The Day The Earth Stood Still (film - 1951)

International newscasters report sightings of a flying saucer. Soon after the space ship lands in Washington D.C. Surrounded by the American military, along with a crowd of curious onlookers, the spacecraft opens up, thus revealing a humanoid creature. As the alien approaches the crowd, a military official opens fire, shooting and injuring the alien in the arm. In response, a robot emerges from the ship and quickly disarms the surrounding military with a laser weapon that disintegrates objects upon contact.

After it is realized that the humanoid creature has come in peace, he is brought to a hospital where he is met by a government official. There we learn that the creature has come to earth to issue a warning to the planet. When his request to deliver this message is denied, the alien realizes that he is being held prisoner within the hospital. He devises a plan to escape in order to assimilate into common earth society. This serves the purpose of both learning the local culture, and creating a new opportunity to deliver his message.

The Day the Earth Stood Still remains a classic of science fiction cinema. While at times the film can seem preachy, as a whole it serves as a brilliant example of the psyche from the period in time from which the story derives. Planted firmly within the Cold War hysteria of the 1950s, the film reflects American society through themes of suspicion and mass hysteria fueled by a biased news media.

The film can be best appreciated by those with sufficient knowledge of American history. As I watched the movie I remained mindful of the time period the story was set in. This gave me not only a unique understanding of the Cold War period, but also served as a juxtaposition to compare the modern paranoia and hysteria over conflicts our country currently finds itself entrenched in.

Starring Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal
Directed by Robert Wise

The Verdict: The Good