Gender & Destruction In INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS

Philip Kaufman’s version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers doesn’t have a happy ending for our human protagonists. By the time all four of our main characters even believe in the threat it’;s too late to find any other allies. We are given two women and two men that we follow throughout this film.

The film shows a very stark contrast between how women and how men handle the situation. This divide isn’t just there to say men and women are different, but to show us how the way we treat the different genders could lead to us being taken over. Kaufman’s film explores our perception of gender roles, how they divide us, and how those differences would lead to the downfall of the human race.

Women As Caregivers

Invasion of the Body Snatchers depicts female characters as caregivers, but also as the first people to notice that something is wrong. Women in our society are seen as caregivers especially in media. Television is full of female nurses and single moms. Kaufman’s invaders don’t need to sexually reproduce, so gender and sex isn’t really something that’s important to them.

The lack of male versus female representation in the invaders makes the differences in how Kaufman treats the genders far more apparent. Elizabeth (Brooke Adams) and Nancy (Veronica Cartwright) are both shown as caregivers in the very first scenes they appear in. Elizabeth is a botanist and we see her carefully picking the bud of the invaders’ flower and taking it home. We are introduced to Nancy through her job at the spa, where she takes care of the plants and the male patrons. We see Elizabeth taking care of Geoffrey, her unmotivated fiance (Art Hindle). His lackadaisical attitude creates a stark contrast with Elizabeth, the put together woman we are first introduced to.

The women are the first characters who notice that people are starting to act differently. Elizabeth notices right away that Geoffrey is no longer himself, and Nancy is the first to suggest the possibility of aliens or something supernatural. One of the only other characters to point out that people are changing in the beginning of the film before it is confirmed, is another woman. Katherine Hendley (played by Lelia Goldoni) is trying to tell Dr. Kibner (Leonard Nimoy) that her husband has been replaced. Kaufman gives all the women the ability to notice the change and some the ability to adapt to it.

Nancy is able to blend in with the invaders after observing their behavior. But she isn’t who we focus on; instead we follow Matthew (Donald Sutherland) and leave Nancy behind until the final scene. In the final scene, Nancy is the only human left but when she sees Matthew, she doesn’t know if it’s him anymore. Her need for human connection or to take care of Matthew outweighs her instincts to keep herself safe and in the end this is what gets her caught.

Women As Observers

In media, men are often shown as doctors who need to be reminded by female nurses, or the unhelpful father that the housewife jokes about. Kaufman directs his male characters to be far less observant of the changes, and shows the audience this by having them be the first targets of the invaders. Even though Elizabeth picks the plant, it’s Geoffrey who gets snatched.The same can be said for the spa scene where Nancy has been working all day, but the body the invader tries to duplicate belongs to her husband Jack (Jeff Goldblum). Even the therapist Dr. Kibner is one of the first to be taken, as we see him early in the film trying to calm people’s suspicions. Even when Elizabeth stalks Geoffrey to work, he is meeting up with more men than women in the beginning.

The fact that the invaders go after the men first implies they did research into our planet before arriving. In the late ‘70s, more men would be in positions of power, and women worrying about their husbands acting differently would just be seen as emotional or overreacting. No one listens to Elizabeth’s worries besides Matthew who we know is romantically interested in her. It is not until Matthew and Jack also believe in the alien theory that the invaders are revealed to have taken over everyone.

Our small group of protagonists appear to be the only humans left. We see how large the threat is once our male characters are also fighting against it. Every time the story moves forward, it tends to involve a woman supporting a man’s scene. Whether it’s Elizabeth’s death pushing Matthew to destroy as many plants as possible, or Nancy trying to find another human at the end of the film dooming herself to Matthew’s scream.

Even though there are times our female protagonists appear as supporting characters to the men I don’t think Kaufman is making a commentary on which sex would handle the situation better. Instead, he’s trying to show us how the sexes would handle the situation differently, and why that gives the invaders an advantage. The invaders almost think as a hive mind. They don’t have different abilities or reactions based on gender. They know exactly how each other is thinking at any time. For the humans, we not only don’t have a hive mind but the different reactions and experiences we have will change how we react to the situation.

Since powerful men are taken over first, even if a woman who notices something is wrong goes for help she’s just revealed to the invaders as a problem. When the men are finally convinced, they decide to call the FBI, but Matthew is the one to place the call even though Elizabeth, as a botanist who works for the city, was more qualified. As a man he would be considered more credible, but the call is made too late. Jack tries to distract them, Nancy tries to blend in, Elizabeth follows Matthew’s lead, and Matthew just wants to escape.

We see four very different people who don’t have the advantage to just come together and think as one. While blending in works great for Nancy, she doesn’t realize that Elizabeth and Matthew were not as successful. Human beings are individuals, not just because of gender but because of experience. These invaders use that separation as a way to divide and conquer. Because our characters can’t move past how their society sees the genders, they fall victim to the invaders. Matthew feels he has to protect Elizabeth so even when she gives up, he pulls her along instead of making another plan. That’s what society would expect him to do in that situation, and he falls right into line.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers: The Divide Between Men and Women

We lose valuable time when the first people to notice the small evidence of a problem this large are not considered credible, or ignored because of their gender. Kaufman shows us how many women noticed the change in their partners and family right away but they were ignored; instead they were talked down to and implied to be crazy or sick. All the women noticed this change happening in the men who were in positions of power.

The divide between men and women leads to the victory of the invaders in this film. The invaders don’t think another invader is over-emotional or more credible because of their gender. For them the body is not gendered, it’s an afterthought and just a means to an end. Without the social stigma and generalizations we humans place on our genders, they were able to work as a cohesive unit.

Human beings pride themselves on being individuals. But when that goes too far and we default to stereotypes about gender, we become complicit in our own destruction.

About Brooke Whipple

Born an artist and raised in a small New Hampshire town it took me a long time to realize that art, something I really loved, could become a career path for me. As a 2D animator and After Effects artist I take inspiration from the media I enjoyed in the past and present. I believe the fine arts education I’ve received improves all aspects of my digital and academic work. I have always enjoyed watching films and love diving deeper into the context and cultural aspects they explore.