Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Writers:

Jack Finney (novel)
W.D. Richter (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 December 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Get some sleep

Plot:

In San Francisco, a group of people discover the human race is being replaced one by one, with clones devoid of emotion.

Plot Keywords:

Unhappy Ending | Body | Uncharacteristic Behavior | Murder | Lost Love

Awards:

3 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Donald Sutherland	...	Matthew Bennell
Brooke Adams	...	Elizabeth Driscoll
Jeff Goldblum	...	Jack Bellicec
Veronica Cartwright	...	Nancy Bellicec
Leonard Nimoy	...	Dr. David Kibner
Art Hindle	...	Dr. Geoffrey Howell, DDS
Lelia Goldoni	...	Katherine Hendley
Kevin McCarthy	...	Running Man
Don Siegel	...	Taxi Driver
Tom Luddy	...	Ted Hendley
Stan Ritchie	...	Stan
David Fisher	...	Mr. Gianni
Tom Dahlgren	...	Detective
Garry Goodrow	...	Dr. Boccardo
Jerry Walter	...	Restaurant Owner
Maurice Argent	...	Chef
Sam Conti	...	Street Barker
Wood Moy	...	Mr. Tong
R. Wong	...	Mrs. Tong
Rose Kaufman	...	Outraged Woman
Joe Bellan	...	Harry
Sam Hiona	...	Policeman #1
Lee McVeigh	...	Policeman #2
Al Nalbandian	...	Rodent Man (as Albert Nalbandian)
Lee Mines	...	Schoolteacher
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Misty	...	Harry's Boxer Dog
Michael Chapman	...	Health Dept. Floor Cleaner (uncredited)
Robert Duvall	...	Priest on Swing (uncredited)
Philip Kaufman	...	City Official on Phone (voice) (uncredited)
Al Perez	...	PG&E Man (uncredited)
Jeff Scheftel	...	Pod at Party (uncredited)

Directed by
Philip Kaufman

Writing credits
Jack Finney		(novel "The Body Snatchers")
W.D. Richter		(screenplay)

Produced by
Robert H. Solo	....	producer

Original Music by
Denny Zeitlin

Cinematography by
Michael Chapman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Douglas Stewart

Casting by
Mary Goldberg

Production Design by
Charles Rosen

Set Decoration by
Doug von Koss

Costume Design by
Aggie Guerard Rodgers		(as Agnes Anne Rogers)

Makeup Department
Thomas R. Burman	....	makeup artist (as Thomas Burman)
Edouard F. Henriques	....	makeup artist (as Edouard Henriques)
Edie Panda	....	hair stylist
Bob Westmoreland	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Alan Levine	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jim Bloom	....	first assistant director
Toby Lovallo	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Sherman Labby	....	production illustrator
Michael O'Donnell	....	assistant property master
Holly Walker	....	assistant property master
Burt C. Wiley	....	property master (as Burt Wiley)
Dale Woodall	....	construction coordinator
Dale Haugo	....	scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mark Berger	....	supervising re-recording mixer
Ben Burtt	....	special sound effects
Susan R. Crutcher	....	stereo sound effects recordist (as Susan Crutcher)
Bonnie Koehler	....	supervising sound editor
John Nutt	....	sound editor
Steve Powell	....	boom operator (as Stephen Powell)
Art Rochester	....	production sound mixer
Art Rochester	....	sound
Andy Wiskes	....	sound re-recording mixer
Andy Wiskes	....	stereo sound effects recordist
Barbara McBane	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Russel Hessey	....	special effects (as Russ Hessey)
Dell Rheaume	....	special effects

Stunts
David R. Ellis	....	stunt coordinator (as David Ellis)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan S. Blauvelt	....	second assistant camera (as Allan Blauvelt)
Dustin Blauvelt	....	first assistant camera (as Dusty Blauvelt)
Dick Dova	....	key grip (as Dick Dova Spah)
Wynn Hammer	....	still photographer
Leo Loverro	....	dolly grip
Joe R. Marquette Jr.	....	camera operator (as Joe Marquette)
George Michael Pantages	....	head electrician
Bill Pelkey	....	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mary Elizabeth Still	....	assistant costumer (as Mary Still)

