Mechanisms of Containment: Semantic and Syntactic Manipulation
Nathaniel Pope
May 2007

    Although Invasion of The Body Snatchers (Siegel 1956) is traditionally considered in relation to its generic embodiment of science fiction and horror, the film also employs preexisting formulas characteristic of mystery, noir, and hardboiled detective models to advance an ideology of containment. Made during the height of HUAC’s anti-communist fervor, the film illustrates the way in which The Cold War can be characterized as a system of covert manipulation, especially when analyzed using Rick Altman’s semantic/syntactic approach (1984). According to Altman, semantic and syntactic elements are those interconnected mechanisms of a film that give rise to any generic corpus, duality permitting “a far more accurate description of the numerous inter-generic connections typically suppressed by single-minded approaches” (12). While semantic techniques seek to define the pragmatic “building blocks” or “easily identifiable elements” that characterize a genre, syntactic methods focus on “constitutive relationships between undesignated and variable placeholders” that privilege “the structures into which they are arranged” (10). It is the interaction between the two that not only give rise to genre, but begin to “establish a new continuity, relating film analysis, genre theory, and genre history” (13). It is through this lens that one can begin to investigate how mise-en-scene, cinematography and sound function to reduce viewers’ ability to recognize, much less contest, anti-communist sentiment in Siegel’s classic.

    In order to explore the film’s ideology of containment, it is useful to examine semantic elements of confinement within the narrative framework of film’s opening and closing scenes, especially the former. In this scene, gradual, melodramatic introduction to Dr. Miles Bennell’s (Kevin McCarthy) restrained, mad attempts to convince doctors of his sanity resonates with hard-boiled detective classifications of genre, especially those of Thomas Schatz. From the very onset,  little camera movement, tight framing, and noir lighting, aided by rhythmic sounds of alarm and dialogue create a claustrophobic and mysterious sense of urgency and “mass hysteric” by drawing attention to psycho-symbolic representations of law and order under attack. For example, the scene begins at a rapid, accelerating pace as a police car holding unknown passengers quickly makes its way through a darkened Santa Mira alleyway late at nigh towards an “emergency” hospital.  As the car approaches, sirens increasing in volume, the camera’s position is static, instead able to follow the action by slowly tracking this sole object of focus. Chiaroscuro lighting shrouds the alley’s buildings in darkness and directional lighting emanating to the car and from its headlights increases the perceived narrowness of the alley way. As the police arrive at the hospital, the car helps to form a v-shape with an existing one, framing the bright neon “Emergency Hospital” sign atop its entrance, creating a trapped image of mental anxiety as two police officers and one Dr. Hall (Whit Bissell) from the state mental hospital enter the building. It is this escalating sense of confusion that empower the manipulation to follow.

    While these fundamental building blocks function as mysterious units of urgency, horrific in their own sense, it is their syntactic structure that offers the framework of containment by which Dr. Bennell may begin to fill with sci-fi tales of pods and invasion. Analysis of Dr. Bennell’s  interrogation reveal the “meaning bearing structures” (Altman 11) onto which the story of invasion is mapped, mainly the encouragement of isolating unknown and perceived “dangerous” political and social ideals from tumbling out of control. His introduction is similar to that of the police car, characterized by a sense of tension afforded by claustrophobic framing and little camera movement. However, dialogue becomes a factor as he frantically declares his sanity, creating an ironic sense of anxiety. In the sequence camera movement gives way to close up framed shots that contain the suspect. In particular, when the resident and visiting doctors open the door to Mile’s holding room, a medium shot and tight framing captures his lunge toward the doctor wearing nothing but white as he is immediately restrained by two resident police officers. The visiting Dr. Hill foregrounds the shot, blocking, framing, and most of all containing Dr. Bennell whose repeated cries to “listen before it is too late” manipulatively encourage viewers to subconsciously accept the idea to isolate the invading pods to Santa Mira. This syntactic effect is aided by the doctor’s willingness to listen to his story, only after having retreated further into the room. In sum, the interrogation works syntactically through mysterious suspense and confusion.

    However, it is only during this display of madness that semantics and syntactics begin to give way to a larger body of inter-generic connections, especially the closing sequence of the film which works to reinforce the film’s ideology of containment. In particular, the frame narrative structure, imposed as a result of Hollywood political forces (Steimer), is precisely the force at work connecting existing semantics and emerging syntactics. This is particularly noticeable when comparing the film’s alternative endings. The original,  Dr Bennell’s direct audience address: an extreme close up shot as he frantically looks into the camera eyes wide open and repeatedly yelling, “They’re here already, you’re next! Y-O-U-’-R-E  N-E-X-T!” Were the film to have closed in this fashion, its ability to critique containment ideology would have been much stronger, as semantic elements of horror and science fiction traditionally associated with the genre could have resulted in a much different message syntactically, mainly that of ambiguity. Nonetheless, the film ends as Dr. Hill orders the officers present to radio in an “all points alarm,” one to stop all traffic and alert all law enforcement agencies in the state. Dr Hall and the films final words, “its an emergency,” underscore the manipulative effect this ending has in perpetuating the witch-hunt, anti-communist mentality of HUAC, McCarthy and Cold War America.  

    In conclusion, whether intended or not by Siegel and company, Invasion of the Body Snatchers epitomizes the “propaganda technique of confusion” characteristic of Hoover and Cold War America (Pope 2004). The film is after all a sign of the times and as such offers various socio-political commentary on that era.  Preexisting aesthetic qualities exemplified by the opening and concluding scenes’ underlie  the film’s containment structure and ideology and are prone to unexpected semantic/syntactic innovation. However, the film also embodies the way in which Hollywood genres, despite being particularly dynamic, nonetheless remain standardized mechanism of passive reception, “seedpods” ready to be invaded. However, it is important to consider the effect that inter-generic experimentation and innovation, even socioeconomic necessity can have on classic and emerging genres. In many ways there is no such thing as a genre, only collections of semantic and syntactic elements arranged and affected in different ways, yet always lurking with political messages and affects.  
                
          
Bibliography

Steimer, Lauren. Lecture. 24 April 2007.

Altman, Rick. “A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genre.” Cinema Journal 23.3 (Spring 1984): 6-18.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers. DVD. Prod. Walter Wagner. Dir. Don Siegel. Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. 1956.

Pope, Nathaniel. “Hoover’s Vigilant Utopia.” unpublished, 2004.

Schatz, Thomas. Hollywood Genres. Boston: McGraw Hill, 1981.
        
Thompson, Kristin  and David Bordwell, Film Art: An Introduction. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2004    

Thompson, Kristin  and David Bordwell, Film History: An Introduction. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2002.