A Few Words About A few words about...™ Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[dpippel]

They’re both great films - I’d say you can’t go wrong with either!

 

[BobO'Link]

They’re both great films - I’d say you can’t go wrong with either!

I agree. I like Operation Petticoat just a bit better but already own the Olive DVD release of that one. Just trying to decide if that's "good enough" and upgrade my old DVD release of Father Goose instead.


** EDIT **
My DVD of Father Goose is the old, non-anamorphic, release. That coupled with a review indicating the Signature Edition of Father Goose is a significant improvement over Olive's original BR plus sourced from a new 4K scan and that the Signature Edition of Operation Petticoat is only a slight improvement over their prior BR (whose source was also used for the DVD I own) convinced me the pairing to order was:

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Signature Edition
Father Goose - Signature Edition

Looks like my coworker, who I convinced older BW movies are actually good by loaning her my DVD of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, among other classic horror/SF titles, will be getting my original Olive BR release. I think she'll be pleased.

 

[Johnny Angell]

There's a current BOGO sale on Olive Films titles at deepdiscount:

The Free title is the lesser priced of a pair. If you have 2 at ~$27 and 2 at @~20 you'll get $40 off so pair wisely and make multiple orders as applicable to maximize your savings.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is $27.99 so if paired with a like priced title is ~$14. An excellent price for this one! I'd not planned to double-dip just for the bonus features (I already own the previous Olive BR) but with this deal going on I'll likely not resist...

I just ordered IotBS and Operation Petticoat. OP was on back order. Will they hold shipping until OP is restocked? If they do, I won’t complain. Two good movies for $28 including $0 for tax and shipping.

 

[Johnny Angell]

This still image without sound is still creepy as hell.

 

[Randy_M]

On the other Invasion thread, Bob Furmanek says Paramount has the restored stereo Perspecta track. So RAH says it’s not included on this disc?

Regardless, I’ll be picking this film up again. Why not? I have the earlier disc, DVD and laserdisc.

This is the definitive Invasion of the Body Snatchers as another member mentioned and I agree. The 1978 version is pretty good though and creepy.

I think both versions are masterpieces

 

[BobO'Link]

I just ordered IotBS and Operation Petticoat. OP was on back order. Will they hold shipping until OP is restocked? If they do, I won’t complain. Two good movies for $28 including $0 for tax and shipping.

I've never had them hold an order because part is OOS. They'll ship what's in stock now and the rest when stock arrives. Here's the fun part... if they consider IotBS to be the "free" title they likely won't charge you until OP ships. At least that's how I've had it done on a few B1G1 orders in the past where one title was OOS.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I've never had them hold an order because part is OOS. They'll ship what's in stock now and the rest when stock arrives. Here's the fun part... if they consider IotBS to be the "free" title they likely won't charge you until OP ships. At least that's how I've had it done on a few B1G1 orders in the past where one title was OOS.

That would be cool, but I like that an order of $28 qualifies for free shipping and won’t complain if they charge me for the in stock movie.

 

[Tom St Jones]

Personally, I most prefer "Body Snatchers", the 1993 version starring Gabrielle Anwar (Burn Notice), Billy Wirth and Forest Whittaker.. Hey, even my favorite critic Roger Ebert thought it was superior to the previous versions.

 

[BobO'Link]

Personally, I most prefer "Body Snatchers", the 1993 version starring Gabrielle Anwar (Burn Notice), Billy Wirth and Forest Whittaker.. Hey, even my favorite critic Roger Ebert thought it was superior to the previous versions.

That is a surprisingly good version that I, too, enjoy. I prefer the 1956 film as it's the one I saw first and grew up with but the 1978 and 1993 versions are very much worth the time and each has a spot in my library. I watch them almost as regularly as the 1956 original. The only one I find a total waste of time is the 2007 film "Invasion."

 

[Johnny Angell]

So IotBS has been done at least 4 times and at least 3 of them are good. Pretty good batting average.

 

[RolandL]

I just ordered IotBS and Operation Petticoat. OP was on back order. Will they hold shipping until OP is restocked? If they do, I won’t complain. Two good movies for $28 including $0 for tax and shipping.

The preview is from the 1978 version.

 

[BobO'Link]

So IotBS has been done at least 4 times and at least 3 of them are good. Pretty good batting average.

Surprising, ain't it.

When I first saw the 1978 version I went in with a "A Remake of IotBS!?! How can they possibly outdo the original? It's a classic!" and came out with a "Wow! That was actually good!" It's one of the earliest remake movies I'd seen where I knew it was a remake up front and felt it wasn't a waste of time. I still liked the original better but this was worthy of regular viewings.

Then at some point I read about Body Snatchers, the 1993 version, but didn't see any reviews. I just knew the film existed, was another remake, and it was on DVD. OK... I'm a fan of the movie, like both versions I'd seen, so let's get a copy of this one just because. I wasn't expecting much but it was another surprise in that it, too, was very good! Now I have 3 versions of the story in my library and watch them all fairly regularly, sometimes back-to-back just to observe the differences and similarities.

Then along comes the 2007 film, The Invasion... I'm ready to give it the benefit of the doubt as the other 2 remakes have been excellent films. Wait... reviews aren't that positive. But they also weren't necessarily that good for the 1983 version so... I get a copy and watch it. What the heck did I just see?!? It sort of shares the main plot but not much else. It's a modern action/adventure movie with the generic theme grafted on so they can get the title and, by association, fill seats. Blech! I keep it because there are certain films for which I'll obtain a copy of every version available "just because" but I don't necessarily watch the "bad" versions unless someone else asks. Even then I attempt to dissuade them from the viewing. IIRC, I've watched this version twice and had pretty much the same reaction both times.

