Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Review

 Number 454 on the top 1000 films of all time is the science-fiction horror film 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers.'

Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) is a doctor in LA who soon starts to be convinced that everybody around him has been replaced by copies. This includes everybody except for his girlfriend Becky (Dana Wynter.) However, as things start to become more serious, Miles struggles in getting anybody else to believe him. He endeavours to prove the truth no matter the cost.

I think it can be all too easy to dismiss films like these as just another science-fiction flick capitalising on the Red-Scare panic of the 1950's. And while Don Siegel certainly captured the paranoia of McCarthy's America, this film is certainly more than your average B-movie sci-fi film.

Although it was initially forgotten by critics, it has since grown into one of the pre-eminent science fiction/horror films and for good reason. Despite having a minimal $400,000 budget and a paltry 80 minute runtime, it grossed over seven times that. Probably due to the small budget, it was simple, but incredibly effective. Siegel did well to really convey a fearful atmosphere. 

Perhaps that's because he deliberately under-played things. Despite hearing throughout about the pod people who have replaced the town, we only see glimpses of the pods themselves and never anything of the actual aliens. Instead, they these people look like the average person on the street, again showing the paranoia that was rampant at the time. It was the simplicity that, I think, made this film stand out against some of its contemporaries like Forbidden Planet.

Kevin McCarthy - no relation to Joseph McCarthy who gave his name to the anti-communist policies that dominated the 60's - was very good as the lead Miles Bennell. He brought an everyman quality as we see Bennell trying desperately to expose the truth while not falling to hysteria. And, best of all, unlike most science fiction, Bennell was actually an interesting character that you want to root for.

If I were to criticise the film for anything, it might have been the overly-optimistic ending. It was far more hopeful than I would have expected for a film as bleak as this. Although Miles' and Diana's relationship was every bit as a cheesy as I would expect for a film like this.

I enjoyed Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Although it was low-budget, this by no far impacted it quality. And it was certainly more than your average 1950's sci-film which exploited the McCarthyismesque paranoia of the time.

The Conversation review

 Number 365 on the top 1000 films of all time is Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 neo-noir mystery thriller 'The Conversation.'

Harry R Caul (Gene Hackman) and Stan Ross (John Cazale) are surveillance experts investigating a couple in Union Square. Upon listening to their conversations, Caul becomes convinced they're going to be murdered. He soon descends into paranoia, as he tries to save their lives.

The Conversation came only two years after Coppola won the Best Writing Oscar for The Godfather, only a few months before he won the Best Directing Oscar for the Godfather Part 2 and three years after Gene Hackman won the Best Actor Oscar for the French Connection. These two creatives were at the top of their game when they met to make a tense and enthralling film.

Yet everything is so quiet and understated. Subtext is key in so many films, which was so especially true in the Conversation, where there was so much power in what was left unsaid. Coppola dialled into this with the subtext- more specifically Caul's misunderstanding of it helping to propel the film along. This all leads to a very satisfactory twist-ending, which I won't spoil here. As for the hidden bug? Maybe it's in the saxophone? Maybe there isn't one at all? Maybe it's only Caul's paranoia?

Hackman was terrific in the lead role portraying Caul's descent into obsession well. It felt real and authentic. Cazale was also good as the foil to Caul - the one character trying to keep him in check.

And as you might expect from a film like this, the sound mixing was very good. The titular conversation between the couple being spied upon is played throughout the film and is always audible even if the audience aren't aware of its importance.

Paranoia was a key theme of the film. It was something Coppola portrayed masterfully. A good film all around.