IOTBS - Contextual Issues and Allegory

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

Invasion of the Body Snatchers reflects the time it was made by commenting on McCarthyism and the fear of communism at the time. It is allegorical of the way McCarthy affected the USA, for example at the beginning of the film, it opens with the final scene with Miles in a panic about something that the audience are not yet aware of. Miles is in a state of panic and shock and with the film opening with this state it reflects the on going issues in American society, such as an increase of paranoia towards the Red Scare and the fear of Communism. The film taps into the fears and paranoia felt by many Americans.

When the storyline begins with the shot of Miles returning home to Santa Mira we see how it challenges the audience’s expectations of the genre. The fact that it is a small and very local town rather than a large city highlights how the threat from McCarthy was internal and the citizens are normal people, tapping into existing fears of the viewer. This contributes to the sense of unease the film intends to create. The opening shot reflects this and instantly informs the audience of the unseen threat facing Miles and the inhabitants of Santa Mira, the town itself is representative of many small US towns which makes the threat more believable than setting it in a large city and attacking the government directly.

At first, Miles encounters two individuals who complain that their family members are ‘different’. He shrugs off the complaints as ‘psychological conditions’. Little Jimmy’s mother and Uncle Ira both seem normal, but their families complain ‘something’ has changed, but they are considered to be the real problem, rather than the others. McCarthyism grew from a small issue to a national issue. It began as a minority and the problem was only coming from the minority, not the people under suspicion. But in the film, the Grimaldi family went out of business as a result of the change – this is a comment on the threat to the American way of life at the time. People began to change and there was a threat of being accused as a Communist by McCarthy as he introduced his Witch Hunts.

As more and more people start complaining of these symptoms, Miles begins to take notice and thinks that a genuine problem is emerging. We begin to see more people, such as Becky’s father become affected by the mysterious ‘psychological condition’, and Miles remains confident that this is the case. This is allegorical of how more and more people began to adopt McCarthy’s point of view and his ideologies. They begin to see people who do not share their point of view as ‘others’, and as a threat.

During trials, defendants where denied the rights of the 1^st and 5^th Amendments and judges became biased towards McCarthy’s point of view. This was part of the Alien Registration Act (1940) which enabled McCarthy to deny these people their constitutional rights, this is reflected when PODs begin to show up in forms of authority, such as the Doctor and the Police Officer, who shrug off Miles’ complaint of the dead body. Sci-Fi Aliens typically look very different, distinguishing their ‘otherness’ but the PODs look identical to us as the change comes form inside, which challenges expectation once again and also highlights the fact that the threat of the PODS resembles an ideological threat in American society. As the PODs begin to grow in number it raises questions, but those who challenge the POD people are labelled as crazy or paranoid, and are accused of imagining things. They are also threatened with imprisonment, which is a direct allegorical statement towards the Alien Registration Act. As McCarthy’s influence grew, people in positions of power began to adopt his point of view and some actually believe him.

Others do it out of fear of being labelled a Communist, this is reflected when Miles wakes up the day after the events with the bodies and is satisfied with the explanation given by the Authority figures. However, his behaviour has changed and he is now being viewed with suspicion. This shows how anyone who displayed signs of dissent, questioned McCarthyism or was considered to be a potential problem was viewed with suspicion. People began to conform in order to avoid this suspicion, as they didn’t want to be viewed as a threat, or to be potentially dangerous. People feared being blacklisted, therefore would give up their own personal views and ideologies to fit in to the status quo.

