Search results
About this Item. Title. The day the earth stood still. Summary. A spaceship lands in Washington, D.C., capturing the attention of the world. But the alien emissary (Michael Rennie) it brings refuses to reveal his mission to any single government, leaving the military, the politicians, and millions of ordinary people to wait in fear.
- Overview
- Production notes and credits
- Cast
The Day the Earth Stood Still, American science-fiction film, released in 1951, that is considered a classic of the genre and that reflects the fears and anxiety of the Cold War era and nascent atomic age.
A flying saucer lands in Washington, D.C., carrying Klaatu (played by Michael Rennie) and his robot servant Gort (Lock Martin). Klaatu is shot shortly after landing and is taken to an army hospital. Klaatu tells the president’s secretary that he wants to meet the leaders of Earth but soon is told that an agreement on a meeting site has proved impossible to obtain. Klaatu subsequently escapes from the hospital and takes a room in a boarding house, where he befriends a young widow, Helen Benson (Patricia Neal), and her son, Bobby (Billy Gray). With Bobby’s help, Klaatu meets the eminent scientist Professor Barnhardt (Sam Jaffe) and reveals that he is a representative from a federation of other planets sent to Earth to warn humankind that their experiments with atomic weapons are threatening the safety of other civilizations. After Barnhardt tells Klaatu that he needs to demonstrate his power to Earth’s leaders, Klaatu arranges for the loss of all power on Earth except where such loss would be life-threatening. Realizing that he is the alien visitor, Helen helps Klaatu get back to his saucer. Before leaving, Klaatu warns Barnhardt and his fellow scientists that unless humankind gives up violence, other planets will destroy Earth in their own defense.
Britannica Quiz
Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia
•Studio: 20th Century Fox
•Director: Robert Wise
•Producer: Julian Blaustein
•Writer: Edmund H. North
•Music: Bernard Herrmann
•Running time: 92 minutes
•Michael Rennie (Klaatu)
•Patricia Neal (Helen Benson)
•Hugh Marlowe (Tom Stevens)
•Sam Jaffe (Professor Barnhardt)
•Billy Gray (Bobby)
•Lock Martin (Gort)
- Lee Pfeiffer
People also ask
When was the day the Earth Stood Still made?
Who directed the day the Earth Stood Still?
Is the day the Earth Stood Still a science fiction movie?
What happened to Klaatu in the day the Earth Stood Still?
Forbidden Planet is a 1956 American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, and directed by Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on an original film story by Allen Adler and Irving Block. It stars Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, and Leslie Nielsen.
- $1,968,000
- Nicholas Nayfack
With Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe. An alien lands in Washington, D.C. and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.
Production Date: 9 Apr to 23 May 1951. Copyright Number: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.18 September 1951LP1263. Sound: Western Electric Recording. Black and White. Duration(in mins): 89 or 92. Length(in feet): 8,285. Length(in reels): 9. Country: United States. Language: English. Wikipedia: The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) PCA No:15271
Aug 6, 2021 · Retro review for the 1951 sci-fi classic The Day The Earth Stood Still, directed by Robert Wise and starring Patricia Neal and Michael Rennie.
Oct 31, 2008 · In Robert Wise's 1951 movie "Day the Earth Stood Still," the alien Klaatu's spaceship lands and from it emerges a robot. At right, Keanu Reeves plays Klaatu in the remake of the movie. Left, 20th ...
