Imagine, if you will, an alien spaceship actually landing on Earth. The entire world is suddenly in great awe, but also blanketed by sheer terror. Soon, a male humanoid makes his way out and brings forth an alarming ultimatum. He declares that we will soon face mass extinction if the human race doesn’t join a mysterious outer space coalition. It seems as though our various power plays with nuclear weapons have prompted this startling alien response. Given the drone and mysterious light hysteria that the public has gone through recently, the first two sentences aren’t such a far-fetched scenario these days.
On the other hand, the rest of that hypothetical situation was told through a cinematic lens — a classic 1950s science fiction film,The Day the Earth Stood Still. Originally based on a short story published 10 years prior calledFarewell to the Master, this Robert Wise-directed and Julian Blaustein-produced film turned out to be more than just a product of its time. With World War II still fresh in everyone’s minds and the nuclear arms race just beginning, a great fear of a disastrous future was rising up among the American people. Blaustein had the idea to craft this underlying sentiment into something tangible, with some usual Hollywood fanfare, of course. Better yet, the entire film is now on YouTube for free.
‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ Is a Classic Science Fiction Film That Resonates Today
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Going by the name of Klaatu, British actor Michael Rennie would step into the role of the singular alien, and American actress Patricia Neal would become his female human foil, Helen Benson. Klaatu’s infamous tall robot companion, Gort, would be brought to life by Lock Martin, a man diagnosed with a condition called gigantism.
Thanks to the work of those behind the scenes andthe performances of the main cast,The Day The Earth Stood Stillhas made its way onto numerous best-of lists. Some of these rankings were implemented by the American Film Institute, the New York Times, and even science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke! The social message that the film holds — which is to resist any and all armed conflict — is still treasured by many today. After all,war never stops.
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There are numerous ways thatThe Day The Earth Stood Stillstands out in the science fiction genre. Whether it was a limit imposed by1950s special effectsor done on purpose, the biggest amazement for science fiction fans is the absence of detail surrounding Klaatu. Ironically enough, this same ambiguity has seemingly made a lasting impression. We get to see the inside of his ship and how he controls it with just waves of his arm, but we never truly find out where Klaatu comes from or how big this interplanetary organization (of which he speaks) really is.
Rennie is brilliant at bringing a dual persona to the screen — a deep charm as well as a harbinger of calamity. The lone traveler never contacts anyone of his own kind, nor does he ever reference anyone specific. The one action he does take, though, is enough to send a chill down your spine. To be taken seriously, he shuts off the entire world’s electricity for half an hour.The act of taking away such a resource emanates not only from past audiences but also from those in the modern day.
‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ Combines Sci-Fi With Horror
An interesting factoid (arguably the most important) is that the 1951 version ofThe Day The Earth Stood Stillis one of the firstexamples of technological horror. Aside from Klaatu, the giant indestructible Gort will destroy Earth if it does not give in to the whims of the outer space beings. An emotionless, unnerving titan (along with many others of the same cyborg type) will cause reactions of anguish, torment, and pain. Looking at the themes of this movie from an even larger perspective, these messengers of peace and unity only bring planets together through the threat of force (an unchecked force of nature if we’ve ever seen one).
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Oh wait, Gort can actually be controlled, but only by an alien phrase no human being knew (that was before Klaatu told Helen). The moment Klaatu landed is when all the humans inThe Day The Earth Stood Stillwere already being controlled, whether they realized it or not. As much as this movie is classified asa science fiction classic(as it should be), there is a degree of horror, brought about by advanced technology, if you dig deep enough. This feeling of dread was only emphasized by composer Bernard Herrmann’s score. While he used a host of peculiar instruments to set the musical tone, he took advantage of two theremin instruments (devices that use electromagnetic waves and hand waves to create high-pitched sounds) to add creepiness to the already doomsday-like story.
Robert Wise’s 1951 film may look dated, but the prevalent themes still hold significant weight today. If it came down to it, how would we answer this question posed by Klaatu? If you want to see the classic Hollywood interpretation of this science fiction scenario,The Day The Earth Stood Stillis now officially available to watch on YouTube in high definition for free, thanks toTenaaTV.
