Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, March 2, 2017

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)

"Gort" and Patricia Neal
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951). Director: Robert Wise.

Klaatu (Michael Rennie), an emissary from a group of united planets, arrives on earth in a large saucer, accompanied by a potentially destructive law enforcement robot named Gort. Klaatu has come to earth to warn the world that the other planets will not tolerate earthlings, who have recently discovered atomic power, bringing their violent aggressiveness into outer space. His solution if earth doesn't mend its ways: destroy the entire planet! [Talk about aggressiveness!]

Held prisoner by the military, Klaatu, who wants to learn earth ways, escapes and moves into a boarding house, where he meets the lovely widow, Helen (Patricia Neal) and her likable little boy, Bobby (Billy Gray). Once Helen discovers the truth about the mysterious visitor and his plan, you keep waiting for her to argue about all the good in the world, the notable doctors, scientists, artists, and to tell Klaatu that most of the world's wars are caused  by a mere handful of residents. You expect her to say "innocent children like my son will be killed along with the warmongers," but she never does. This is the major reason why I've never particularly cared for this "classic." While Helen and Bobby represent good earthlings, too much of this portrayal is distinctly negative and unfair.

One can imagine, of course, that none of the aliens really wish or intend to wipe out the billions of earth's inhabitants, but foolishly hope this warning might suffice. But surely these powerful aliens can simply deal with the spaceships of more aggressive nations instead of dooming every person on the earth? No one even suggests this much more sensible solution.

That being said, The Day the Earth Stood Still is modestly entertaining and thought-provoking, although probably not in the way the filmmakers intended. Michael Rennie offers perhaps his best performance as the enigmatic Klaatu, his face registering amusement or bafflement and suggesting a certain superiority without becoming obnoxious about it. Neal is warm and sympathetic, but probably wasted in this movie. Billy Gray [The Navy vs the Night Monsters], Hugh Marlowe (as Helen's fiance) and others all give good performances and Robert Wise's direction is fine. The film also boasts Leo Tover's [The Snake Pit] excellent cinematography, and a superb score by Bernard Herrmann, whose spooky, jangling music influenced dozens of later scores. [Tover and Herrmann also worked on Journey to the Center of the Earth] The film itself was also very influential, with Hugh Marlowe headlining Earth vs the Flying Saucers a few years later and many other aliens-visit-earth films to come.

One last troubling aspect to the movie: After an over-zealous soldier shoots Klaatu at the beginning of the film, Gort responds by disintegrating tanks and rifles, but doesn't injure any men. Later, however, he completely disintegrates two soldiers who weren't even firing at him! Klaatu explains at one point that Gort is like a policeman, apparently one who is as quick-to-shoot as that first soldier was. The two dead men, whose deaths were completely unnecessary, are never mentioned again. Most likely they were killed so that the audience could feel Helen was in danger when she goes to give Gort a command that will stop him from further action. Still ...

The Day the Earth Stood Still (the title refers to Klaatu suppressing all energy world wide as a demonstration of his power) was remade in 2008 with Keaua Reeves playing a variation of Klaatu. Kathy Bates played an aggressive secretary of defense. Despite some good performances and effects and a much higher body count, the movie was not really an improvement over the original, itself no masterpiece.

Verdict: A bit too simplistic and even childish at times, but Herrmann's score is great. **1/2.

6 comments:

Gary R. said...

I always wonder how Gort manages to break out Klaatu from the jail and bring him back to the ship without anyone in Washington, D.C. seeming to notice.

Hard to believe Spencer Tracy(!) was originally thought of for the Klaatu role.

William said...

Spencer Tracy!!!

I'll say it again -- Spencer Tracy!!!

I'm glad that casting never came about!

As for the jail break sequence, my memory is already hazy on it. I recall Klaatu gets shot at one point and Gort resuscitates him, so maybe somebody did notice the robot carrying Klaatu through the city and that's when his master got shot. Just don't recall. If not, the scriptwriter just had to get Klaatu back to the ship to finish the story and to hell with logic!

As always, thanks for your comments!

angelman66 said...

Great film, Bill, I watch it every time it's on. I can't help but hope there are signs of intelligent life somewhere in the universe...obviously not very much down here!
The 2008 Keanu Reeves version was terrible, but fun to watch Kathy Bates chew the scenery!
-Chris

William said...

Yes, Kathy Bates was the best thing about the remake.

Anyway, I think you like this movie a lot more than I do. Once every twenty years is enough for me, LOL!

Gary R. said...

From what I've read, the 1954 British film STRANGER FROM VENUS (aka IMMEDIATE DISASTER) is pretty close to a remake, with a plot about a friendly Venusian who warns us about our nuclear weaponry. Helmut Dantine is the alien, and the woman he wins over is once again played by Patricia Neal. Makes me wonder if Patricia was a UFO buff in real life!

William said...

Well, I've just ordered a biography of her so I will let you know! Thanks for telling me about this movie, which I've never even heard of -- definitely something I have to check out.