My Signature Edition copy has shipped - or rather is "in shipping" as the USPS indicates it's "Currently awaiting the package."

 

[Johnny Angell]

I've never had them hold an order because part is OOS. They'll ship what's in stock now and the rest when stock arrives. Here's the fun part... if they consider IotBS to be the "free" title they likely won't charge you until OP ships. At least that's how I've had it done on a few B1G1 orders in the past where one title was OOS.

DD shipped IotBS and charged me for it...$14. So they’ll charge another $14 when OP ships. I think that’s fair. To DD.

 

[PianoPlayer]

More than one Amazon reviewer is complaining about the picture quality on this new release. Sigh.

But based on what I've seen on this thread, I'm disregarding them and buying anyway. This has to be a step up from my Republic/Artisan DVD, no?

Fabulous extras, too.

 

[Doug Otte]

Surprising, ain't it.

When I first saw the 1978 version I went in with a "A Remake of IotBS!?! How can they possibly outdo the original? It's a classic!" and came out with a "Wow! That was actually good!" It's one of the earliest remake movies I'd seen where I knew it was a remake up front and felt it wasn't a waste of time. I still liked the original better but this was worthy of regular viewings.

Then at some point I read about Body Snatchers, the 1993 version, but didn't see any reviews. I just knew the film existed, was another remake, and it was on DVD. OK... I'm a fan of the movie, like both versions I'd seen, so let's get a copy of this one just because. I wasn't expecting much but it was another surprise in that it, too, was very good! Now I have 3 versions of the story in my library and watch them all fairly regularly, sometimes back-to-back just to observe the differences and similarities.

Then along comes the 2007 film, The Invasion... I'm ready to give it the benefit of the doubt as the other 2 remakes have been excellent films. Wait... reviews aren't that positive. But they also weren't necessarily that good for the 1983 version so... I get a copy and watch it. What the heck did I just see?!? It sort of shares the main plot but not much else. It's a modern action/adventure movie with the generic theme grafted on so they can get the title and, by association, fill seats. Blech! I keep it because there are certain films for which I'll obtain a copy of every version available "just because" but I don't necessarily watch the "bad" versions unless someone else asks. Even then I attempt to dissuade them from the viewing. IIRC, I've watched this version twice and had pretty much the same reaction both times.

My Signature Edition copy has shipped - or rather is "in shipping" as the USPS indicates it's "Currently awaiting the package."

I haven't seen it since it was first on DVD many years ago, but I remember liking The Invasion. Not as good as the others, but still a quality film. "It's a modern action/adventure movie with the generic theme grafted on so they can get the title and, by association, fill seats." It seems they didn't want the title, because it's different. How many casual viewers would associate it w/ the previous versions with this generic title?

 

[Worth]

Love the first two. I saw the '78 version in the cinema when I was ten and it scared the hell out of me. The '93 take on the story, though, does nothing for me, largely because of a couple of downright bizarre storytelling choices. Making the protagonists strangers in a new place effectively nullifies the the entire idea that their friends and neighbours are no longer behaving like themselves. And this is further undercut by the army base setting, where you'd expect the inhabitants to display both extreme conformity and emotional reserve.

 

[Gary16]

More than one Amazon reviewer is complaining about the picture quality on this new release. Sigh.

But based on what I've seen on this thread, I'm disregarding them and buying anyway. This has to be a step up from my Republic/Artisan DVD, no?

Fabulous extras, too.

I don’t under the negative comments. The picture quality on my 10.5 foot screen was great. Yes the main title is soft but the rest of the movie is sharp with great black levels etc. I also don’t have a problem with the packaging. My only complaint is that this and other Olive discs do not allow my player to stop and resume from the stopping point. Always have to start from the beginning and then fast forward to where I left off.

 

[BobO'Link]

My only complaint is that this and other Olive discs do not allow my player to stop and resume from the stopping point. Always have to start from the beginning and then fast forward to where I left off.

It's not just Olive but quite a large portion of BR discs with me. I thought it was a player issue but research into this indicates it's an authoring choice. IMHO it's a bad choice.

 

[aPhil]

I don’t under the negative comments. The picture quality on my 10.5 foot screen was great.

I was rather pleased with the slight upgrade in image quality over the older Blu-ray, and the Extras are very good.

Now, let's get everyone on the planet looking for the OCN and/or the Fine Grain so we can get our 1.85,
but, yes, this new work on the transfer looks very very good:
I liked it enough to order a 2nd copy to give to my son (rather than just pass along the old Blu-ray to him).

It is interesting to see the old (rough but sharp image quality) tailer as an Extra on the new disc as it seems to be from the full frame.

 

[Paul Penna]

Of the special features, I've so far only watched "Sleep No More: Invasion of the Body Snatchers Revisited," produced for the aborted 2006 disc and seen here for the first time. It's a pleasure to see veteran actors from a vintage production to be so in touch with their memories 50 years later as Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter are. Unlike so many, they're totally "in the moment" with their (unheard) interviewers, and not just reeling off oft-repeated and time-embellished responses. I'm eagerly looking forward to their commentary track. (Bonus: we have documentary evidence that "Dana" is not pronounced "Day-na" but like "Donna.")