IOBS

It is often said, “films reflect the times in which they are made”

How far is this true for Invasion the Body Snatchers?

            In this film it is very true because there’s a lot of links to what is happening in America at the time.  The introduction isn’t a normal view of America and it’s not what we expect we don’t expect it because its very hectic and busy. It reflects the change in society and the fear, panic and paranoia which all existed in the 50’s all of this is in the opening sequence so it introduces all of themes for the film.

            In America at the 50’s the was a sense of paranoia around because of a lot of different things such as the fear of nuclear war, getting labelled a homosexual or being a homosexual and also the black rights. The was a man called joseph McCarthy who was a politician who was slowing but successfully creating a status quo by making people conform in to his way of life by tapping into his fears  and his way of life was you had to be a certain way or you would be feared and people would think you wasn’t normal. His way of living was you had to be married you had to be white and be a Christian and if you didn’t conform you would be labelled something and ‘normal’ people would fear you because you wasn’t part of the status quo.  So at the start of the film more people are psychologically normal and they didn’t listen to anyone but has the film got on more and more people where conforming to the pods. They then become the status quo and Miles and Becky don’t want to conform and they fear the pod people, and that’s very similar to what happened this McCarthy.

We see a ‘normal’ town with the vast majority of the status quo and a small part showing a psychological condition. The very first people to act strange are the police officer on his motorbike, the niece and the little boy. The police officer is an important one because he acts very strange with Miles and Becky, then he just rides off.  This relates to McCarthyism because McCarthy spoke to people which authority and starting a status quo.

            When Miles first returns home he says, ‘everything looked normal but a sense of evil’. He is correct and this is where the fear of others starts to come into the film because at the moment the pod people are others. As the film progresses more and more people are conforming to the pods and that’s a similarity to America in the 50’s because when the paranoia and fear was happening because McCarthy was trying to conform and scare people into living his way of life and become the status quo and if you said no you would be labelled various things such as homosexuals, aliens and communists. Because more and more people where becoming a pod person and they where becoming the status Quo and the ‘correct’ way of living.