''The Body Stealers'', also known as ''Thin Air'', is a 1969 British

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

directed by Gerry Levy, about the disappearance of British armed forces

paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...

s in mid-air whilst on a routine jump. Two investigators try to figure out what happened and uncover an alien plot to steal bodies of earthlings by snatching them out of the air.John Hamilton, ''Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser'', Fab Press, 2005 p 155-156 The film was also released as ''Invasion of the Body Stealers''.

Plot

When British

s disappear in mid-air during routine jumps, former air force investigator Bob Megan (

Patrick Allen John Keith Patrick Allen (17 March 1927 – 28 July 2006) was a British actor. Life and career Allen was born in Nyasaland (now Malawi), where his father was a tobacco farmer. After his parents returned to Britain, he was evacuated to Canada ...

) is brought in to solve the mystery. While making inquiries at a military research laboratory headed by Dr Matthews ( Maurice Evans), he has several encounters with a woman called Lorna (Lorna Wilde) who vanishes after each meeting. One of the troopers is found barely alive and dies on arrival at the laboratory. An autopsy performed by Dr Julie Slade (

Hilary Dwyer Hilary Dwyer (6 May 1945 – 30 March 2020), also known as Hilary Heath, was an English actress, businessperson, and film producer. She was best known for her acting roles in films such as '' Witchfinder General'' (1968) and ''Wuthering Heights ...

) reveals that the man's

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

had been altered. Megan learns that all of the missing troopers had received

spaceflight Spaceflight (or space flight) is an application of astronautics to fly spacecraft into or through outer space, either with or without humans on board. Most spaceflight is uncrewed and conducted mainly with spacecraft such as satellites in or ...

training, leading Matthews to theorise that they are being adapted to survive in a non-Earth environment. Travelling to Matthews' cottage, Slade discovers that the human Matthews has been killed and his form assumed by an alien called Marthus. When Megan arrives, Marthus explains that the troopers were abducted as part of a plan to re-populate his home planet, Mygon, which has been devastated by plague. Marthus attempts to kill Megan and Slade but is incapacitated by Lorna, who is revealed to be his alien companion. Lorna shows Megan the surviving troopers, who are being held in

suspended animation Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...

, as well as her and Marthus' spacecraft. Megan asks Lorna to return the troopers in exchange for his promise to find a group of volunteers to assist her with the re-population. Lorna agrees and vanishes once again, taking Marthus and the spacecraft with her.

Cast

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

as General Armstrong * Maurice Evans as Dr Matthews and Marthus *

as Bob Megan *

Neil Connery Neil Niren Connery (16 December 1938 – 9 May 2021) was a Scottish actor and the younger brother of actor Sean Connery. Personal Connery was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 16 December 1938. The Connery family is of partial Irish origin. His ...

as Jim Radford *

as Dr Julie Slade *

Robert Flemyng Benjamin Arthur Flemyng (3 January 1912 – 22 May 1995), known professionally as Robert Flemyng, was a British actor. The son of a doctor, and originally intended for a medical career, Flemyng learned his stagecraft in provincial repertory th ...

as Wing Commander Baldwin * Lorna Wilde as Lorna *

Allan Cuthbertson Allan Darling Cuthbertson (7 April 1920 – 8 February 1988) was an Australian-born British actor. He was best known for playing stern-faced military officers in British films of the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Cuthbertson was born in Perth, W ...

as Hindesmith *

Michael Culver Michael Culver (born 16 June 1938) is an English actor. He was born in Hampstead, London, the son of actor Roland Culver and casting director Daphne Rye. He was educated at Gresham's School. Actor Culver's aunt, father, mother and brother a ...

as Lieutenant Bailes *

Sally Faulkner Sally Faulkner (born 1944) is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her film appearances in movies such as ''The Body Stealers'' (1969), ''Layout for 5 Models'' (1972), ''Vampyres'' (1974), ''Feelings'' (1975), ''I'm Not Feeling ...

as Joanna *

Shelagh Fraser Sheila Mary Fraser (25 November 1920 – 29 August 2000) was an English actress. She is best known for her roles in the television serial ''A Family at War'' (1970–1971) and as Luke Skywalker's aunt Beru in ''Star Wars'' (1977). Early life She ...

as Mrs Thatcher * Carl Rigg as Briggs *

Carol Hawkins Carol Hawkins (born 31 January 1949 in Chipping Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire) is an England, English actress, best known for her various comic roles in numerous TV sitcoms and films in the 1970s and 1980s. She played the roles of Sharon Eversl ...

as Paula * Dixon Adams as David * Derek Pollitt as Davies *

Johnnie Wade Johnnie Wade is a retired British film and television actor. His most memorable role was playing put upon handyman 'Roger' in the ITV Yorkshire TV comedy series ''You're Only Young Twice'' between 1977 and 1981, he is one of only two members of t ...

as Orderly *

Clifford Earl Clifford Earl (29 August 1933 – 30 July 2015) was an English actor who appeared in numerous television programmes and films. Early years Earl was born Kenneth Clifford Earl on 29 August 1933 in Romney Marsh, Kent, England. He carried out his ...

as Sergeant in Laboratory

Trivia

The alien spacecraft is the

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Who'' ...

flying saucer from the film ''

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. ''Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.'' is a 1966 British science fiction film directed by Gordon Flemyng and written by Milton Subotsky, and the second of two films based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It stars ...

'' (1966).

Critical reception

Alan Jones of ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' gives the film one star out of five, calling it a "talky, laughably low-budget and hopelessly inept clone of ''

Invasion of the Body Snatchers ''Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' is a 1956 American science fiction horror film produced by Walter Wanger, directed by Don Siegel, and starring Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter. The black-and-white film was shot in Superscope and in the film ...

''". '' Time Out'' describes it as a "threadbare Anglo-American enterprise with too much vapid chat and too little action" that "

nds NDS may stand for: * Low German ( nl, Nedersaksisch, links=no, german: Niederdeutsche Sprache, links=no, ISO 639-2 language code: nds), a West Germanic language native to Northern Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands * Lower Saxony (german: Niedersa ...

very feebly (in a British sort of way)".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Body Stealers 1960s science fiction films 1969 films Alien abduction films Alien visitations in films British science fiction films Films set in England 1960s English-language films 1960s British films