The Body Stealers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Body Stealers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 25, 2024

Gerry Levy's "The Body Stealers" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentary by Patrick Allen and is moderated by author John Hamilton; new program with cast and crew interviews; new program with critic Will Flower; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

It is possible that The Body Stealers may not have been conceived to resemble Invasion of the Body Snatchers because it tells a story that cannot be exclusively traced back to the latter. However, at least among seasoned film aficionados, this is probably a moot point because Invasion of the Body Snatchers is too big of a film with too big of an influence, which cannot be avoided. Why? Because certain genre films cover too much material and have established the perfect cinematic playground for it, so their shadow cannot be escaped. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of these films. It owns the cinematic playground that other similarly themed films must enter, and once they do, they immediately get stuck under its shadow. After that, a comparison between the two is inevitable.

Somewhere in the United Kingdom, during a routine exercise, the British Army loses several of its top parachutists while they are up in the air. Shortly after, surrounded by perplexed government officials, General Armstrong (George Sanders) is authorized to bring in Bob Megan (Patrick Allen), the most experienced parachutist-turned-military investigator in the entire country, so that he can figure out what has happened. Megan gathers information and shares it with Dr. Matthews (Maurice Evans), who implies that the case he wants to solve may defy conventional logic. At first, Megan rejects the idea that there is no rational explanation for the disappearance of the parachutists, but then slowly begins to change his mind. Following a casual encounter with a mysterious beautiful woman (Pamela Conway) on the nearby beach that quickly evolves into a romantic relationship, Megan makes a most unusual discovery that allows him to give General Armstrong the answer he has been waiting for.

Directed by Gerry Levy in 1969, The Body Stealers is a conventional B-film that never pretends to be anything else, which is largely why it is effective. Indeed, after Megan appears, Levy immediately focuses on creating and maintaining a good atmosphere that is not at odds with the modest budget he had at his disposal, while simultaneously freeing the cast to convey enthusiasm that ends up being far more exciting than the evolution of the drama. Of course, The Body Stealers is only effective as a B-film, but it is the type of film it was always meant to be.

The story combines three types of contrasting material. The bulk of this material, which is also the most diverse, would be suitable for a suspenseful thriller. The rest could fit nicely in sci-fi and romantic films. Levy overlaps all three quite well, especially toward the end, but the complete film does not deserve to be praised as a successful hybrid project. It just looks coherent.

Considering that the 1960s produced a lot of very nice James Bond copycats and Megan is introduced as a similar, adored by the ladies, macho man, it is probably fair to speculate that The Body Stealers could have been made to look more like Deadlier Than the Male, Some Girls Do, and Maroc 7. Conway does have a couple of scenes with a borderline psychedelic/swinging vibe, but Levy remains indifferent to it.

The production limitations are most obvious during the resolution. All special effects, set decorations, and even some of the lighting are very modest. On the other hand, all this is actually what gives The Body Stealers a lot of its charm.

Levy worked with Dutch-born cinematographer John Coquillon, whose credits include such cult genre films as Straw Dogs, Cross of Iron, The Changeling, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid , and Witchfinder General.

*88 Films’ Blu-ray release introduces an exclusive new 2K restoration of the fully uncut version of The Body Stealers that was sourced from the original 35mm camera negative.

The Body Stealers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Body Stealers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 2K master that was apparently struck from the original 35mm camera negative. I was very impressed with how the film looked on my system. In fact, I did not see anything that could have been handled better. There are a few spots, usually before or after transitions, where small density fluctuations are easy to observe, but these are inherited limitations. Delineation, clarity, and depth are fantastic. The new master is wonderfully graded, too. All primaries look lush and stable, and supporting nuances are terrifically balanced. I did not see any anomalies to mention in our review. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. In native 4K, the dynamic range of the visuals will likely be even more impressive, but on my system the entire film had a very strong and attractive organic appearance. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Body Stealers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track produces clean, clear, and very nicely balanced audio. However, the audio effects and music easily reveal that the soundtrack was done with modest resources. Why? Because some of the audio effects, for instance, have a very 1960s quality, which of course is entirely appropriate. I did not encounter any distortions, audio dropouts, or other similar encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Body Stealers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by critics David Flint and Allan Bryce.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by actor Patrick Allen and is moderated by author John Hamilton. I listened to the entire commentary and found it quite interesting. Allen shares his recollections from the shooting of The Body Stealers but admits that there is a lot that he does not remember, and comments on his interactions with Gerry Levy, George Sanders, etc. There are some interesting observations about the era in which the film was made and the success of the James Bond films, the popularity of other films, the British film industry, etc.

• The Making of The Body Stealers - in this exclusive new program, editor Howard Lanning, actors Dixon Adams, Pamela Conway, and Sally Faulkner, technician Arthur Wicks, and boom operator Rowland Fowles, among others recall their involvement with The Body Stealers. In English, not subtitled. (42 min).

• Invasion of The Body Stealers - presented here is an exclusive new video introduction to The Body Stealers by critic Jon Dear. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• A Career Man - in this new program, critic Will Flower discusses George Sanders' life and career, as well as his involvement with The Body Stealers. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Body Stealers. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for The Body Stealers.

• Booklet - a 30-page illustrated booklet featuring John Hamilton's essay "Tony Tenser: The Godfather of British Exploitation" and technical credits.

The Body Stealers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bob Megan is a lot like special agent Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond. He is a genuine B-star, a fixer for the British government, and a handsome charmer virtually all ladies find irresistible. Megan's playground is different, but I don't think that this changes much, so the action and drama in his adventures are very similar, too. What is missing there is the psychedelic/swinging vibe that gives films like Deadlier Than the Male and Some Girls Do, both 'Bulldog' classics, their identity. I had a pretty good time with The Body Stealers and thought that it looks sensational after it was fully restored in 2K. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.