The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

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

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Edmund H. North (screen play), Harry Bates (based on a story by)

Stars:

Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

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

Storyline

Travelling with mind-boggling speed, a gleaming unidentified flying object zooming in from the boundless deep space, penetrates the Earth's atmosphere, landing smoothly in Cold War-Washington, D.C. Encircled by large yet feeble military forces, the peaceful intergalactic ambassador, Klaatu, emerges from the mysterious vessel accompanied by the silently dangerous robot of incomprehensible power, Gort, only to witness firsthand the earthlings' hospitality. The sophisticated humanoid declares that he comes in peace; however, he needs to assemble the world's greatest minds to hear his merciful warning and a definitive ultimatum. Is Klaatu the messenger of humanity's doom?

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Plot Keywords:

robot | alien contact | lincoln memorial | cold war era | washington d.c. | 

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Taglines:

What is this invader from another planet... Can it destroy the Earth?

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Klaatu leaves the address of 1412 Harvard St. NW DC for Professor Barnhardt. This is a real address.

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Goofs

When the military are trying to cut through the metal of the space ship you can clearly see a square of asbestos material taped to the ship, presumably to protect the wooden spaceship from the flame of the cutting torch.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

Elmer Davis, H.V. Kaltenborn, and Drew Pearson identify themselves when they appear on screen. Radio personality Gabriel Heatter is identified by an announcer.

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Connections

Featured in The Far Side of the Moon (2003)

User Reviews

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Hindi Russian

Release Date:

25 December 1951 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Journey to the World

Filming Locations:

Lincoln Memorial, National Mall, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1