The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Edmund H. North (screenplay)
Harry Bates (story)

Release Date:

28 September 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

A robot and a man . . . hold the world spellbound with new and startling powers from another planet!

Plot:

An alien lands and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.

Plot Keywords:

Screaming In Fear | Red Scare | Disaster | Death Ray | Young Boy

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Oct. 18

1:30 PM

AMC

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Día que paralizaron la Tierra, El (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Jour où la terre s'arrêta, Le (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Tag, an dem die Erde stillstand, Der (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
A Nap, mikor a Föld elhallgatott (Hungary) [hu]
Dag waarop de aarde stilstond, De (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Dag, jorden stod stille, Den (Denmark) [da]
Dia em Que a Terra Parou, O (Brazil) [pt]
Dzien w którym ziemia zamarla (Poland) [pl]
Mannen från Mars (Sweden) [sv]
Otan i Gi stamatisi... (Greece) [el]
Uhkavaatimus Maalle (Finland) [fi]
Ultimátum a la Tierra (Spain) [es]
Ultimatum alla Terra (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

92 min | Germany:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Hindi

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Italy:T | USA:Approved (PCA #15271) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | Canada:G (video rating) | South Korea:12 (2004) | Brazil:Livre | Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

RKO Encino Ranch - Balboa Boulevard & Burbank Boulevard, Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

In the scene where Gort is seen carrying Klaatu's body (inside the ship), Michael Rennie was actually sitting on a dolly out of camera angle to support his weight during this brief scene, since Lock Martin (Gort) was unable to do so himself.

Goofs:

Continuity: The crowds begin to scatter as the spaceship draws close. But, in the long shot of the landing, no one is moving until the vehicle gets extremely close to the ground. In fact, it comes close to landing on a couple people.

Quotes:

[first lines]
American Radar Operator: Holy Mackerel! Call headquarters. Get the lieutenant.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in The Chubbchubbs! (2002)

Classic Science Fiction, that stands the test of time.

The first time i saw this movie, i was 10 yrs old. That was in 1974,it was on t.v. that night, and my father, let me stay up to watch it. Because many years earlier, he saw it at the movie theater as a teenager. He told me that The Day the Earth Stood Still, was the reason he became a sci-fi fan. Well, so did i that night! To this day despite all the fancy, special effect, movies that are out there, this movie stands above them all. The humanity in this movie is so moving, that alone makes it a classic.But much more than that,it's message still rings true today,and should never be forgotten. A masterpiece! 9.5/10.