Editorial Department
Norman Mau	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Julian Bream	....	musician: solo guitar, "De la Tromba Pavin"
Jerry Garcia	....	musician: banjo
Ving Hershon	....	music editor
Roger Kellaway	....	conductor
Greig McRitchie	....	orchestrator
Phill Sawyer	....	music production coordinator
Dan Wallin	....	music scoring mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
John Blowitz	....	unit publicist
Patrick Burns	....	production assistant
Ron Dexter	....	space sequence
Allen Pettigrew	....	location manager
Howard Preston	....	space sequence
Alice Tompkins	....	script supervisor
Joan Wellman	....	production secretary
Bret Culpepper	....	owner: "Misty" (uncredited)
Bret Culpepper	....	trainer: "Misty" (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Solofilm

Distributors

• United Artists (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists Pictures (1979) (Finland) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1980) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Egmont Entertainment (2000) (Finland) (DVD)
• Fazer Musiikki Oy/Fazer Video (1988) (Finland) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1993) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Other Companies

• American Zoetrope  rerecorded at
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

Demonerna (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Ihmispaholaiset (Finland) [fi]
Invasió dels ultracossos, La (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Invasión de los ultracuerpos, La (Spain) [es]
Invasion des profanateurs, L' (France) (dubbed version) [fr]
Invasores de Corpos, Os (Brazil) [pt]
Invazija tjelokradica (Croatia) [hr]
Invazija trecih bica (Serbia) [sr]
Körperfresser kommen, Die (West Germany) [de]
Makavria eisvoli (Greece) [el]
Plishut Hotfay Ha-Goofote (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Terrore dallo spazio profondo (Italy) [it]
Testrablók inváziója (Hungary) [hu]
Världsrymden anfaller (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Netherlands:16 (orginal rating) | Finland:K-16 (1987) (cut) (video) | Finland:K-16 (2000) (uncut) (DVD) | Finland:K-18 (1979) (uncut) | West Germany:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Australia:M | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

1227 Montgomery Street, Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Solofilm

Trivia:

Elizabeth's nude scene in the factory was also filmed with clothes. That was seen when the film debuted on ABC in 1980.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: The cameraman is reflected in the phone booth window while Matthew Bennell is inside.

Quotes:

Dr. David Kibner: Elizabeth, could you please tell me, in your opinion, what is going on?
Elizabeth Driscoll: People are being duplicated. And once it happens to you, you're part of this... thing. It almost happened to me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sex Files: Alien Erotica (1998)

Soundtrack:

De La Tromba Pavin

Very Average. Overall a Disappointment

I found the special effects to be the only thing of strong value in this movie. It involves a health department and scientific research team investigating why people are becoming zombie-like shortly after going to sleep. I liked the beginning of the movie the best. The viewer is drawn into some clever outer-space camera shots. One feels that this is going to be good.

But than, it dies. The dialog is predictable and corny. Even the good actors can not make up for them being forced into B-grade Sci-Fi acting. Invasion of the Body Snatchers seems to drag on and on with very little to excite the viewer. In fact it was on one of my local stations last night and I kept falling asleep missing the last half hour of the movie! To achieve a great sci-fi effect that is everlasting to the viewer, there needs to be a suspense or build up that is maintained throughout the film. A few screams here and there over some strange corpses would be something that you would expect from a 50's horror film. This would be good for its time, but not enough for a 1978 film, which incidentally is a remake.

With this film coming out the year after Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the Star Wars phenomenon, one would expect better pacing in this film. IOTBS appears to have been put together with several characters that don't get into a weak plot, combined with a 50's type script. Good special effects can not save this weak movie.

It's too bad that the quality cast ensemble didn't have a stronger, faster-paced, script to showcase their acting abilities so that this film could have been better.