COMPLETE GUIDE
100 | W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
ABEL FERRARA ON DIRECTING BODY SNATCHERS
The subversive fi lmmaker behind The Driller
Killer and Bad Lieutenant provides behind-the-scenes
insights into the making of the third adaptation of
Jack Finney’s novel. There are several scribes credited on Body
Snatchers and Stuart Gordon was originally
set to direct. How did you come onboard?
It just wasn’t happening so Warner Bros offered
me the movie with this ridiculous script they had. I
read the original short story by Jack Finney, I saw
Siegel’s movie and I wanted to do it. It was an
opportunity to work with a big budget. It was based
on Jack Finney’s short story and Siegel’s movie but
the script was ridiculous! Then I brought my regular
writer Nicky St John in and we battled, battled and
battled... the typical going against the studio stuff to
make the fi lm. But I’m real proud of the fi lm and stand
behind it. I don’t necessarily stand behind working
under those circumstances though. You contacted Jack Finney before you shot
the fi lm. What was his relationship to the
other screen adaptations like?
His attitude was... at the time he made a deal and
sold it for $500 with a clear mind and conscious and
he stood behind that deal. Warner Brothers ownedit so they didn’t want to go back and give him any
money. When I got off the phone I had the lawyers
from Warner Brothers call me saying: ‘Don’t be
talkin’ to him and don’t be callin’ him! We got him for
$500 and that’s how it’s gonna stay!’ You weren’t keen on the fi lm’s military
airbase setting. You thought it was the
worst location for this story didn’t you?
You can’t do this story in a fucking army base where
no one knows each other! The essence of that story is
that it’s done in a small town, where the doctor grew
up with everybody and knew everyone intimately
and so when they change he knew it! How the fuck
would you know if I change and you and I met
fi ve minutes later. So, we left the army base as we
were working under those circumstances and it’s a
testament to the brilliance of Nicky St John that we
even got a fi lm that made sense! You’re a fan of Don Siegel’s original
adaptation, however you say it’s not an
entirely faithful adaptation...
It’s a textbook study on how to direct a movie!
He’s the master of mise-en-scene, with a camera
on a tripod. Setting up camera shots... It’s a lost
art. However, the fi rst fi lm is not the essence of thebook. Nobody got that book. They didn’t go for it.
In the book the Martians were the good guys! That’s
the essence of the story and nobody making studio
movies is going to make the Martians the good guys.
In Jack’s book we’re the bad guys and they never
got that. It’s never been done. Finney’s short story is
about 800 times better than all the movies we made
put together! One day I might go back and actually
do that fi lm right!In your fi lm, the ending is left ambiguous;
where you’re uncertain whether the larger
population has turned too...
Well, the whole fi lm is ambiguous. Isn’t that the point?
Who exactly is the person that you’re talking to?
Whether it’s your wife, or the guy fl ying the airplane- is he really the pilot or just some guy who strolled in
there with a uniform on? That’s the essence of the fi lm.
Looking back, what do you feel are the
fi lm’s strengths?
Just how we made it. We hung in there and stuck it
out. A lot of things I was very frustrated by and that’s
why I don’t work under those circumstances any
more. I would’ve cut it a little differently but, like I say,
I totally stand behind it. It’s an Abel Ferrara fi lm all
the way!COMPLETE GUIDE
100 | W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
ABEL FERRARA ON DIRECTING BODY SNATCHERS
The subversive fi lmmakerThe subversive fi lmmakerThe subversive fi lmmaker behind behind The Driller
KillerKillerKiller and and Bad Lieutenant provides behind-the-scenes
insights into the making of the third adaptation of
Jack Finney’s novel. There are several scribes credited on Body
SnatchersSnatchersSnatchers and Stuart Gordon was originally and Stuart Gordon was originally
set to direct. How did you come onboard?
It just wasn’t happening so Warner Bros offered
me the movie with this ridiculous script they had. I
read the original short story by Jack Finney, I saw
Siegel’s movie and I wanted to do it. It was an
opportunity to work with a big budget. It was based
on Jack Finney’s short story and Siegel’s movie but
the script was ridiculous! Then I brought my regular
writer Nicky St John in and we battled, battled and
battled... the typical going against the studio stuff to
make the fi lm. But I’m real proud of the fi lm and stand
behind it. I don’t necessarily stand behind working
under those circumstances though. You contacted Jack Finney before you shot
the fi lm. What was his relationship to the
other screen adaptations like?
His attitude was... at the time he made a deal and
sold it for $500 with a clear mind and conscious and
he stood behind that deal. Warner Brothers ownedit so they didn’t want to go back and give him any
money. When I got off the phone I had the lawyers
from Warner Brothers call me saying: ‘Don’t be
talkin’ to him and don’t be callin’ him! We got him for
$500 and that’s how it’s gonna stay!’ You weren’t keen on the fi lm’s military
airbase setting. You thought it was the
worst location for this story didn’t you?
You can’t do this story in a fucking army base where
no one knows each other! The essence of that story is
that it’s done in a small town, where the doctor grew
up with everybody and knew everyone intimately
and so when they change he knew it! How the fuck
would you know if I change and you and I met
fi ve minutes later. So, we left the army base as we
were working under those circumstances and it’s a
testament to the brilliance of Nicky St John that we
even got a fi lm that made sense! You’re a fan of Don Siegel’s original
adaptation, however you say it’s not an
entirely faithful adaptation...
It’s a textbook study on how to direct a movie!
He’s the master of mise-en-scene, with a camera
on a tripod. Setting up camera shots... It’s a lost
art. However, the fi rst fi lm is not the essence of thebook. Nobody got that book. They didn’t go for it.
In the book the Martians were the good guys! That’s
the essence of the story and nobody making studio
movies is going to make the Martians the good guys.
In Jack’s book we’re the bad guys and they never
got that. It’s never been done. Finney’s short story is
about 800 times better than all the movies we made
put together! One day I might go back and actually
do that fi lm right!In your fi lm, the ending is left ambiguous;
where you’re uncertain whether the larger
population has turned too...
Well, the whole fi lm is ambiguous. Isn’t that the point?
Who exactly is the person that you’re talking to?
Whether it’s your wife, or the guy fl ying the airplane- is he really the pilot or just some guy who strolled in
there with a uniform on? That’s the essence of the fi lm.
Looking back, what do you feel are the
fi lm’s strengths?
Just how we made it. We hung in there and stuck it
out. A lot of things I was very frustrated by and that’s
why I don’t work under those circumstances any
more. I would’ve cut it a little differently but, like I say,
I totally stand behind it. It’s an Abel Ferrara fi lm all
the way!