Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) ***1/2 out of *****

 
 Director:  Don Siegel
Writers:  Daniel Mainwaring, Richard Collins
Cast:  Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones

Would you give up your soul, identity, ability to love, ambition, faith, and everything else that makes you human and personal, to become another, colder version of yourself?  If it meant conforming to an alien society that may or may not be able to obtain world order and peace and/or eliminate global hunger, poverty and addiction, would you sacrifice who you are for a potentially greater good?
The late and great Kevin McCarthy leads a small cast of humans fighting to retain their own personalities in a small Californian town being overrun by an alien host absorbing the population, and replacing them with timid, emotionless, exact duplications.
Had I not grown up with the Philip Kaufman 1978 remake starring Donald Sutherland, there is a fantastic chance I would prefer this version to that one if not only for McCarthy alone.  He is arguably a better lead in this story's universe with an intensity that is far superior.  For me though, I find that the remake is more successful in nearly every other way imaginable.  The atmosphere, the tone and pacing, the supporting cast, the sense of fear and widespread hysteria...all were achieved with greater execution and on a grander scale.
If I were to recommend one version over the other to someone who has yet to experience such a great piece of storytelling, I'd say give this one a shot first, then check out the remake for its bleaker ending.