Invasion of the Allegories
There is no question that many films have a message to deliver. Most of them run from subtlety as if it were wielding a chainsaw (kind of like me with that example). We all know that when it comes to Romero’s films, you get a free soapbox with proof of purchase (and I love him for it). And who doesn’t see the writing on the wall in movies like They Live and The People Under the Stairs?
I ran across some articles involving Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and its intended themes and it got the old gears grinding so of course I had to write it all down. More accurately I was reading about the unintended themes of the film. It seems that neither the author of the book, Jack Finney, nor the screenwriter, Dan Mainwaring, nor even the directors of the film had anything specific in mind at the conception. Some touted it to be a yarn about McCarthyism when in fact, the only McCarthy involved in that film was Kevin. Yet a quick viewing of it could easily conjure a number of satirical messages.
As a matter of fact I considered that to be one of the reasons that it has had so many incarnations. There have been at least four versions of the film that I can think of without trying hard. I assumed that was so it could be altered to fit the current political situation. You know, the McCarthy Hearings are something for the history books now as well as the Cold War so why not remake it to mirror the goings on of today? Now perhaps the newer versions did do that. But the original is just what it is: a thriller involving some pods and some people. Apparently the novel as well as the film are just examples of good art. We see in it what we wish to see. We make it fit our criteria.
Sometimes we look for something when it may not be there. We trim the corners of that puzzle piece even if it means we end up with a chunk of wagon wheel right in the middle of our sky.
There are those who need to feel like they “get it” more than everyone else. They are the ones who claim to see something no one else sees only to prove that they understand. You know who I am referring to. These people see conspiracy in a used paper towel and nothing is ever as it seems. You will have no difficulty spotting them. They will be the ones who point out obvious things just to make sure you are aware they see them as well. Most of the time, they are more interested in making themselves look intelligent rather than caring about what the filmmaker is trying to say.
Then there is my own theory of relativity and those who find comfort in understanding. Don’t we all get more out of things to which we can relate? Aren’t the scariest films those that cause us to consider our own situations? I believe most of us fall into this category. We simply want to know what the author intended us to see. Then we can either accept their ideas or choose to interpret it differently if we like. Isn’t that after all the beauty of art? A hundred viewers could pick out a hundred different themes. The best artists work within their own house of mirrors. Every reflection will be unique and the messed up ones are usually the most fun.
A film is just like any other form of art. It is a physical representation of an idea. And truly the only person it is required to “speak to” is the artist.
I am guilty of looking for the meaning. I admitted that in the beginning. I think metaphors are fun, the more clever the better. But occasionally I have to stop and think that maybe Puff really is just a magic dragon and maybe, just maybe, The Company of Wolves has nothing at all to do with the onset of adulthood and the corruption of innocence… but I doubt it.
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