Invasion of the Body Snatchers [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]

Director: Philip Kaufman, Phil Kaufman Philip Kaufman

Overview

This remake of the 1956 horror classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers moves the action from small-town USA to 1970s San Francisco and replaces at least part of the original's psychological horror with special effects. Spores rain forth, unseen, from outer space, and soon strange flowers begin popping up all over the city. After bringing one of these hybrid specimens home with her one night, biologist Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) notices that her live-in boyfriend, Geoffrey (Art Hindle), doesn't seem like himself; he's cold and distant and somehow just not quite there. When she turns to her friend Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland), a colleague at the Department of Public Health, he convinces her to see his friend Dr. Kibner (Leonard Nimoy), a pop psychologist who argues that the problem is all in Elizabeth's head. Soon, though, Matthew and Elizabeth begin to notice that people all over the city are changing subtly and inexplicably. When their friend Jack Bellicec (Jeff Goldblum) and his wife Nancy (Veronica Cartwright) find a lifeless, half-formed doppelganger covered with plant fibers in the mud baths they own and operate, the group of friends finally begins to understand that a sinister transformation is sweeping their city. Kevin McCarthy and Don Siegel, respectively the star and director of the original film, have small roles in the new version, as does an unbilled Robert Duvall.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/23/2021
UPC:	0738329256326
Original Release:	1978
Rating:	PG
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Language:	English
Time:	1:55:00
Format:	Blu-ray
Sales rank:	4,013

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Donald Sutherland	Matthew Bennell
Brooke Adams	Elizabeth Driscoll
Leonard Nimoy	Dr. David Kibner
Veronica Cartwright	Nancy Bellicec
Art Hindle	Geoffrey
Lelia Goldoni	Katherine
Jeff Goldblum	Jack Bellicec
Don Siegel	Cab Driver
Kevin McCarthy	Running Man
Tom Luddy	Ted Hendley
Tom Dahlgren	Detective
Garry Goodrow	Boccardo
Jerry Walter	Restaurant Owner
Wood Moy	Mr. Tong
Rose Kaufman	Outraged Woman
Joe Bellan	Beggar
Sam Hiona	Policeman #1
Al Nalbandian	Rodent Man
Robert Duvall	Priest on Swing (uncredited)
Maurice Argent	Chef
Jerry Garcia	Banjo Player
Denny Zeitlin	Composer

Technical Credits

W.D. Richter

Philip Kaufman	Director,Director
W.D. Richter	Screenwriter
Russ Hessey	Special Effects
Dell Rheaume	Special Effects
Robert H. Solo	Producer
Mary Goldberg	Casting
Arthur Rochester	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Although it relies on special effects as much as psychological shadings to summon up its atmosphere of paranoia and alienation, this horror remake fairly successfully updates the Cold War subtext of the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers to poke fun at the psychological and spiritual excesses of the late '70s. From Leonard Nimoy's sinisterly self-assured pop psychologist to Veronica Cartwright's babbling hippie chick and Jeff Goldblum's persnickety poet, the supporting characters all scream "me, me, me." It's up to Donald Sutherland and the wonderful Brooke Adams to play it straight -- a feat both actors accomplish with typical class. San Francisco itself also plays a major role in the film, from shady goings-on in the streets near Civic Center to a creepy traffic accident on Nob Hill. A large team of makeup and special-effects artists blur the line between plant and human with queasy proficiency, while several actors get the chance to squeal and screech with alien voices quite effectively. Although he keeps the pace moving and credibly juggles actorly angst with gross-out set pieces, director Philip Kaufman isn't as masterful here as he would be with more literary material in the years to come. In fact, subtext aside, Jack Finney, author of the source novel The Body Snatchers, always insisted that his book was nothing but light entertainment, and, chilling as it is, the same can be said of this popular adaptation.

All Movie Guide - Brian J. Dillard