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Invasion of the Body Snatchers

  • 19781978
  • PGPG
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
59K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,448
281
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Trailer 1
Play trailer2:15
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Horror
  • Sci-Fi

When strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade a small town, replicating the residents one body at a time.When strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade a small town, replicating the residents one body at a time.When strange seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade a small town, replicating the residents one body at a time.

IMDb RATING
7.4/10
59K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,448
281
  • Director
    • Philip Kaufman
  • Writers
    • W.D. Richter(screenplay by)
    • Jack Finney(based on the novel "The Body Snatchers" by)
  • Stars
    • Donald Sutherland
    • Brooke Adams
    • Jeff Goldblum
Top credits
  • Director
    • Philip Kaufman
  • Writers
    • W.D. Richter(screenplay by)
    • Jack Finney(based on the novel "The Body Snatchers" by)
  • Stars
    • Donald Sutherland
    • Brooke Adams
    • Jeff Goldblum
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 241User reviews
    • 219Critic reviews
    • 75Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos2

    Invasion of the Body Snatchers
    Trailer 2:15
    Invasion of the Body Snatchers
    What to Watch This October on IMDb TV
    Full Episode 3:37
    What to Watch This October on IMDb TV

    Photos211

    Leonard Nimoy and Lelia Goldoni in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
    Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
    Donald Sutherland in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
    Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
    Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
    Leonard Nimoy, Donald Sutherland, and Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
    Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
    Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
    Leonard Nimoy and Lelia Goldoni in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
    Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
    Jeff Goldblum, Donald Sutherland, and Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
    Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Donald Sutherland
    Donald Sutherland
    • Matthew Bennellas Matthew Bennell
    Brooke Adams
    Brooke Adams
    • Elizabeth Driscollas Elizabeth Driscoll
    Jeff Goldblum
    Jeff Goldblum
    • Jack Bellicecas Jack Bellicec
    Veronica Cartwright
    Veronica Cartwright
    • Nancy Bellicecas Nancy Bellicec
    Leonard Nimoy
    Leonard Nimoy
    • Dr. David Kibneras Dr. David Kibner
    Art Hindle
    Art Hindle
    • Geoffreyas Geoffrey
    Lelia Goldoni
    Lelia Goldoni
    • Katherineas Katherine
    Kevin McCarthy
    Kevin McCarthy
    • Running Manas Running Man
    Don Siegel
    Don Siegel
    • Taxi Driveras Taxi Driver
    Tom Luddy
    Tom Luddy
    • Ted Hendleyas Ted Hendley
    Stan Ritchie
    • Stanas Stan
    David Fisher
    • Mr. Giannias Mr. Gianni
    Tom Dahlgren
    Tom Dahlgren
    • Detectiveas Detective
    Garry Goodrow
    • Boccardoas Boccardo
    • (as Gary Goodrow)
    Jerry Walter
    • Restaurant Owneras Restaurant Owner
    Maurice Argent
    Maurice Argent
    • Chefas Chef
    Sam Conti
    • Street Barkeras Street Barker
    Wood Moy
    Wood Moy
    • Mr. Tongas Mr. Tong
    • Director
      • Philip Kaufman
    • Writers
      • W.D. Richter(screenplay by)
      • Jack Finney(based on the novel "The Body Snatchers" by)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    The first remake of the paranoid infiltration classic moves the setting for the invasion from a small town to the city of San Francisco and starts as Matthew Bennell notices that several of his friends are complaining that their close relatives are in some way different. When questioned later they themselves seem changed as they deny everything or make lame excuses. As the invaders increase in number they become more open and Bennell, who has by now witnessed an attempted "replacement" realises that he and his friends must escape or suffer the same fate. But who can he trust to help him and who has already been snatched? —Mark Thompson <mrt@oasis.icl.co.uk>
    • female nudity
    • sleep
    • psychiatrist
    • health inspector
    • capgras delusion
    • 220 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Get some sleep
    • Genres
      • Horror
      • Sci-Fi
    • Certificate
      • PG
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Donald Sutherland was hit by a Volkswagen beetle while filming a shot of Matthew and Elizabeth running. He fell onto the windshield and was able to see the driver saying "Oh God, not you!"
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h 40 mins) The ship being loaded with pods was in dry dock; the entire propeller is clearly visible. Ships are not loaded in dry dock.
    • Quotes

      Matthew Bennell: [dials his phone] I'll get the police.

      Telephone Operator: [voice] Police.

      Matthew Bennell: Officer, I'd like to report four bodies in my backyard.

      Telephone Operator: Wait right there Mr. Bennell.

      Matthew Bennell: How do you know my name?

      Jack Bellicec: [Jack's eyes widen with fear] Hang up, Matthew.

      Matthew Bennell: [into the phone] I didn't tell you my name.

      Jack Bellicec: Hang up!

      Matthew Bennell: [hangs up the phone] I didn't tell them my name!

