Hasta La Motion!

A 47-minute long video essay written, edited and narrated by Peet Gelderblom on the four movie adaptations of Jack Finney’s INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. Produced by Directorama for Imagine Film Festival in association with RogerEbert.com. Nothing puts fear into people like a good story and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS has proven to be one of the best. For over half a century pod people have been plotting against humanity and they never stay hidden for long. Since the original novel was published in 1954, Jack Finney’s classic paranoid fable has spawned an endless series of imitations and no less than four official movie adaptations. Every 15 to 20 years audiences around the world were faced with a different invading terror, tailored to address ever-changing social anxieties. Time after time, filmmakers invented new ways for people to fear the unknown, mistrust authority and oppose uniformity. These films together not only demonstrate the dangers that may befall us, but also epitomize the evolution of cinematic storytelling. To study them is to take a crash course in fabricating fear. This video was made solely for educational purposes and makes “fair use” of copyrighted material. Fair use is codified at Section 107 of the Copyright Act: Under the fair use doctrine, it is not an infringement to use the copyrighted works of another in some circumstances, such as for commentary, criticism, news reporting, or educational use. Featured footage: INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS Director: Don Siegel ©1956 Allied Artists Pictures INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS Director: Philip Kaufman ©1978 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. BODY SNATCHERS Director: Abel Ferrara ©1993 Warner Bros. THE INVASION Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel ©2007 Warner Bros. Music by Carmen Dragon, Denny Zeitlin, Joe Delia, John Ottman and Man After Midnight. Special thanks to Chris Oosterom, Phil van Tongeren, James M. Moran and Robert C. Cumbow.