247. The Day The Earth Stood Still

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

Starring: Michael Rennie

Patricia Neal

Hugh Marlowe

IMDb Rating: 7.9

MY Rating: 7

"I am fearful when I see people substituting fear for reason."

The Day the Earth Stood Still begins with a U.F.O. landing in a Washington D.C. park. For two hours the ship sits dormant. News reporters, military, and the curious public have gathered around the ship to see what will happen. Suddenly, a hatch door opens, and a figure walks out declaring,"we have come to visit you in peace and goodwill." The figure approaches the armed military, and slowly pulls out a strange object. One of the soldiers shoots him in the arm, and he falls to the ground. Immediately after the shot is fired, a large robot exits the hatch door and shoots a beam at all the weapons, disintegrating them. After seeing that this visitor means no direct harm, the military personnel transport him to a hospital.

Once at the hospital we learn that our visitor's name is Klaatu (Michael Rennie). He looks human and speaks perfect English. After leaving the hospital, he is placed in a hotel room under "supervision". Klaatu is visited in his room by a secretary for the President. He tells the secretary how he has a message for the Earth and would like to meet with the United Nations. His request is declined, so he escapes the hotel room. He retreats to a house with a "room for rent" sign. There he meets a young boy Bobby (Billy Grey), and his mother Helen (Patricia Neal).

One morning Bobby takes Klaatu on a tour of Washington D.C. He shows him the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetary. Klaatu is disappointed when he learns that most of the graves are from soldiers killed in war. Klaatu asks Bobby who the most intelligent man alive. Bobby mentions that it is Professor Jacob Barnhardt. Klaatu seeks out and later meets with Professor Barnhardt, and explains his people's fear of Earth's possible misuse of atomic power. Barnhardt invites Klaatu to speak to a group of scientists. Klaatu then explains that if his message is rejected, Earth will be destroyed.

Five minutes into the film, I gathered that this was going to be more than just a science-fiction film. It is actually a commentary on world peace and American's fear of anything foreign during the Cold War. Klaatu is simply the voice of peace, on a soap box disguised as a flying saucer. The film's political message never get too preachy. You can still enjoy the film, without buying into the message.

Michael Rennie gives a rather good performance as Klaatu. His monotone and almost dry performance seems right for the part. *It's appropriate that they chose Keanu Reeves for the role of Klaatu in the 2008 remake. Seeing that he is naturally monotone and dry. The screenplay was very well put together. It never loses touch with a general audience, yet it still gives enough "science-fiction" for cult fans to enjoy.

It's no surprise that film historians and fans alike, refer to The Day the Earth Stood Still as a cornerstone of the science-fiction film genre. I feel as though I have seen parts of it in almost every science-fiction film to date. I wasn't blown away by it by any means, although it did entertain me for a good hour and a half. If you have some spare time, this one is worth checking out.

*note: this served as my first "bashing" of the 250.