A adaptação da ameaça alienígena de The Body Snatchers, de Jack Finney, para o cinema

Abstract

The science fiction novel The Body Snatchers [1955] (2010), by American writer Jack Finney, was first adapted to film as Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1958] (2012), by director Don Siegel. The two works were released during the Cold War, a period in which a strong anti-communist discourse emerged in the United States. Since then, the alien invasion described in Finney's novel and adapted to the screen by Siegel has been seen as a representation of a communist invasion, reflecting the anxiety of American society at the time (Robey, 2014; Nathan, 2007; Legacy, 1978). This research investigates how the alien threat was adapted for the screen, identifying the main cinematographic resources used in this process. Our hypothesis is that artifices of cinematographic language intensified the threat attributed to the alien figure, enhancing the anti-communist discourse that it suggests. The results have showed that several resources were used to highlight the danger of the invasion, such as the use of artificial lighting, inclined angles, long shots and close-ups. Thus, we intend to contribute to the studies of Science Fiction literature, film adaptation and cultural production during the Cold War. The theoretical framework that supports the research is based on Roberts (2000, 2018), Haslam (2006), Oboliénskaia (2016), Lefevere (2007), Hutcheon (2013), Stam (2000, 2006), Aumont et al. (1995) and Martin (2005), among others.