The Body Stealers: Tigon Collection – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1969
Director: Gerry Levy
Writers: Michael St. Clair, Gerry Levy
Cast: George Sanders, Maurice Evans, Patrick Allen, Hilary Dwyer, Pamela Conway, Allan Cuthbertson, Carl Rigg, Sally Faulkner, Michael Culver, Shelagh Fraser, Neil Connery, Robert Flemyng, Michael Graham, Carol Hawkins

Release Date: May 20th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 92 Minutes 21 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK)

"When paratroopers begin to go missing during routine jumps, investigators are sent to shed some light on the mystery. However, things get complicated very quickly when an alien invasion plot is discovered." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand New FULLY UNCUT 2K Remaster from the Original Camera Negative featuring never before released sequences."

The Body Stealers comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.3 GB

Feature: 27.3 GB

The source looks excellent; this is another solid encode from Fidelity in Motion. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. That said, some of the aerial photography does not look as strong as the bulk of the film.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds excellent, the dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital momo English, no subtitles), an interview with Will Fowler titled A Career Man, he discusses the life and career of George Sanders (20 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an introduction by Jon Dear titled Invasion of The Body Stealers (11 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled The Making of The Body Stealers (41 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with actor Patrick Allen, moderated by author John Hamilton, an audio commentary with film critics David Flint and Allan Bryce, reversible cover art, a glossy O-ring (limited to the first pressing) and a 28-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with an essay titled Tony Tenser The Godfather of British Exploitation written by John Hamilton, and publicity stills.

Summary:

The Body Stealers is one of only two feature films that Gerry Levy directed.

Wanting to avoid a scandal, NATO brings in outside investigators to look into the missing paratroopers who vanished into thin air.

The Body Stealers is a late 1960s British sci-fi film that has elements reminiscent of Dr. Who and The Avengers. There is actually a direct connection to Dr. Who in The Body Stealers; the spaceship originally appeared in Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. That said, though The Body Stealers is sci-fi, it is not a special effects-heavy film, and there is very little in the film that looks futuristic.

Despite an opening that leaves more questions than answers, things start to come together in the finale act. And though the explanation behind why the men disappeared is far-fetched, why would alien beings go to such extremes to pull off their elaborate plan when they could have just the humans for help?

The most interesting aspect of The Body Stealers is its cast, which features several recognizable faces. None is more notable than Neil Connery (Sean Connery’s brother) in his second of only three feature films; he is most known for appearing in the James Bond spoof Operation Kid Brother. The producers obviously cast George Sanders (All About Eve) because of his name, yet his character lacks depth and remains a background figure. That said, The Body Stealers is not the kind of film that one watches because of its performances.

From a production standpoint, The Body Stealers has several areas where its budgetary limitations show. Fortunately, when it comes to its narrative, it does a good job building towards its big reveal finale. Ultimately, The Body Stealers can be a fun film if not taken too seriously.

The Body Stealers gets an excellent release from 88 Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer