The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Edmund H. North (screenplay)
Harry Bates (story)

Release Date:

28 September 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

A robot and a man . . . hold the world spellbound with new and startling powers from another planet!

Plot:

An alien lands and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.

Plot Keywords:

Death Ray | Political Protest | Young Boy | Social Commentary | Red Scare

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Michael Rennie	...	Klaatu
Patricia Neal	...	Helen Benson
Hugh Marlowe	...	Tom Stevens
Sam Jaffe	...	Prof. Jacob Barnhardt
Billy Gray	...	Bobby Benson
Frances Bavier	...	Mrs. Barley
Lock Martin	...	Gort

Runtime:

92 min | Germany:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Hindi

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #15271) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | South Korea:12 (2004) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Canada:G (video rating) | Germany:12 | Brazil:Livre | Italy:T | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

RKO Encino Ranch - Balboa Boulevard & Burbank Boulevard, Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Writer Edmund H. North was a former army officer who wrote the script in response to the proliferation of nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

Goofs:

Factual errors: As pointed out in an earlier Goof, H.V. Kaltenborn refers to "the beautiful spring weather", while later on the tag on the suit Klaatu has "borrowed" shows the date 7-18-51. But Bobby at one point asks his mother if he has to go to school tomorrow, and later there's another reference to his being in school. Unless Bobby has been flunking out and is attending summer school, he would not be going to school in July.

Quotes:

[first lines]
American Radar Operator: Holy Mackerel! Call headquarters. Get the lieutenant.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Freaks and Geeks: Tricks and Treats (#1.3)" (1999)

Beam me up

I just saw this yesterday for the first time and boy do I feel stupid! Its not my fault though, its rarely on television, but was it worth the wait!

The plot is fairly simple and direct. Visitor from another planet has come to warn us that we are aggressive, paranoid and dangerous to ourselves and the other planets if we continue with atomic bombs. Klaatu does not care if we kill each other, but cannot tolerate what atomic bombs can do to the other planets.

Naturally he is not welcomed with open arms, but in our defense, he was not exactly invited. The most disturbing part is that this movie is more timely than ever right now. When Klaatu mentions, 'levelling New York', I got a chill.

One or two moments were slightly puzzling - why does Klaatu allow himself to be interviewed on television, when he knows he is being tracked down? Why is he being pursued at the end so vigorously when he was scheduled to address the world? And why did Patricia Neal have to be brought onto the spaceship at the end? It seems to serve no purpose.

No matter, this is still a great movie that I would be thrilled to see again. 9/10.