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According to Jonathan Klotz
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Great science fiction is both a representation of its time and a window into the world of the future. 73 years after debut, The day the earth stood still unfortunately it remains current. Released during the early years of the Cold War, the sci-fi classic explores what happens when an alien arrives in peace and is confused by our fractured world and the man-made divisions between us. The classic story has been told time and time again, but the original 1951 film remains the best and serves as a reminder that humanity hasn’t progressed as far as we’d like to think.
A landmark sci-fi film
Even if you never saw it The day the earth stood stillyou’ll recognize the opening with the flying saucer landing in Washington, DC because it’s immediately surrounded by the military. Klaatu, a stern looking humanoid foreign played by Michael Rennie, he may look human but it’s clear he’s alien from the way he moves and talks, while his bodyguard Gort is a tall, imposing robot who silently protects his master. Klaatu announces that he has a message for all of humanity’s leaders and is shot almost immediately, prompting Gort to attack the soldiers in a moment that doesn’t need modern special effects to deliver the message.
Klaatu meets Helen Benson and her son Bobby during his mission to better understand humanity. A young boy takes an alien around town, answering his questions about Earth and humanity along the way, which brings up the theme of war. This is the gist of the message found in The day the earth stood stillAs Klaatu explains to the gifted scientist a few scenes later, the aggressive nature of Earthlings combined with the recent advent of nuclear power has created a target on Earth to contain humans.
A timeless allegory
The day the earth stood still predictably ends with Klaatu, disillusioned with humanity, warning the assembled crowd to discard their martial nature, abandon the current path of nuclear destruction, or be destroyed. It differs significantly from the original story, Goodbye Mastera short story written by Harry Bates that was published in 1940, earlier Oppenheimer he helped invent the atomic bomb, but by leaning into Cold War allegory, the 1951 film became a timeless allegory. There’s little action and basic special effects, but Michael Rennie’s performance as Klaatu is haunting and set the template for aliens Hollywood still uses it today.
When I was little and first showed interest science fiction, The day the earth stood still was one of the tapes my mom borrowed from the local library so I could see the type of science fiction she grew up watching. Even then, I was exposed to countless parodies and homages to the film, from the concept of an alien coming in peace to talk to the leaders and Gort from the Saturday morning cartoons. Still, the dark nature of the film, aided by the fact that it was in black and white, captivated me and remains one of my favorites today.
A soulless remake
The day the earth stood still was revised in 2008 with Keanu Reeves like Klaatu and the Cold War theme of nuclear annihilation was tossed aside to be replaced with an environmental message. Unfortunately, despite an all-star cast that includes Jennifer Connolly, John CleeseJon Hamm and Kathy Bates, the remake went too far to become a sci-fi spectacle. It looks amazing and was a minor hit in theaters, but there’s a reason it’s 21 percent rotten Rotten tomatoes while the original is 95 percent fresh: it lacks the core of the original script.
In fact, the 2008 film makes a great argument against remakes of classic films. The day the earth stood still it is permeated with Cold War paranoia, but even decades removed from the specific moment that gave birth to it, the theme of the human capacity for violence is still relevant. So why do it all over again for a new generation when the film’s true purpose as an allegory about war is tossed aside for CGI?
A must see classic
There are a few films that I think are required as part of the indispensable film canon, but The day the earth stood still is one of them, it was listed in the National Film Registry as culturally significant in 1995, which means I’m not alone in this opinion. Especially for sci-fi fans, the original film can be seen as a near-perfect film that encompasses the best of the genre. Science fiction at its best inspires us to do better. Klaatu barada nobody.
The day the earth stood still is only available for streaming as part of Video on Demand via Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TVand Fandango at home. And look at An episode of the GenreVision podcast on both versions!
