The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) | |
| Director(s) | Robert Wise |
| Producer(s) | Julian Blaustein |
| Top Genres | Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller/Suspense |
| Top Topics | Aliens, Book-Based, Cold War |
Featured Cast:
The Day the Earth Stood Still Overview:
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) was a Drama - Science Fiction Film directed by Robert Wise and produced by Julian Blaustein.
The film was based on the short story Farewell to the Master written by Harry Bates published in Astounding Science Fiction Magazine in October 1940.
SYNOPSIS
Though it lacks the digital-era special effects (and the hero's giant robot companion looks as menacing as an industrial Maytag), this may be one of the greatest science-fiction films of all time. Soberly, almost solemnly, it depicts the arrival of an alien dignitary who has come to earth to deliver a message: stop warring among yourselves or you will be destroyed. Bidden to Washington, the world's leaders squabble until the alien ambassador loses patience and slips into the world to learn why humans can't hear the truth. Herrmann wrote the haunting score.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.The Day the Earth Stood Still was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1995.
BlogHub Articles:
Michael Rennie is the visitor from space in “The Day the Earth Stood Still”
By Stephen Reginald on May 29, 2024 From Classic Movie ManMichael Rennie is the visitor from space in “The Day the Earth Stood Still” The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) was an American science fiction film directed by Robert Wise and starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, and Hugh Marlowe. The supporting cast includes Sam Jaffe, Frances... Read full article
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951, Robert Wise)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Dec 26, 2017 From The Stop ButtonThe Day the Earth Stood Still opens with these sensational titles. 3D text jumping out, set against the backdrop of space, Bernard Herrmann?s score at its loudest; the titles suggest the film is going to be something grandiose. It is and it isn?t. For the first act, director Wise moves quickly, shor... Read full article
ClassicFlix (Teen Scene): The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
By Virginie Pronovost on Jun 30, 2017 From The Wonderful World of CinemaFrom March 2015 to April 2017, I was writing the monthly Teen Scene column for the website ClassicFlix. My objective was to promote classic films among teenagers and young adults. Due to the establishing of a new version of the website, it?s now more difficult to access to the old version and read t... Read full article
Classics Revisited: The Day the Earth Stood Still
By Barry P. on Aug 16, 2015 From Cinematic Catharsis(1951) Directed by: Robert Wise; Written by: Edmund H. North; Based on the story “Farewell to the Master,” by Harry Bates; Starring: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe and Lock Martin; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***** “I'm impatient with ... Read full article
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
By Beatrice on Jul 24, 2015 From Flickers in TimeThe Day the Earth Stood Still Directed by Robert Wise Written by Edmund H. North 1951/USA Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation Repeat viewing/Netflix rental #252 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die The sleek design of this early sci-fi thriller with a message has held up remarkably well ... Read full article
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Quotes from
Klaatu: [turns to look at the statue of Lincoln] He must have been a great man.
Bobby Benson: Well sure.
Klaatu: [walking out of the memorial, then turning to look at Lincoln again] That's the kind of man I would like to talk to.
Bobby Benson: [to Klaatu] I like you Mr. Carpenter, you're a real screwball!
Helen: I thought you were...
Klaatu: I was.
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Facts about
Originally Klaatu's death and resurrection at the end of the movie was meant to be permanent, reinforcing his God-like powers, but at the time the Breen Office - the film industry's censors - didn't like the ending, suggesting it was too left-wing, and insisted that director Robert Wise and writer Edmund H. North put in the line, "That power is reserved for the Almighty Spirit". Both Wise and North hated the line and thought it completely inappropriate - negating the concept of Klaatu's race being all-knowing and all-powerful - but the studio wouldn't back them up and they were forced to put it in.
Although he was already signed to play the Einstein-like Professor Barnhardt, the studio wanted to remove Sam Jaffe as a result of the political witch hunts that were then underway. Producer Julian Blaustein appealed to studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck. Zanuck allowed Jaffe to play the role, but it would be Jaffe's last Hollywood film until the late 1950s.
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