Body Snatchers [Blu-ray]

Director: Abel Ferrara Abel Ferrara

Overview

Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers is the third screen version of Jack Finney's cold war science fiction novel Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Marty Malone (Gabrielle Anwar) is moving with her father, stepmother, and stepbrother to a military base where her father will investigate possible environmental and ecological problems. Before they get to town, Marty is warned in a gas station restroom by a crazed looking military man that, "They get you when you sleep!" Marty adjusts to life on the base by flirting with a young officer and making friends with the rebellious daughter of the base commander. These friends help her when a plot by aliens to turn all humans into unemotional, unfeeling "pod people" shifts into high gear. As her family and friends are attacked, Marty doesn't know who to trust. Previous versions of his story were directed by Don Siegel (1956) and Phillip Kaufman (1978).

Product Details

Release Date:	10/18/2016
UPC:	0888574446178
Original Release:	1993
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:27:00
Sales rank:	12,981

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Gabrielle Anwar	Marty Malone
Terry Kinney	Steve Malone
Billy Wirth	Tim
Meg Tilly	Carol Malone,Body Double Meg
Forest Whitaker	Collins
Christine Elise	Genn Platt
R. Lee Ermey	General Platt
Reilly Murphy	Andy Malone
Kathleen Doyle	Mrs. Platt
G. Elvis Phillips	Pete
Ferne Cassel	Actor
Stanley Small	Platt's Aide,1st Soldier
Tonea Stewart	Teacher
Keith Smith	Soldier Gas Station,Neighbor
Winston E. Grant	Gas Attendant
Michael Cohen	MP #5
Phil Neilson	MP Gate Captain
Timothy P. Brown	1st MP
Thurman L. Combs	2nd MP
Allen Perada	3rd MP
Rick Kangrga	4th MP
Adrian Unveragh	Red
Candy Orsini	Medic
Marty Lyons	Man in Infirmary
Kimberly L. Cole	Pod Soldier
James P. Monoghan	1st G.I.
Craig Lockhart	2nd G.I.
Darien Taylor	Alien Woman
Joe Delia	Composer

Technical Credits

Abel Ferrara	Director
Ferne Cassel	Casting
Phil Cory	Special Effects
Phil Neilson	Stunts
Robert H. Solo	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Each generation has put their own cinematic spin on Jack Finney's Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The subtext of Don Siegel's '50s version was the red scare. Phillip Kaufman's late-'70s adaptation satirized "me decade" narcissism and psychiatry. Abel Ferrara's '90s version, simply titled Body Snatchers, is a commentary on the dissolution of the American family. The key to the film is the family dynamics of the Malone house. The opening narration explains that Marty, a teenage girl, does not get along with her stepmother. Short and effective domestic scenes demonstrate that her relationship with her father is suffering because of the unstated tension. It is in this context that Ferrara introduces the concept of not knowing who the people around you are. Marty is already unsure of who she can trust before the issue of aliens ever enters the picture. Added to this emotional landscape is the physical setting of a military base. In a place where everybody by nature follows orders, figuring out who the emotionless pod people are becomes quite a bit more difficult. These two elements, firmly established in the opening 15 minutes of the film, allow Ferrara to fashion a science-fiction horror film rich in thematic resonance. In addition to being smart, the film is quite scary. The alien pods grow long tentacles that attack by sliding into a sleeping person's nose and mouth. These scenes work on a sheer visceral level. The corruptibility of the human body in these scenes is practically Cronenberg-esque. In addition to the shocking visuals, Ferrara does a masterful job of building the tension throughout the last forty-five minutes of the film. A most effective horror film with sly commentary on what divorce does to families, Body Snatchers is a welcome variation on this seemingly timeless story.

All Movie Guide - Perry Seibert