Invasion of the Body Snatchers
In San Francisco, a group of people discover the human race is being replaced one by one, with clones devoid of emotion.
- Director: Philip Kaufman
- Genre:Horror / Thriller
- Runtime:111 minutes
Cast
Donald Sutherland: Matthew Bennell
Brooke Adams : Elizabeth Driscoll
Jeff Goldblum : Jack Bellicec
Veronica Cartwright: Nancy Bellicec
Leonard Nimoy : Dr. David Kibner
Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) is a San Francisco health inspector who, with his friend and colleague Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams), discovers that people are being replaced by replicas grown from plantlike pods. The replicas are near-perfect duplicates with the same memories and appearance as the original person, but are emotionless. The pods are able to duplicate humans only when they are asleep, and the original human bodies disintegrate after the duplicate is fully formed. The pod people then work together to spread more pods so more people can be replaced with the aim of eliminating the entire human race. The film follows a small group of people who discover the plot and try to stop it, or at least escape. However, it proves increasingly difficult as they are unable to determine who can be trusted.
The film opens out in deep space, where a race of gelatinous creatures abandon their dying world. Pushed through the universe by the solar winds, they make their way to Earth and land in San Francisco. Some fall on plant leaves, assimilating them and forming small pods with pink flowers. Elizabeth is one of several people who brings a flower home. The next morning, Elizabeth’s husband, Geoffrey Howell (Art Hindle), suddenly becomes distant and she knows something is wrong. Matthew suggests that she see his friend Dr. David Kibner (Leonard Nimoy), but they discover the problem is far more widespread.
Dr. Kibner suggests that Elizabeth wants to believe that Geoffrey has changed because she is looking for an excuse to get out of their relationship. Meanwhile, Matthew’s friend Jack Bellicec (Jeff Goldblum), a struggling writer who owns a mud bath with his wife Nancy (Veronica Cartwright), discovers a deformed body on one of the beds and calls Matthew to investigate. Noticing that the body (which has adult features but lacks distinguishing characteristics) bears a slight resemblance to Jack, Matthew breaks into Elizabeth’s home and finds a nearly complete double of her in the bedroom garden; he is able to get Elizabeth to safety but the duplicate body disappears when he returns with the police. Matthew realizes that what is happening is extraterrestrial, not realizing that Dr. Kibner has also been changed. He calls several state and federal agencies, but they all tell him not to worry. In addition, people who earlier claimed that their loved ones had changed seem to have been converted as well. That night, Matthew and his friends are nearly duplicated by the pods while they sleep. The pod people try to raid Matthew’s house, but the humans are able to slip away. During this, they discover that the pod people clones emit a piercing shrill scream once they learn someone is still human among them. Read more
