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IMDb > Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   11,478 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Philip Kaufman
Writers:
Jack Finney (novel)
W.D. Richter (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Invasion of the Body Snatchers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 December 1978 (USA) more
Tagline:
Get some sleep more
Plot:
In San Francisco, a group of people discover the human race is being replaced one by one, with clones devoid of emotion. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
3 wins & 8 nominations more
User Comments:
It has one of the better endings that I've seen in horror / science-fiction films. more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Donald Sutherland ... Matthew Bennell

Brooke Adams ... Elizabeth Driscoll

Jeff Goldblum ... Jack Bellicec

Veronica Cartwright ... Nancy Bellicec

Leonard Nimoy ... Dr. David Kibner

Art Hindle ... Dr. Geoffrey Howell, DDS
Lelia Goldoni ... Katherine Hendley
Kevin McCarthy ... Dr. Miles J. Bennell
Don Siegel ... Taxi Driver
Tom Luddy ... Ted Hendley
Stan Ritchie ... Stan
David Fisher ... Mr. Gianni
Tom Dahlgren ... Detective
Garry Goodrow ... Dr. Boccardo
Jerry Walter ... Restaurant Owner
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Additional Details

Runtime:
115 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Iceland:12 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Netherlands:16 (orginal rating) | Finland:K-16 (2000) (uncut) (DVD) | Finland:K-16 (1987) (cut) (video) | Finland:K-18 (1979) (uncut) | West Germany:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | France:-12 | Australia:M | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG (certificate #25153) | Singapore:NC-16
Company:
Solofilm more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Cameo: ['Don Siegel (I)']taxi driver. Siegel directed the original film, of which this film is a remake. more
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: Early in the film when Geoffrey and Elizabeth are talking and we only see their reflections. Geoffrey's mouth isn't moving more
Quotes:
Elizabeth Driscoll: Matthew, we'll never be able to stop them!
Matthew Bennell: Yes, we will.
Elizabeth Driscoll: We can't! Look it, they control the whole city.
Matthew Bennell: We'll find a way somehow.
Elizabeth Driscoll: Oh, Matthew, I can't go on! I wanna go to sleep. I can't stay awake any more.
Matthew Bennell: You have to. You have to stay awake.
more
Movie Connections:
References Le locataire (1976) more
Soundtrack:
Amazing Grace more

FAQ

Where do the pod plants come from?
How does the movie end?
Why is that guy running at the beginning of the film?
more
13 out of 16 people found the following comment useful:-
It has one of the better endings that I've seen in horror / science-fiction films., 17 June 2007
8/10
Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada

Second film version of Jack Finney's enduring novel is set in San Francisco. Health department inspector Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) is tearfully informed by co-worker Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) that her boyfriend now seems like a different, thoroughly unemotional person. Soon the two of them notice that this is turning into an epidemic, and eventually the truth is revealed. "Space flowers" that have drifted to Earth ultimately turn into pods that duplicate human beings, creating these new, but emotionless entities that exist only to continue reproducing the species.

Almost forty minutes longer than the classic original 1950's version, this effective genre entry can actually stand on its own. It works as a social comment on the fear of becoming just one face in a long line of drones, and provides good acting showcases for a cast also including Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright (gearing up for her equally affecting performance in "Alien" as another terrorized, and terrified, individual), Art Hindle (of the original "Black Christmas"), and Leonard Nimoy, in a probably-not-coincidental Spock-like role as a coldly pragmatic psychiatrist.

Special effects (by Tom Burman and Edouard Henriques) are enjoyably yucky, the music very offbeat at times but generally helpful in establishing the mood, and direction very assured. Working from a script by W.D. Richter, director Philip Kaufman ("The Right Stuff") knows how to deliver some good shocks and keeps the feeling of paranoia rampant throughout the balance of the picture.

Also reminiscent of a similar idea espoused in John W. Campbell, Jr.'s short story "Who Goes There?", itself filmed in two separate, memorable film adaptations from 1951 and 1982, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" successfully maintains interest and involvement for what is a pretty long picture at almost two hours in length.

The cameo roles are noteworthy: Kevin McCarthy virtually picks up where he left off in the first film adaptation, and original "Body Snatchers" director Don Siegel is a cab driver. Robert Duvall, who'd acted in Kaufman's debut picture, "The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid", is noticeable in a small, non-speaking bit part early in the picture.

Both intelligent and spooky, this movie has the ability to appeal to a broader audience than other genre fare.

8/10

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
At what point had Kibner already been cloned? j81
Herpes sore on Brook Adams demetriost
What's Geoffrey watching on TV? MichelleYeohFan
Theory about Matthew at the end (*spoilers*) IcecreamHand
The 'Dog' scene (spoilers) ClassicMovieholic
should be in the criterion collection. chinasyndrome
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