Cult Film Friday: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

From Freaks and Geeks Episode 3: "Tricks and Treats:"

Lady: What the hell are you supposed to be anyway? The Tin Man?
Sam: I'm Gort. He's the robot from The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Lady: ...You look like the freakin' Tin Man.

Every time I understand a new reference from Freaks and Geeks, I level up. And this time, the reference belonged to a famous science fiction movie that had been on my list of movies-to-see for a long time.

The Day the Earth Stood Still tells the story of Klaatu, a man who visits Washington, D.C. in a UFO accompanied by an 8-foot tall robot named Gort. Klaatu intends to give the people of Earth a message concerning peace but he is thought to be dangerous and is hunted by the police. Disguised as a regular human, Klaatu finds friends that trust him and work to help him deliver his message. The film was released in 1951 to international acclaim. It won a unique Golden Globe award for "promoting international understanding" and was preserved in the National Film Registry in 1995. Today, the film retains a strong cult following and is considered to be one of the best science fiction films ever made.

I honestly went into this film a little cautiously. There are a lot of older science fiction movies with reputations for being bad. I remember watching The Angry Red Planet and thinking it wasn't so bad it was good; it was just bad. The Day the Earth Stood Still was a wonderful surprise. It was very well-written and the dated effects didn't take away from the movie; in fact, I quite liked them. Michael Rennie did a great job in the role of Klaatu and Bernard Hermann's score was magnificent. And overall, the reflection of Cold War culture in America as well as the idea of creating peace among nations made this science fiction film stand on its own as something real special.

The Day the Earth Stood Still grabbed my attention right from the start. The movie begins with the UFO coming to Earth and it shows the whole world becoming both hysterical and excited. From the moment Klaatu comes to D.C. until the moment he leaves, you are involved in his story, rooting for him the whole way. Klaatu has been described as a Christ figure. He comes to Earth to deliver a message of peace, is hunted and killed by many of the people he encounters, and then comes back to life to finish his mission. It is aspects like this that make The Day the Earth Stood Still stand above the countless space B-movies that came out around the same time.

Another part of this film that stuck out to me right from the beginning was the music. The score was composed by Bernard Hermann. He composed the music for many movies, including Citizen Kane, Psycho, and Vertigo. Hermann can really get into the realm of whatever movie you are watching. The music from Psycho, for example, is so recognizable and so scary and intense. The music for The Day the Earth Stood Still was so freakin' spacey. The opening credits had you feeling like you were flying through space yourself. The score set the mood perfectly for each scene and really just upped my appreciation for Bernard Hermann.

I also really enjoyed the special effects. I feel like a lot of people today would think they are cheesy and bad. I suppose they are, but they were good for the time, and heck, they worked for me. The simplicity of the ship or costume designs didn't detract from the movie at all. I think the sleek look of the ship and Gort really reflected what UFO's and spaceships in general were thought to be in the 1950's. I think that this spaceship conception inspired design in later space films, such as The Angry Red Planet and Abbott and Costello Go to Mars. At times, it even reminded me of episodes of Jonny Quest. I also thought the structure of Gort was quite interesting. Compared to the recognizable voice of Hal 3000 and the intricate designs of R2-D2, the silent, almost featureless robot in The Day the Earth Stood Still seems more menacing and mysterious.

What I loved most about this movie was the tie-in to Cold War culture in America. Whenever I watch a movie related to the Cold War in some way, it seems my mind goes "HISTORY MODE ACTIVATED." I just get real excited. Klaatu's message to Earth states that his planet, which has obtained peace, has been observing Earth. Seeing that Earth's people are prone to violence and destruction, Klaatu's planet fears that soon, with the rise of technology, this violence could reach space and other planets. Klaatu warns that if this happens, his planet will destroy Earth. This admonition must have struck a chord with viewers in the fifties, many of whom had experienced one if not two world wars and were living through the tense political climate of the Cold War. Klaatu was not only warning the people in the movie; he was warning us. I also liked that Klaatu was determined to give this message to all the world leaders, not just to America. It showed that not one country was to blame for the Cold War, or even the culture of warfare and violence in general, but all were to blame. Klaatu refused to just meet with President of the United States; he needed every leader of every nation to hear what he had to say.

From the religious metaphors to the prop design, The Day the Earth Stood Still goes above and beyond and remains one of the greatest science fiction films ever made. And more importantly, it remains a film with a message. World peace isn't in reality attainable, but are we really doing the best we can now?