Whilst at Jack’s house, miles uncovers more PODs and realises there is a conspiracy taking place. He attempts to call the police and FBI, both symbols of authority, but they refuse to give him help or support.  Instead, he tells his friends to evacuate Santa Mira, "if there is no one here to answer, they will know we have gone". As McCarthy's influence grew he became a threat to society. If he attacked, labelled or even suggested that someone was a Communist, their lives would be over (some cases of blacklisting caused suicide, making this claim very literal). McCarthy's power was so great and widespread that people throughout the Government began to fear being labelled as a Communist, and as a result the authorities backed him and changed policies to support him. By the mid 50's, McCarthyism and his ideologies had become the majority in the us society. During the HUAC hearings, Judges would be openly biased and rights were refused to citizens who where under suspicion. People feared the Government and in order to stay safe, they began adopting the status quo out of paranoia. People feared speaking out against McCarthy, and they followed his ideologies, leaving behind their own opinions and personalities - essentially becoming POD people themselves. Miles is not re-positioned as a 'threat' and an 'other' as he is the minority, refusing to change.

As Miles attempts to leave town he encounters a number of people he suspects of being POD people, just as people would have feared everyone converting to McCarthyism. For example, at the gas station he says "I saw Mack checking the trunk of my car. He could have been checking my spare tire, but... I didn't think so." This is allegorical of how after McCarthy's ideology became dominant, people became increasingly paranoid. As this was an ideological invasion, people could not be sure that the people around them were friends or enemies. As Miles becomes more aware of the situation and more able to challenge it, the PODs increase in number, further isolating him and positioning him as an other, people who Miles could once trust are now PODs.

The scene at Sally's house with the POD being placed int he babies room shows how an ideology can be passed down from parent to child. The comment made here is that if people are to stand up to McCarthy, it must be now because the other generations are being changed by the ideologies of their parents, having no choice but to become one of them. Paranoia in American society grew and even led to many people exposing their own family members and friends as 'Communist Sympathisers'. People did this out of fear and hatred of the 'other', and their increase in paranoia.

Miles returns to his friends house for help, but when he arrives he sees that they too are all POD people as they have taken over all areas of American society. Anyone who opposes them, such as Miles, is seen as a threat to their agenda and are treated with deadly force. Miles is horrified that his closest allies have been changed. This shows the incredible influence of the PODs and their ability to seemingly overcome all challenges to their quest. This is purposely similar to McCarthy's influence, which was so pervasive that it affected all levels of American society. People became so afraid about blacklisting that many stopped trusting their families as everyone was capable of being a communist - just as anyone is capable of becoming a POD person. The PODs seem indestructible and capable of assimilating anyone. Miles is now unable to trust anyone except Becky as they are both complete outsiders and Miles is beginning to be depicted as a man wo is losing self-control, and his own mind around the POD people. This reflects how paranoia intensified enormously in American society due to the increase in McCarthy's ideology, and how people felt that they had no choice in the matter, therefore they had to join the majority for their own sake.

Miles and Becky hide in his office over night and wake up to see the Army distributing PODs for families in the town, and soon enough he and Becky will be the only humans who remain. Miles sees that the entire town has fallen to the ideological changed imposed by the POD people. With an ideology established as the status quo, any individual that attempts to challenge the ideology in place could be labelled as an 'other'. Through McCarthy's campaign of intimidation and terror, he was able to position anyone who opposed him as an outsider. People Miles knows look the same, but they are changed inside. The new POD people comment on how people gave up their identities to fall in like with the status quo, for example when Jack discovers Miles and says "it's not that bad..." The character statements about losing their emotions and feeling free are a comment on how people lied about their true feelings and hid their true political allegiance as they didn't want to be punished for 'associating' with Communists, whether it be true or not. The greater the feeling of paranoia and fear meant the greater the desire for people adopt a safe status quo and avoid suspicion themselves.

Miles and Becky are run out of town, being chased by a local mob. Mobs symbolise the 'group think' mentality of the PODs and their lack of individual identities. A status quo means an ideology has become the norm, when a vast majority adopted the norm of McCarthyism; it became very difficult for people to challenge it. They would be seen as abnormal, other, or labelled as a Communist threat. For example, the PODs come together as one unit against the rogue Miles and Becky; they are a definitive threat to the PODs society and must be stopped at all costs. The greater the majority and the smaller the 'other' leads to the 'other' posing a greater threat.

