Yet Siegel's film delves beneath the surface to confront an even more sinister threat: the dehumanization of individuals and the horrifying possibility that humanity could become infused as part of the societal machine.
Central to the film is one key speech delivered by Bennell while hiding from the aliens:
In my practice, I see how people have allowed their humanity to drain away... only it happens slowly instead of all at once. They didn't seem to mind.... All of us, a little bit. We harden our hearts... grow callous... only when we have to fight to stay human do we realize how precious it is.
As Siegel makes clear, it is not Communists or terrorists or even viral pandemics that threaten our well-being. When all is said and done, however, the real threat to freedom (in the fictional world of Body Snatchers and in our present-day America) is posed by an establishment--be it governmental, corporate or societal--that is hostile to individuality and those who dare to challenge the status quo.
Acknowledging that Body Snatchers portrayed the conflict between individuals and varied forms of mindless authority, Siegel stated, "I think the world is populated by pods and I wanted to show them." He explained:
People are pods. Many of my associates are certainly pods. They have no feelings. They exist, breathe, sleep. To be a pod means that you have no passion, no anger, the spark has left you... of course, there's a very strong case for being a pod. These pods, who get rid of pain, ill-health and mental disturbances, are, in a sense, doing good. It happens to leave you in a very dull world but that, by the way, is the world that most of us live in. It's the same as people who welcome going into the army or prison. There's regimentation, a lack of having to make up your mind, face decisions.... People are becoming vegetables. I don't know what the answer is except an awareness of it.
All of the threats to freedom documented in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People came about because "we the people" stopped thinking for ourselves and relinquished control over our lives and our country to government operatives who care only for money and power.
While the specific game plan for turning things around is complicated by a police state that wants to keep us at a disadvantage, the solution is relatively simple: Don't be a pod person. Pay attention. Question everything. Dare to be different. Don't follow the mob. Don't let yourself become numb to the world around you. Be compassionate. Be humane. Most of all, think for yourself.
Source: .ly/36T4bYf
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