Soundtrack Review: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

By Douglas Strassler Apr 15, 2005, 12:12 GMT

It's the 1978 version, very representative of the myriad changes in film styles and audience expectation that featured a more eclectic soundtrack, however, provided by one-time film scorer but famed jazz musician Denny Zeitlin.  This soundtrack was recently re-released as a 25th Anniversary Limited Edition set by Perseverance Records. And while this is a score only true devotees would likely go after, it does come with some nice bonus material, including commentary from both Kaufman and Zeitlin and a current interview with Zeitlin done for this release.

Zeitlin draws on a lot of his know-how to create a fusion of jazz, orchestral sounds, and experimental electronic and industrial sounds that were common to the late 1970s.  Starting with the "Main Title" track, Zeitlin incorporates brass, percussion, and strings with odd electronic
sounds.  Late in the disc, "The Reckoning" utilizes both boom-boom piano sensibilities combined with eerier electronica, while "Run and Hide" evokes Bernard Herrman's famed Psycho stabbing music with similar electronic beats.  The same technique - shocking electronic interruptions that imitate the waning pulse of a heartbeat can be found in "Infiltration (Suite)."

"Rescue" blends electronic and jazz ideas as well, combining chimes and a keyboard to the sound of a blast of trumpets and deep, resonant bass strings.  Trumpets also appear on "love Theme," while "Angel of Death" utilizes more piano work, as well as some strings.  "Flight" is a bigger number, a cornucopia of sounds: strings, jazzier brass sounds, xylophones, and woodwinds, and a heavy drumbeat.  There is so much going on in scenes like this that it seems almost dizzying when listening to it, and yet when watched as par of the film, Zeitlin's score seems to distract from the action, rather than enhance it.

And that is part of the problem with the soundtrack.  While it is certainly of great quality, this is heavy-duty music that takes a lot out of the listener, and sometimes feels like it is trying to pack too varied a sonic blend together.  Nonetheless, fans who want an extra piece of the movie - or of Zeitlin - should be pleased with this recording.

The soundtrack is available via Amazon.

You can view a full track listing in our database.