The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Billy Gray, Lock Martin

Directed by Robert Wise

The 1950s were a unique time for cinema, in that it incorporated numerous science-fiction films that have gone on to attain not just cult status, but endearing films that have been hailed by critics and earned the title of "classic."  Films like "War of the Worlds," "The Thing From Another World," "It Came From Outer Space," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," and "Creature From the Black Lagoon" are still continuously watched and praised today, along with Robert Wise's "The Day the Earth Stood Still," a film that incorporated Cold War fears and Christ-typology wrapped in a different kind of alien invasion film.

When an unidentified flying object is seen over Earth, the entire world goes into panic, especially when it lands in Washington, D.C.  Soon Klaatu (Michael Rennie) and his robot Gort (Lock Martin) emerge, and immediately are treated as hostiles, with Klaatu being shot while Gort is ordered to remain still by Klaatu.  He's taken to a hospital where he recovers, and asks to speak to the world at large, because he has an important message for all mankind - but is told that'll be virtually impossible since the world is at war with each other.

Klaatu manages to escape his captors and assumes the name John Carpenter, and rents out a room at a home belonging to a family including Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) and her young son Bobby (Billy Gray), who takes a shining to "John," and shows him D.C., surprised that he doesn't seem to know the most normal things.  Klaatu then asks Bobby to take him to Professor Barnhardt (Sam Jaffe) after Bobby tells him that he's the most important man he knows, and leaves a message for him to meet.  They eventually connect, and Klaatu tells Barnhardt that he was sent to Earth with an important message - stop building and attempting to use atomic weapons because he fears it can damage other planets, or Earth will be destroyed.  The government eventually finds Klaatu, but not before he tells Helen the whole truth, sending her out to find Gort before he discovers something is wrong with Klaatu and destroys the world himself, and prepare for Klaatu's speech to the world in hopes that they'll see the error of their ways.

Seen more as a dramatic warning to the world than the general alien invasion films like "War of the Words" or "Independence Day," "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is filled with tremendous performances and accentuated by an incredibly eerie score by the great Bernard Herrmann.  The concept is something that's universal and can even be applied today moreso than ever, with the world continually at war and the ominous threat of nuclear annihilation, that even Ronald Reagan referenced the movie during his tenure as President, thinking to himself how quickly our worldwide differences would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world.  That's the basic premise of the film, but not in a judgment way but one where the tide can still be turned.  Klaatu is not evil, and neither is Gort despite his ominous presence, but rather they serve as messengers of hope for a world that's on the brink of its own destruction.

Likewise, the film serves as a Christ-type of Klaatu's arrival, even though it's subliminal, the parallels are rather evident.  Klaatu arrives to a world at war bringing a message of peace, but the people don't want to hear it, and don't want to accept him or his message and set out to destroy him.  To that end, Michael Rennie gives a tremendous performance as Klaatu, who plays the role not as an alien with no knowledge of the world, but rather as an ordinary looking human with bare-bone knowledge of the world, but knowing enough to traverse his way hidden around D.C. in plain sight.  Patricia Neal also gives a great performance as Helen, who Klaatu confides in, even though in later interviews she said she didn't think it was going to be a great film and had trouble delivering her lines without laughing.

The film has been mentioned in both political and entertainment circles, and also includes one of the best lines in any science fiction film - "Klaatu barada nikto," which Klaatu tells Helen to say to Gort in the event of something bad happening to him.  The line has been mentioned in several films and television shows since, even though no one knows what it actually means.  This alone cemented the film in cinematic history, setting it apart from several other wannabe B-rated counterparts.  

While it's hailed as a classic, there's also several issues with the film due to the production values that just weren't there back in the 50s, most notably a moment where Gort is carrying Helen and you can clearly see wires supporting her in his arms, along with one blinding aspect that doesn't make a lick of sense, especially in today's world: the spaceship and Gort is guarded by only two soldiers, with no cameras, no audience, no one else around - that would never happen today, as any such event would be covered continually on film and guarded by hundreds of soldiers.  Still, despite this, the film is easily a masterpiece in science fiction films, and rightfully earned its place in the pantheon of sci-fi history.

Despite some moments that haven't stood well in the test of time, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is a masterpiece in science fiction due to the overall theme, epic score, and compelling performances all woven together with a solid script and fantastic direction.

The Score: A+