The Day the Earth Stood Still Movie Review

The first big-budget sf feature of the ‘50s has aged gracefully. Michael Rennie stars as the alien Klaatu, who arrives in D.C. to warn Earth's leaders that our planet faces obliteration should they not halt atomic testing. His invitation to live in peace with “the other planets” is met with fear and hysteria. He escapes hospital confinement and takes a room in a boarding house among us. Patricia Neal co-stars as the woman with whom he entrusts his secret identity. If the effects are a tad simple, Gort is still one of the screen's great robots. The story is involving, and the sight of tanks and howitzers in the midst of Washington's monuments and memorials is more frightening than any flying saucer. It's a film about fear with strong Christian influences, first-rate performances in all of the leads, and one of Bernard Herrmann's better scores. Based on the Harry Bates story, “Farewell to the Master.” Among the greatest science-fiction films of all time, well worth a third or fourth look. “Klaatu barada nikto!”

1951 92m/B Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Frances Bavier, Lock Martin, Billy Gray; D: Robert Wise; W: Edmund H. North; C: Leo Tover; M: Bernard Herrmann. VHS, Beta, LV FOX, FCT, MLB