| | | Widely acclaimed as one of the most influencial sci-fi films of the 1950s.|Winner - Golden Globe - 1951.
Features: DVD
The Day the Earth Stood Still depicts the arrival of an alien dignitary, Klaatu (Michael Rennie), who has come to earth with his deadly robot, Gort (Lock Martin), to deliver the message that earthlings must stop warring among themselves--or else. After being shot at by military guards, Klaatu is brought to a Washington, D.C. hospital, where he begs a sympathetic but frank Major White (Robert Osterloh) to gather all the world's leaders so he can tell them more specifically what he has come to warn them about. Losing patience, Klaatu slips into the human world, adapting a false identity and living at a boarding house where he meets a smart woman with a conscience and her inquisitive son. Both mother and son soon find themselves embroiled in the complex mystery of Klaatu, his message and the government's witch hunt for the alien.
"Brilliantly acted... more timely than ever." Leonard Maltin
"...a superbly crafted, landmark film which invested a much-derided -- and frequently ludicrous -- genre with a welcome degree of dignity and respectability." Angie Errigo, Empire
"...its timeless warnings about violence, nuclear confrontation and the difficulties of policing the planet have made it an enduring cultural classic." Michael Booth, Denver Post
"A first-rate science fiction classic." Rob Vaux, Flipside Movie Emporium
"Absolutely among the top 5 sci-fi films ever. Keep going, Gort!" Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
"Superb performances...restrained direction...just as relevant today as it was the day it was released." TV Guide
Editor's Note
Beginning with a documentary style that immediately hooks the viewer, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, based on the Harry Bates short story "Farewell to the Master," becomes as much a human interest story as it does a sci-fi B-movie classic. The film soberly depicts the arrival of an alien dignitary, Klaatu (Michael Rennie), who has come to earth with his deadly robot, Gort (Lock Martin), to deliver the message that earthlings must stop warring among themselves--or else. After being shot at by ignorant, panicky military guards, Klaatu is brought to a Washington, D.C., hospital, where he begs a sympathetic but frank Major White (Robert Osterloh) to gather all the world's leaders so he can tell them more specifically what he has come 250 million miles to warn them about. Losing patience, Klaatu slips into the human world, adapting a false identity and living at a boarding house where he meets a smart woman with a conscience, Helen Benson (Patricia Neal), and her inquisitive son, Bobby (Billy Gray). Both mother and son soon find themselves embroiled in the complex mystery of Klaatu, his message, and the government's witch hunt for the alien. Made during the cold war--when Americans were obsessed with the destructive capabilities of the atomic bomb--THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, thanks to its beautiful pacing, excellent dialogue, and haunting score by Bernard Herrmann, is still a treat for contemporary audiences.
| Features | Movietone Newsreel (1951) | | Audio: English Stereo, English Mono, French Mono, Spanish Mono | | Subtitles: English, Spanish | | 5 Still Galleries | | Shooting Script | | Theatrical Trailer | | Audio Commentary By Robert Wise and Nicolas Meyer | | 70-Minute Making the Earth Stand Still Documentary | | Restoration Comparison |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 9/5/2006 |
| Running Time: 92 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1951 | | Catalog ID: 2005005 | | UPC: 00024543050056 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: B&W |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Golden Globe (1952) |  | The Day the Earth Stood Still, Winner, Best Film Promoting International Understanding | | | Bernard Herrmann, Nominee, Best Motion Picture Score |
| Memorable Quotes| "Klaatu Barada Nikto"----Alien (Michael Rennie) to his robot guard, Gort (Lock Martin) |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
Rating: B 07/28/1995 p.71Entertainment Weekly
"...Today's sci-fi filmmakers could learn a thing or two from an old black-and-white gem that has the here and now written all over it..." 04/11/2003 p.61 USA Today
"...One of the classiest sci-fi staples ever..." 07/28/1995 p.14D Uncut
"Outstanding for its religious symbolism, overt anti-war message, and one of the coolest robots in cinema history..." 05/01/2005 p.139 The Onion A.V. Club 8 of 10
In the foreground of the original poster for 1951's science-fiction favorite The Day The Earth Stood Still, a menacing robot disintegrates an army while clutching a screaming, scantily clad woman. In the background, a massive, almost simian hand grips the planet Earth like a softball. The images are in line with the fantasy pulp magazines of the late '40s, and seem to set the film up as an epic interstellar battle between good and evil. Then the movie starts, and out comes a slow, talky story ostensibly about the need for a strong United Nations. There's some bait-and-switch going on, but the sucker job serves a purpose: The Day The Earth Stood Still is actually about misperceptions...Adapting a Harry Bates short story for their Cold War purposes, producer Julian Blaustein, screenwriter Edmund North, and director Robert Wise developed a semi-realistic fantasy about an alien visitor (Michael Rennie) who comes to warn Earth's leaders to cease warmongering, lest an interstellar peacekeeping organization be forced to put down the Earthling menace...As the movie idles toward a heavy-handed finale, the lack of gooey, It Came From Outer Space-style monster attacks is missed, but the pointed Christian allegory (Rennie's character goes by the name "Carpenter" while on Earth) and the careful pacing create the intended "thinking man's sci-fi" effect even today. - Noel Murray
