SSC Film Studies

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers reflects the time in which it is made by commenting on McCarthyism in a number of ways. The film opens with a final scene in which Miles is in a state of panic about the unknown that has occurred. The film opens with this to reflect the on-going issues in American society, as it taps into both the fear of paranoia and fear of others. This instantly informs the audience how the American citizens felt, what they feared and what they thought during that time.

After the prologue, Miles returns home to Santa Mira, a town representative of many small US towns. This seems a little confusing, as the setting subverts both audience and genre expectations. An audience expectation of the setting would be that it was set in a major city, not a minor. This contributes to the sense of unease, which the film tends to create throughout. The director has done this so that the setting is relatable, as it was an internal problem. It also portrays how McCarthyism started; it affected normal day-to-day people, it did not specifically target a mass majority all at once.

  

As Miles encounters Little Jimmy’s mother & Uncle Ira’s niece’s complaints about their family members being ‘different’ he doesn’t seem to take any interest. He shrugs it off and says that it is due to psychological conditions. Both of the individuals explain that they still look and sound the same; they can retrace memories, even the smallest ones, however they fear ‘something’ has changed within them. The Grimaldi family business has gone out of business because of this ‘change’ in individuals. Back then the problem was perceived to be with those who were paranoid, people tended to ignore the problem. McCarthyism grew from a small issue to a whole nation issue, most people feared to speak up as they would be labelled a communist and looked down upon in society.

As more citizens began to complain about the ‘change’, Miles takes notice of it as it were rapidly becoming the majority. We see many more people being affected as the film progresses, however Miles remains confident that infact it is a psychological problem. More and more people began to adapt to McCarthy’s ideologies and follow his lead leaving behind their free will and individuality to keep themselves safe & protected.  Those who did not agree with him were ultimately seen as threats.

The pods look identical to the actual human being, this again highlights the ideological nature of the threat posted. As the pods began to grow and more people began to change - they began to show up in positions of authority. People were labelled as paranoid, or accused of imagining things if they questioned or challenged the pod people. This also links to McCarthy's influence; people in positions of power began to side with him and adopt his point of view.