The Day The Earth Stood Still - 1951

20th Century Fox

Directed by Robert Wise

Cast:

• Klaatu – Michael Rennie
• Helen Benson – Patricia Neal
• Tom Stevens - Hugh Marlowe
• Professor Jacob Barnhardt – Sam Jaffe
• Bobby Benson – Billy Gray
• Mrs. Barley – Frances Bavier
• Gort – Lock Martin

Story: Out of nowhere a spaceship lands on the National Mall. Having absolutely no clue what to expect, the Army surrounds the spaceship with men, tanks, and artillery. From the spaceship emerge an alien looking very human in a silver suit and a giant robot. The alien attempts to present a gift to one of the people coming to greet him, but a nervous soldier accidentally fires and shoots the alien. As soon as the shot occurs, the robot, Gort, lifts his visor and begins to melt all the weapons of destruction, until the injured alien manages to stop him with a command. As they rush Klaatu off to the hospital to treat his wound, the spaceship seals up again, and the robot is left as a silent, motionless sentry. The government becomes involved, which means we are totally screwed, as Klaatu reveals he has a message, but can only divulge it to all the nations at once. International relations being no better then than they are now, this becomes an impossible task, and rather than leave without delivering his message, decides to go out among the people to see why this is so difficult. He encounters Helen Benson and her son, Bobby, and begins to learn more about the species, and is led to Professor Barnhardt, a genius in mathematics who is about to host an international science conference. From there, the film becomes a race against time to deliver a message humanity must hear to survive.

Review: Shot in black and white (a pox upon the man or woman who dares to colorize this film), this masterpiece has become the standard for science fiction fans everywhere. Unlike the poorly done remake, the plot flows logically from beginning to end without a single glitch or missed step, and the characters are believable and identifiable. Michael Rennie is consummate as the alien who cannot fathom a planet where nations do not cooperate, and Patricia Neal gives a stunning performance as the woman who learns his secret. The special effects alone are worth seeing, since there are no computers or digital effects here. This, as the modern children like to say, is Old School, film and acting and sets, nothing else. And yet, more than fifty years later, it sets standards for effects and performance that are only equaled by the likes of Star Trek and others in the genre. For all you true believers, I can only add “Klaatu Barada Nicto”.