Reel.com 8 of 10
Oscar-winning director Robert Wise (The Sound of Music), who died on September 15, 2005, at the age of 91, was arguably more of a talented craftsman than a genuine artist...Based on Harry Bates' short story "Farewell to the Master," The Day the Earth Stood Still is often seen as a religious allegory, with Klaatu as the Christ-like figure. It's also sharply critical of Cold War-era politics and the "shoot first, ask questions later" tactics of the military. Given that 20th Century Fox's head honcho Darryl F. Zanuck was a staunch conservative and unabashed "hawk," the film's negative portrayal of the American military is especially surprising. Yet it was Zanuck who greenlit the film and plucked Rennie from the London stage to play the aristocratic alien spreading the gospel of disarmament--or else...While The Day the Earth Stood Still is strikingly somber and literate, at least by the drive-in standards of most '50s-era sci-fi flicks, it's also a good, old-fashioned popcorn film that's greatly enhanced by Bernard Herrmann's classic theremin score. And then there's hulking robot Gort, who's become part of the pop culture pantheon, due largely to the following line of dialogue: "Klaatu borada nikto" (Translation: "Don't blow us to kingdom come"). Admittedly, The Day the Earth Stood Still is often didactic, and the production values look hokey, but otherwise it holds up incredibly well. - Tim Knight
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| Customer Reviews | ![]() | | Cinematography |  4.5 | | Plot |  5 | | Acting | 4.5 | | Overall Satisfaction | 5 |
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5 of 5 Classic movie with a message relevant today Monday, January 05, 2009
Captain Jack from Roanoke, Texas
One of the best and most favorite science fiction movies of all time still has a relevant message for us today.
Technological and scientific achievements have advanced greatly in the past 57 years since the movie was made, but the problems facing the human race as a group and between the various nations remains the same.
This movie presents more than a quaint view of the past like other "classic" movies. It's not only for myopic "film" enthusiasts either. It's a great movie with a timeless message for all and still fun to watch on an annual basis like "The Wizard of Oz" and "Citizen Kane". Was this review helpful?  
5 of 5 Great Movie Friday, January 02, 2009
A Viewer from Richland, WA
I remembered watching The Day The Earth Stood Still when I was a kid, and with the new movie coming out, thought that I would watch it again. The quality of the movie was great. I received the movie quicker than expected. Was this review helpful?
5 of 5 How stupid the human race is Saturday, May 17, 2003
delenn36 from Missoula, Mt
This is one of the best scifi movies of all time. Out of its league for its time and so true. If a space ship were to land today we would still act in the same way even though now we know for a fact that aliens are out there. We would still shoot and ask questions later. What fools we are. Our government could learn from this movie.
I have always liked Micheal Rennie and think he should have made more than 4 or 5 movies. Was this review helpful?
5 of 5 Eerily poignant! Friday, March 28, 2003
Keith from Brooklyn, NY
This is one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. It has managed to stand the test of time exceptionally well, being over 50 years old. In our current atmosphere of the US's polital-economic hegemony, this film is eerily poignant, especially in its implications that nationalistic pride and sovereignty must be compromised to an extent for the greater good (UN); otherwise, there will be dire consequences for all. Aside from that, it's about time the DVD came out and the documentary is pretty good, but the studios have a bad habit of messing up the original cover art on the DVD versions. Why couldn't they use the more colorful art from the original poster? Was this review helpful?
5 of 5 The is no way not to love this movie Friday, February 14, 2003
wilhitertoys from Yuba City, California
Great cast, Phenomenal special effects even by todays standard,and a story line that could come true any day now. The ambience that this movie creates sucks you right into the events and makes you a believer. There is no way any movie buff could not love this movie. About time it came out on DVD, now, follow it with other titles as well that deserve this treatment. Was this review helpful?
5 of 5 one of the best sci fi in history Saturday, January 25, 2003
nanu86 from Nanuet, New York
As SCIFI's go not all are good. This one is considered one of the greatest. Not only by myself but critics throughout. I waited for years for this movie to come out on DVD. The time has come and can't wait. See for yourself... Was this review helpful?
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