The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Starring
Michael Rennie
Patricia Neal
Billy Gray
Sam Jaffe
Hugh Marlowe
Directed by Robert Wise
Original Score by Bernard Hermann

Aliens have been visiting the Earth in one form or another by way of Hollywood almost nonstop over the years. Sometimes they are cute, cuddly, friendly little creatures like E.T. that only want to go home, while at other times they have been evil hideous creatures who descend upon Earth to conquer us with their technical superiority and so that directors like Roland Emmerich can try to wow us with a special effects extravaganza as he did in Independence Day and bore us with the story line all at the same time.


Then there are aliens like Klaatu, who walk like us, talk like us, have bodies likes us, and visit us in the form of Michael Rennie with the sole purpose of letting us know that if mankind doesn't get its act together soon, we may be in for a world of hurt. And though the special effects may be meager, the film entertains us substantially more than any film dependent on smashing aliens into a million particles just because we can.


The Day the Earth Stood Still is unlike any other science fiction film made in the fifties. But it is one of a few science fiction films from the decade that was more than just your run of the mill Saturday matinee B movie (or in most cases D movie). It was a movie that didn't rely on flesh eating creatures or huge alien monsters unless you count a single giant robot, yet manages to captivate us every step of the

way. Directed by Robert Wise, the film wastes no time in getting to the point with an intense opening sequence that is simply spellbinding. There's an unidentified flying object circling the globe at a mere 4,000 miles an hour. As one famous announcer after another from all over the globe hits the airwaves with the news and the UFO is tracked by radar, we finally see the flying saucer as it glides over Washington D.C. and lands gently in a baseball field. The inhabitant of the spaceship doesn't emerge immediately, as Wise chooses to build our suspense and apprehension just as the spectators and soldiers surrounding the craft must feel. In one of the great science fiction sequences ever, the seamless spacecraft opens, and down the walkway emerges Klaatu (Michael Rennie), hidden by a silver space suit so that we are unaware as everyone else is of his true physical nature. Klaatu pulls a strange looking device from inside his suit, a soldier thinking that the object is some sort of alien weapon, fires at Klaatu wounding him. It is only then that we learn the physical makeup of Klaatu, and it is also when the robot Gort emerges from the spaceship, immediately firing a laser beam destroying the weapons and artillery surrounding the craft. Klaatu utters a few mumble jumble alien type phrases which causes Gort to lower his visor down over his laser beam, and then Klaatu is taken into custody by the military.



Once in custody, Klaatu lets it be known that he has something important to say and that just saying it to the President himself won’t suffice. He must have met a few

of our Commanders-in-chief. He wants to talk to all the leaders of the world, all at the same time and in the same place. Of course, you know and I know that getting all the leaders of the world together to have a Boy Scout powwow at Camp Klaatu is never going to happen. Once Klaatu finds out what we already know, he decides to mingle with us meager earthlings to see what makes us tick. Uh-oh, you know we’re in trouble now.


Klaatu assumes the identity of Mr. Carpenter, and finds his way out into the general population landing at a local boarding house where he rents a room and meets up with Helen Benson (Patricia Neal), a widower, and her son Bobby (Billy Gray) with whom Carpenter quickly becomes friends. The next day Bobby shows Klaatu around D.C. and eventually they land at the home of renown scientist (or as Bobby calls him, the smartest man in the world) Professor Barnhardt (Sam Jaffe), whom Klaatu hopes can arrange a worldwide meeting of the minds, right after he helps Barnhardt with his math.


Michael Rennie is the perfect Klaatu. He always seems subtly bemused by us earthlings and our many theories as to what his appearance really is and why he has paid us a visit including such odd ideas as that he has taken a short trip over from the Soviet Union. Come to think of it, he does look as if he may be a distant descendent of Alexander Putin.