      Nancy Bellicec: That's because they're all part of it. They're all pods, all of them!

    • Alternate versions
      In the version that ABC-TV ran in 1980, Brooke Adams's nude scene, where she walks through the greenhouse where the pods are being grown, was replaced with an alternate shot of her wearing her red dress.
    • Connections
      Edited into Ice Queen (2005)
    • Soundtracks
      Amazing Grace
      Traditional

      Performed by The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (as the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards)

      Courtesy of RCA Limited

    User reviews241

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Close enough to get a cigar, but not as good as the original
    Shortly after Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) discovers a strange plant in her San Francisco-area yard that she cannot identify, her boyfriend begins acting strangely--he looks the same, but Elizabeth swears he's a different person. Before long, more and more people are claiming the same thing about their friends and relatives. Just what is going on? Although not quite as good as the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), this remake is very interesting and well worth a watch. Some things it does better than the original, although slightly more is not done as well. But it is full or intriguing ideas, some beautiful cinematography, and quite a few quirky charms.

    One oddity about this film is that it seems to assume that very few people will watch who aren't already familiar with the original. Scripter W.D. Richter and director Philip Kaufman give away the "twist" immediately, and there are a number of statements from characters in this film (such as the first time we hear the advice to not fall asleep) that only make sense if one already knows from Don Siegel's original just why they shouldn't fall asleep. For this reason, I strongly recommend that anyone interested in this film who hasn't seen it yet should make sure they watch the original first.

    The opening shots, which firmly set this remake into sci-fi territory, are a great idea, even if the execution is somewhat questionable. I'm not sure that Kaufman's "art gel" works, and the way it moves through space, as if blown by trade winds, is slightly hokey. But I'm willing to forgive a misstep if it's in service of a great idea, and especially if the misstep is the result of budgetary limitations.

    Early in the film, the major asset is the cinematography. There is an excellent, slow tracking shot down a hallway, where we only see our main character by way of her feet and a slight reflection in a window. There are a lot of great "tilted" shots. There are a lot of subtle lighting effects to set mood, and a just as many subtle instances of symbolism for the horrors to come.

    The cast, featuring Adams, Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy and Veronica Cartwright, is an interesting combination of stars who tend to give idiosyncratic performances. Kaufman exploits the collection of personalities well, although occasionally gives us odd "everyone talk at once" scenes which can verge on the brink of annoying. Although I'm not usually the biggest fan of Goldblum (in some roles, such as The Fly, I like him, in some roles he tends to irritate me), I noted an odd similarity between him in this film and an actor and performance I'm much more fond of--David Duchovny and his X-Files character Fox Mulder.

    Speaking of that, there is a strong X-Files vibe to this film overall. Whereas the original Invasion had thinly veiled subtexts of fear and doubts of "The Other"--whether politically-rooted (the common analysis is that the original Invasion was a subtext for U.S. fears of communism), religiously-rooted (some see it as a parable about cults, or religions in general) or simply about personal identity (in a philosophical sense of "Who am I/are you?" "What makes one oneself?"), Kaufman's take has stronger subtexts of encroaching mental illness--fear of losing one's mind and a generalized, "clinical" paranoia.

    Given that difference, it's perhaps odd that there are so many similarities between the two films. The character structure and relationships are largely the same, with some mostly insignificant differences, including slightly different occupations. There are many scenes taken almost verbatim from the original film, often only with differences of setting, but staged the same, with similar scenarios and occasionally identical dialogue. There is even a wonderful moment where Kevin McCarthy, star of the original film, comes running down the street, screaming that we're all doomed.

    A number of quirky moments push the value of Kaufman's film up a notch. These are sprinkled throughout the film, but some highlights are a Robert Duvall cameo as a priest inexplicably on a swingset next to toddlers, the "mud bath" parlor, a brief spurt of marvelous, Zappa-sounding avant-garde classical as we witness a chase down a staircase, and a greenhouse in a shipping yard, through which Elizabeth eventually strolls naked, casually walking by employees. The "creature" effects may be better here than in the original, but they are not more effective for that.

    But overall, this is a great film. Just make sure you don't miss the superior original.
    helpful•77
    37
    • BrandtSponseller
    • Feb 9, 2005

    FAQ14

    • Why do the duplicates spend so much time cultivating and transporting pods when they seem to just grow anywhere (at what seem to be substantial rates) anyway?
    • What is the meaning of the Priest playing on the swings at the beginning of the film? Is he an alien?
    • When Mathew is visiting a five star restaurant in his role as a health inspector, he claims he found a rat turd in a pot simmering on the stove for an exotic dish and then proceeds to do other inspections. Was this just pretext to harass?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 22, 1978 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • The Body Snatchers
    • Filming locations
      • 1227 Montgomery Street, Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Solofilm
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $24,946,533
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,298,129
      • Dec 25, 1978
    • Gross worldwide
      • $24,946,533
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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