Release: 1951 Written by: Edmund H. North Directed by: Robert Wise
Starring:
Michael Rennie as Klaatu/Carpenter Patricia Neal as Helen Benson Hugh Marlowe as Tom Stevens Sam Jaffe as Prof. Jacob Barnhardt Billy Gray as Bobby Benson
Several things have to happen in order for an ordinary movie to become a classic that will stand the test of time:
Direction, tone and relevance of story must come together in symbiotic
harmony for a film to be enjoyed more than 50 years after its initial
release. It is in this category that we find The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Not a horror movie in the traditional sense, but a sci-fi/thriller that
still has the power to start conversation even in the 21st century.
The Day the Earth Stood Still begins with a flying saucer making
its way to Washington, D.C. With an unappeasable fear of the unknown,
the military meets the alien craft at its destination. An exit ramp
deploys from the space craft and out comes Klaatu (Michael
Rennie) and his faithful companion, a robot named Gort. Klaatu happens
to be holding a device that startles the jumpy servicemen and he is shot - causing Gort to vaporize the soldiers’ weapons.
Klaatu is rushed to a nearby hospital where he tries to tell everyone
that he has a very important message. Amazingly nobody cares, and
instead of listening to Klaatu they try to imprison him in the hospital. Not willing to submit to the will of the powers that be, Klaatu escapes and decides to observe the earthlings.
Changing his name to “Carpenter”, Klaatu goes to a boarding
house and meets Helen Benson (Patricia Neal), the boarder, and her son
Bobby (Billy Gray).
With the help of Helen, Carpenter is introduced to Professor Jacob
Barnhardt (Sam Jaffe). Maybe, Klaatu reasons, the scientific community
can make things happen. The problem is that Carpenter wants a meeting of all the world leaders - which is impossible (even today) because of tensions between the nations.
I will not ruin the ending for those who have not watched The Day the Earth Stood Still, but let me just say that it is not a rosy one.
Director Robert Wise does an excellent job at bringing out the maximum dramatic potential of Edmund North’s perfectly constructed screenplay. The pacing that he employs keeps the viewer in suspense and the score that Bernard Herrmann adds gives The Day the Earth Stood Still a constant sense of nervous tension.
The Day the Earth Stood Still was filmed during a time when
World War II was still in everyone’s short term memory, and terms
like “red scare” and “cold war” were new to the
national lexicon...but the theme still resonates in
today’s society. Mankind has a natural obsession with war that
causes nations to always watch there backs when dealing with each other.
Being a realist I understand that it does not matter
what side of the political spectrum you are on. Confrontation is a part
of the nature of man. It will always exist is some form and it will
always be a subject of debate. The Day the Earth Stood Still conveys this truth extremely well.
The Day the Earth Stood Still is a classic because it meets and exceeds all of the required criteria. If you have never seen The Day the Earth Stood Still, do so - and if you have, do it again because you can’t watch it to many times. Questions or comments about The Day the Earth Stood Still? Contact us!
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The Day the Earth Stood Still begins with a flying saucer making
its way to Washington, D.C. With an unappeasable fear of the unknown,
the military meets the alien craft at its destination. An exit ramp
deploys from the space craft and out comes Klaatu (Michael
Rennie) and his faithful companion, a robot named Gort. Klaatu happens
to be holding a device that startles the jumpy servicemen and he is shot - causing Gort to vaporize the soldiers’ weapons.
Changing his name to “Carpenter”, Klaatu goes to a boarding
house and meets Helen Benson (Patricia Neal), the boarder, and her son
Bobby (Billy Gray).
Director Robert Wise does an excellent job at bringing out the maximum dramatic potential of Edmund North’s perfectly constructed screenplay. The pacing that he employs keeps the viewer in suspense and the score that Bernard Herrmann adds gives The Day the Earth Stood Still a constant sense of nervous tension.
Being a realist I understand that it does not matter
what side of the political spectrum you are on. Confrontation is a part
of the nature of man. It will always exist is some form and it will
always be a subject of debate. The Day the Earth Stood Still conveys this truth extremely well.
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