Although he tries his best to understand man's penchant for war, death, and destruction, it is a concept without any kind of rationality to Klaatu, and one can't help but compare him in some ways to Mr. Spock in that regards. Unlike Spock however, Klaatu is not beyond showing impatience and frustration with us. While he tries to find a way to deliver his message to not one country, but all countries, the single minded purpose of the U.S. military to capture or kill someone they don't understand may seem clichéd, yet one can't help believe that in all likelihood that is how it would play out were such an event to occur. Either that or the congress would institute a couple of space visitor commissions to study the situation, and report the result of their findings based upon Klaatu's political persuasion.

It would have been easy for the film to bog down during Klaatu's wanderings around D.C., but Wise keeps things moving, making such things as a visit to Arlington Cemetery touching and moving, and the visit to the Professor's home intriguing and humorous at the same time. One can thank whoever decided to cast Billy Gray as Bobby, who does such a first-class job as Klaatu's tour guide that it not only adds immeasurably to the film, it would make one look Bobby up to be their own guide should they feel the need to tour the capital even if the capitol is nothing more than filmed backdrops as is the case here. And of course, Gray went on to play Bud in the long running sit com, Father Knows Best which was the real TV series on which the fictional TV series in the movie Pleasantville may have been based. I managed to find an episode for your viewing enjoyment and bongo listening pleasure. Uh…just watch it.


Patricia Neal gives a stellar but measured performance as Bobby's mother. She is drawn to Mr. Carpenter but yet is wary of his strange ways to the point where she begins to question Bobby's friendship with him. Her complete opposite is her boyfriend, Tom (Hugh Marlowe) who sees his relationship with Helen as more of an opportunity than anything remotely having to do with hearts and flowers. It doesn't take us long to figure out that Helen is drawn to Tom because of his ability to provide a home for her and Bobby rather than any real deep everlasting emotional involvement. This romantic conflict plays itself out at what couldn’t be a more crucial moment.

For The Day the Earth Stood Still, Bernard Herrmann wrote another one of his perfect scores. By that I mean it is written in such a way as to not only increase your involvement in the proceedings, it perfectly complements every aspect of the film from the opening credits to the end. In fact, it is a score that would influence many a science fiction film for years to come. It was the first time we would hear the Theremin, but it would not be the last as it would influence soundtracks in Science Fiction films for years to come. Yet, his score for the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery sequences discard the sci-fi notes altogether, bringing respect, sadness and solace to Klaatu and Bobby’s tour. I can say without a doubt that without Herrmann’s score, the film wouldn’t have had quite the impact that it did.

As for the special effects, keeping in mind that this was made over fifty years ago, they do acquit themselves quite well. Yes, Gort looks a bit stiff, and yes thanks to a new digital transfer you can see some wires used to hold Neal up at one point along with the seam in the suit (all in the same scene), but the seamless spaceship, Gort’s Killer Ray, and the landing in DC more than makeup for it. Besides, this is a story driven science fiction film, not a special effects extravaganza.




So, what about the all important message that Klaatu traveled those 250 million miles to deliver to mankind? It has been the subject of much debate over the years, and will probably continue to be so for many years to come as long as there are message boards smothering the internet to throw your two cents in. I have my own thoughts about it, but can only say that agree or disagree, it is more or less the same message that many nations have given to one country after another on our own planet. So does this make Klaatu and his kind as bad as us or is their method entirely different with an insistence on a peaceful existence? Whichever side you fall on, the debate will continue through the ages and when any film accomplishes something of that nature I have no choice but to give it my grade which for The Day the Earth Stood Still is an A.

On a side note, if you have never seen it, now would seem as good of a time as any. The Day the Earth Stood Still remake is wrapping up production for a December 2008 release as I write. It will star Keanu Reeves as Klaatu. Also on hand will be Jennifer Connelly, John Cleese and Kathy Bates. So viewing it would at least enable you to make a valid comparison between the two films. Of course, special effects have come a long way and I’m sure the film will have no problems in that department. But part of the charm of watching the original is watching the simple special effects that never interfere with the story line. I have nothing against remakes as some do, but cramming the screen with another CGI extravaganza at the expense of a good story won’t quite cut it with me. But we’ll reserve judgment until then. For now: Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!