Kevin McCarthy invested days running for his life in Invasion of the Body Snatchers He played Dr. Miles Bennell in Don Siegel’s 1956 sci-fi chiller.
The film was adapted from Jack Finney’s publication serial The Body Snatchers The title transformed to prevent confusion with RKO’s 1945 film The Body Snatcher , per the AFI Catalog.
The film ranks nine on the American Film Institute’s Leading 10 listing in the best sci-fi group.
Intrusion of the Body Snatchers was selected for conservation in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 1994 as “culturally, traditionally, or aesthetically significant.”
Rotten Tomatoes additionally offered the flick high praise in its movie critics’ consensus.
“Among the best political allegories of the 1950 s, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an effective, chilling mix of sci-fi and horror,” it checked out.
The film located an audience upon launch, although its important online reputation grew considerably over time. The ending audiences saw wasn’t the one its supervisor planned.
Why Allied Artists Compelled a Better Ending on Intrusion of the Body Snatchers
Siegel’s variation ended on a stark note , with the pods winning, per The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Its last scene has Bennell yelling “You’re following!” at cars on a freeway.
The scene took a toll, per Mental Floss. McCarthy had actually been competing days and wasn’t resting well. Siegel told the feat chauffeurs to stay alert in case he stumbled.
Producer Walter Wanger and Allied Artists executives reportedly desired a framing prologue and epilogue. Screenwriter Daniel Mainwaring was brought back to compose them.
There was also a fallen short attempt to land Orson Welles for the prologue.
Film Stories reports the studio intended to include the framing scenes despite whether Siegel cooperated The included epilogue lets the authorities ultimately think Bennell’s story.
The film is occasionally revealed without the mounting scenes, American Cinematographer notes. It holds a 97 % score on Rotten Tomatoes from 58 evaluations.
Associated: Alan Ladd Starred in the Third-Best Western Motion Picture of Perpetuity
