The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise. It stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Frances Bavier and Lock Martin. The screenplay was written by Edmund H. North, based on the 1940 science fiction short story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates. The film score was composed by Bernard Herrmann. Set in the Cold War during the early stages of the nuclear arms race, the storyline involves a humanoid alien visitor who comes to Earth, accompanied by a powerful robot, to deliver an important message that will affect the entire human race. In 1995, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Theatrical release poster.
After a flying saucer lands in the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States Army quickly surrounds it with soldiers and tanks. A humanoid in a spacesuit emerges, announcing that he comes "in peace and with good will". While the alien is opening a small metallic device, he is shot and wounded by a nervous soldier. A large robot emerges from the saucer and quickly disintegrates the soldiers' weapons, including tanks. The alien, Klaatu, orders the robot, Gort, to desist. Klaatu explains that the now-broken device was a gift for the President of the United States "to study life on the other planets". Klaatu is taken to Walter Reed Army Hospital for surgery, after which he uses a salve to heal his wound quickly. The Army is unable to open or blast its way into the saucer. Gort stands outside, silent and unmoving.
The President's secretary, Mr. Harley, visits Klaatu, who relates that his message must be delivered to all world leaders simultaneously. Harley says this is impossible in the current world situation. When Klaatu proposes spending time among ordinary humans to understand better their "unreasoning suspicions and attitudes", Harley rejects the proposal, and Klaatu remains locked in his hospital room.
Klaatu escapes and acquires a suit and a valise from Walter Reed Hospital; the laundry ticket on the jacket sleeve says "Maj. Carpenter". He rents a room at a boarding house under the name Carpenter. Among the residents are a young widow named Helen Benson and her son Bobby. Helen's boyfriend Tom Stevens becomes jealous of the stranger.
Bobby takes Klaatu on a tour of the city, including the Lincoln Memorial and a visit to his father's grave in Arlington National Cemetery; Klaatu learns that most of the dead are soldiers killed in wars. When Klaatu asks Bobby "Who is the greatest living person?", Bobby suggests Professor Barnhardt. Trying to visit the scientist at his home, they find him away. Peering through a window, Klaatu sees Barnhardt's blackboard is covered with equations (an attempt to solve the three-body problem). To "leave a calling card", Klaatu enters the room and solves the equation, giving his contact information to the housekeeper.
The Day the Earth Stood Still - Scene of the spacecraft landing.
That evening, a government agent escorts Klaatu to Barnhardt. Klaatu tells Barnhardt the people of other planets are concerned about Earth's aggressiveness now that humanity has developed rudimentary atomic power and that if Klaatu's message is ignored, Earth could be "eliminated". Barnhardt agrees to gather scientists from around the world at the saucer; he suggests Klaatu provide a demonstration of his power beforehand. Unaware that Bobby is following, Klaatu returns to his spaceship. Bobby watches as Gort knocks out two soldiers so Klaatu can reenter the saucer. After running home, Bobby tells Helen, who does not believe him, but Tom is suspicious. The next day, starting at noon East Coast time, all electrical equipment on Earth ceases to function for 30 minutes, except for essential services such as hospitals and aircraft in flight.
Learning that Bobby followed him the previous night, Klaatu visits Helen at work, reveals his mission, and asks that she not betray him. Helen asks Tom to keep Klaatu's secret, but he refuses to listen and alerts the military. Hoping that Barnhardt can hide Klaatu until that evening, Helen and Klaatu rush to Barnhardt in a taxi. Klaatu instructs Helen that if anything should happen to him, she must say to Gort "Klaatu barada nikto." The Army tracks them in their taxi. Klaatu is shot and killed; his body is placed in a jail cell. Rushing to the saucer, Helen recites the phrase to Gort. Gort then carries her into the saucer. Gort retrieves Klaatu's body and revives him inside the saucer, though Klaatu tells Helen his revival is only temporary.
Exiting the spaceship with Klaatu and Gort, Helen joins Barnhardt among the gathered scientists. Klaatu tells the scientists that an interplanetary organization has created a police force of invincible robots like Gort. "In matters of aggression, we have given them absolute power over us." Klaatu concludes, "Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration." With a final wave to Helen, Klaatu and Gort then depart in the saucer.
Cast
- Michael Rennie as Klaatu
- Patricia Neal as Helen Benson
- Hugh Marlowe as Tom Stevens
- Sam Jaffe as Professor Jacob Barnhardt
- Billy Gray as Bobby Benson
- Frances Bavier as Mrs. Barley
- Lock Martin as Gort
Legacy
The Day the Earth Stood Still was selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress's National Film Registry. In 2001, it was ranked number 82 on the American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills, a list of America's most heart-pounding films. It placed number 67 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers, a list of America's most inspiring films. In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its AFI's 10 Top 10 – the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres – after polling more than 1,500 people from the creative community. The Day the Earth Stood Still was acknowledged as the fifth best film in the science fiction genre. In 2004, the film was selected by The New York Times as one of "The Best 1000 Movies Ever Made".
Ringo Starr brought the imagery of the film back into popular culture by using a modified scene of the ship and Klaatu for the cover of his 1974 album Goodnight Vienna. Lou Cannon and Colin Powell believed the film inspired Ronald Reagan to discuss uniting against an alien invasion when meeting Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985. Two years later, Reagan told the United Nations, "I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world." The film is playing in the opening scene of the first episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds when Captain Pike refers to it as a "classic". American rock musician Willie Nile released an album entitled The Day The Earth Stood Still in 2021. The album's title track was inspired by the deserted streets of New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic, and contains the "Klaatu Barada Nikto" phrase in its chorus.
The Day the Earth Stood Still is now considered one of the best films released in 1951. The Day the Earth Stood Still is in Arthur C. Clarke's list of the 12 best science fiction films of all time. The film holds a 93% rating at the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on 110 reviews. The consensus states, "Socially minded yet entertaining, The Day the Earth Stood Still imparts its moral of peace and understanding without didacticism." Tony Magistrale describes the film as one of the best examples of early techno-horror.
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