakes up the next morning, satisfied with the explanation given by the authority figures but his behaviour had been noted and he is now being viewed with suspicion. Many people were discouraged from questioning the ‘status quo’ and changes in society around that time and slowly, people felt unable to trust authority figures as they began adopting the same ideologies as McCarthy. Paranoia began to grow as people felt their thoughts and personal beliefs where being undermined and questioned. Anyone who showed signs of dissent, questioned McCarthy (and his followers) or was considered to be a potential problem was identified and viewed with suspicion. People in society would also adopt the popular viewpoints and those under investigation or suspicion for not following the status quo where viewed as potentially dangerous, or a ‘threat’.

Whilst at Jack’s house, Miles discovers more PODS and realises that there is a conspiracy taking place in Santa Mira. He tries to phone the police and FBI (symbols of authority) but they unable to get through to them for help and support so Miles tells his friends to escape whilst he waits. Miles says “If there is no one here to answer, they will know we have gone” which shows that paranoia is beginning to grow within him, as he has been repositioned from his position of control and power to a ‘threat’ and ‘other’. He is now considered apart of the minority as he goes against the status quo and is therefore considered a threat. As McCarthy’s influence grew, he became a formidable foe for anyone. If he attacked, labelled or even suggested a person was a Communist, their lives would be over and for some literally as many people committed suicide after being blacklisted. By the mid 50’s, McCarthyism and his ideologies became the status quo in US society, because it was an ideology of the majority. Therefore anyone who opposed McCarthyism and the ideologies that came with it were apart of the minority and ultimately seen as potential threats. People completely feared speaking out against McCarthy’s ideologies and would adopt the status quo to save their lives and the ones they love, they were essentially becoming POD people. McCarthy’s power was so great and widespread across America that people in all levels of Government began to fear being labelled a Communist. As a result of this, the authorities backed him publicly and even changed policies to support him. During the HUAC hearings, Judges would be openly biased by refusing people their 5^th Amendment Right and restricted their Freedom of Speech, which caused people to fear their government and adopt the status quo view – that McCarthy was right and those who fought him were guilty.

As Miles attempts to leave town, he encounters a number of people he suspects of being POD people, he is correct each time and as Miles becomes more aware of the situation and more able to challenge it, the number of PODS increases, further isolating him and positioning him as an other/threat. When as the gas station, Miles says, “I saw Mack checking the truck of my car. He could be checking my spare tire, but… I didn’t think so”. From this point on every character we see seems to be acting suspiciously as the people who Miles once trusted are now PODS. The scene at Sally’s house with the POD being placed in the babies room shows how an ideology can be passed down from parent to children, the comment made here is that if people want to stand up are challenge McCarthy, it must be done now or it’ll be too late. After McCarthyism became the status quo, people became increasingly paranoid as this was an ideology that made people not 100% sure that their closest friends, family members and neighbours where not a threat. The paranoia grew greatly and even led to people exposing their own family as ‘Communist Sympathisers’, they did this out of fear and hatred of ‘the other’.