- 11/02/2013
- Posted by: essay
- Category: Free essays
From the very beginning of my analysis I would like to make a stress on the fact that the beginning of the Cold War was one of the most significant events after the World War II and it is essential that it has provided a significant impact on the cultural and social life of the people living on the two sides of the iron curtain. It goes without saying that film and other entertaining industry reflected the nations’ beliefs, fears and disappointments. Living under the threat of the nuclear war and confrontation of the Soviet Union and the United States political leaders formed special attitude of the society, which revealed within the art creative works. Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Don Siegel was released in 1956 is generally considered to be an allegory of the supposed threat from the Soviet Union. The story is a typical science fiction and horror based on the novel by Jack Finney and it deals with the fact of supposed invasion of the particular place by the unknown creatures from the space, which has already captured one town. The horror film could be characterized by dynamically developed plot structure and unusual ending. The movie was brightly perceived by the critics and Invasion of the Body Snatchers was at once called to be one of the best sci-fi films. It should be noted that the idea of the subject has no direct deal to the events happening in the world during the time, film was prepared and released (i. e. Cold War), hence a number of critics marked its outstanding metaphorical manner or representation the mass hysteria according the events dealing with the scrutinized situation with the nuclear missiles and contradictory relation between the two opposite sides. The director insisted on the fact that he created a film without any metaphorical underlying message.
The metaphorical meaning could be found within a number of scenes and the whole atmosphere presented in the film. The whole atmosphere the constant tension, which keeps the viewer involved in the series of events, which follow each other and change very quickly is characterizing the times of the cold war, when the events were changing very quickly and the conflict was dynamically developed at the period, when the film was created. People were living under the pressure of the nuclear war threat and it is not surprising that the atmosphere of the Cold War could be defined as allusion in this movie.
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The events could not pass without any impact on the movie industry. Intention of the main heroes to save their lives and inform the rest of the world about the further invasion by the space creatures could be compared to the willing of the East Berlin Dwellers escape to the Western World and get them informed about the Soviet Regime. The atmosphere of disbelief, when everyone supposed that even relatives were suspected in not typical behavior and peoples’ behavior was characterized like mass hysteria, the same thing was observed during the Cold War, when even among the close relatives the spies of the opposite side could be supposed. It goes without saying that significant tension of the time made people to find allegories in everything as they did not know what was the real state of things, what they could expect from the Soviet Union side and what preventive measure American Government is using. Under suppression of the Cold War the imagination of the whole nation, worried about their future and threat of the Nuclear War connected horror films about the space creatures invasion with the present day realities.
Another typical connection provided by the audience of that time was anti-McCarthian undergoing message. But as well as the previous metaphorical connection of the film realities to the current realities of the time, this seems to be not very obvious. The same time McCarthy insisted on the fact that Soviet spies were already within the whole infrastructure (political, social, military) of the United States and the event happened nearly at the same time, when the film was released. The leader of the spaces clones insisted on the fact that none would believe the main heroes and soon they would capture the whole planet. But in the end the message was received by the authorities about supposed invasion by the space creatures, hence the theme was left open and the director involves the audience to provide the ending themselves.
In the end I would like to make a stress on the fact that the events happening during the film making and when it is released could not afford the influence on the creation. It is essential that the atmosphere of the token events is reflected in the creative works of this period and perceived by the audience according to the metaphorical symbolism of the time. It goes without saying that Invasion of the Body Snatchers is that type of films, being the core reflection of the time, it was released.
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