After being chased out of town Miles and Becky hide out in a cave. Becky hears some music and follow the sound to its source, this conveys how PODs/McCarthyists lack emotional individuality. Music is a distinctly human form of personal expression and each person responds to it differently, for example this is shown when Becky says "I've never heard anything so beautiful. It means we are nit the only ones left to know what love is." Whereas when Miles investigates, he sees the farmer turn off the music to work in silence, this is allegorical of how many people felt safer adopting the status quo and giving up their personal identities. People did not want to be viewed as an individual, rather as a part of a group. Also, Becky (a non-POD) takes comfort in the music and has an emotional response to it which reflects her humanity and individuality which is contrasted with the farmers. They turn off the music, showing their lack of individuality  and their complete disinterest in personal expression. They take no pleasure from the emotions which music conjures, unlike Becky who becomes overwhelmed by the music's beauty. Different forms of music can be considered as subversive, making McCarthy worry that they could spread anti-McCarthy messages, therefore people would reject subversive things in order to remain part of the status quo to avoid suspicion.

At the last moment Becky falls asleep and awakens as a POD, then miles runs for his life onto the freeway. This scene shows that even a persons closest friends and family could slowly be turned without anyone knowing it. Miles gives absolute trust to Becky, but is betrayed and is left with no one to trust but himself. This scene is used to comment on the extreme paranoia which people felt in 1950's America.

The penultimate scene sees Miles escape onto the freeway. He attempts to flag down cars and truckers to warn them about the invasion. However, he is ignored and represented as a man who has lost his mind. He is shouting about the end of the world as trucks with the names of different cities drive past him. Miles attempts to draw attention to the issue but his complaints fall on deaf ears. At the beginning of the film he is a respectable doctor, but now he looks like an isolated and dangerous madman. He has been successfully isolated by the PODs and repositioned as the 'other'. He is now seen as the threat because he is the one standing in opposition to the status quo. The trucks have names of prominent American cities on and are carrying PODs which conveys that the PODs are spreading nationwide to all major cities and the Invasion is well underway. The way the PODs are being delivered is allegorical of how McCarthyism was an internal threat, the PODs are being delivered by these trucks on the freeway where average humans are driving beside it unknowingly.

During this sequence Miles breaks the golden rule of filmmaking and looks directly into the camera. he looks down the lens and shouts: "You fools, there are here already! You're next!" Here, director Don Siegel speaks directly to the audience through Miles. The dialogue, positioned in front of the trucks with major US cities names on them, send a message that McCarthyism is spreading and unless the audience stand up in opposition to McCarthy. If they give up their opinions and 'emotions', McCarthyism will continue to grow until everyone is living in fear of their government.

The finale sees Miles finally reaching help. At first the police and medical doctors think he has lost his mind and is paranoid and intent to send him to an asylum. Only the last moment, when someone else confirms Miles story do they take him seriously. The film abruptly ends without any resolution, instead it poses several questions and leaves an open ended narrative. As the film ends with no clear resolution, its message is left open to interpretation. typical films resolve all story lines and the characters generally live 'happily ever after'. This ending suggests that all the characters do not live happily ever after and the threat posed by the PODs is still present. Miles only achieves to escape Santa Mira in order to raise awareness of the issues facing the US. The film opens and closes in a state of panic, by returning to the beginning of the film the director is informing us that there is no resolution to this issue and the audience will leave the cinema into a world that remains in panic.

The directors attempt to draw audience attention to the real threat posed in the real world and sends the message that this is an ongoing, current problem: McCarthyism, and people must be aware of this. He warns them by saying  "you're next" which shows that anyone can conform to McCarthy's authority in time, and everyone's time is coming. Ultimately the film opens in panic to highlight to the audience that this is an ongoing problem and unless they do something about it, by standing up to McCarthy, they face the real danger of their nation being taken over by these 'Invaders, or POD people.