Don Siegel's Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an extraordinary film insomuch as its invasion narrative stands up to multiple interpretations that include anti- communism, McCarthyism (pro and con), miscegenation, anti-fordism, cultural conformity, and so on. Despite its many treasures and iconic status, there is just a bit too much emphasis placed on Siegel's version when it comes to considering the various remakes.
Kauffman's 1978 version is my personal favourite as it turns San Francisco, the flower-power capital of late 60s free love and counter-culture into an Orwellian metropolis where mental health is precarious, individuation is outlawed and an absence of passion is normalised. I'm also a fan of Denny Zeitlin's creepy synth score, Kevin McCarthy's wink-wink cameo (knocked down by taxi driving Siegel, no less), and the introduction of that iconic other-worldly scream when a human is spotted - which was so effective it was incorporated in to the two subsequent remakes.
Abel Ferarra's subversive version came hot on the heals of Operation Desert Storm where we saw invasion and counter-invasion televised pretty much 24/7 as the nation rallied around its troops and televisions. Ferrera's film is perhaps the most incendiary version as it dares to question USA's ubiquitous military culture driven by intense paranoia. No longer do we see the occasional man in uniform on an urban street. Rather, Ferrara reverses things, staging the action on an army base so that now we only see occasional citizens among scores of soldiers - and this creates a creepy us-and-them atmosphere from the outset. This invasion does not come from without, but from within as the line that separates soldier from citizen is erased. This makes Ferrara's film nothing like the "original" but a wholly unique and original work that stands on its own. Ferarra's version provides such a damning critique of a rarely challenged aspect of American culture that it's no wonder so many have dismissed it, picking on superficial elements and dated production values in preference to actually taking it seriously.
Kauffman's 1978 version is my personal favourite as it turns San Francisco, the flower-power capital of late 60s free love and counter-culture into an Orwellian metropolis where mental health is precarious, individuation is outlawed and an absence of passion is normalised. I'm also a fan of Denny Zeitlin's creepy synth score, Kevin McCarthy's wink-wink cameo (knocked down by taxi driving Siegel, no less), and the introduction of that iconic other-worldly scream when a human is spotted - which was so effective it was incorporated in to the two subsequent remakes.
Abel Ferarra's subversive version came hot on the heals of Operation Desert Storm where we saw invasion and counter-invasion televised pretty much 24/7 as the nation rallied around its troops and televisions. Ferrera's film is perhaps the most incendiary version as it dares to question USA's ubiquitous military culture driven by intense paranoia. No longer do we see the occasional man in uniform on an urban street. Rather, Ferrara reverses things, staging the action on an army base so that now we only see occasional citizens among scores of soldiers - and this creates a creepy us-and-them atmosphere from the outset. This invasion does not come from without, but from within as the line that separates soldier from citizen is erased. This makes Ferrara's film nothing like the "original" but a wholly unique and original work that stands on its own. Ferarra's version provides such a damning critique of a rarely challenged aspect of American culture that it's no wonder so many have dismissed it, picking on superficial elements and dated production values in preference to actually taking it seriously.