Movies don't get much better than The Day the Earth Stood Still. I thought for a moment I should qualify that statement with "Science Fiction movie", but I resist. This one is just that good. Unlike much of the sci-fi that followed this 1951 masterpiece, this movie is an "A" picture and was treated as such by the studio that made it. The cast is first rate and that of course includes Michael Rennie in his first significant role as the alien "Klaatu". Based on the Harry Bates short story "Farewell to the Master" this movie offers up a conundrum to its audience -- what if a flying saucer landed in the middle of Washington DC and a perfectly normal looking human walked off it. No little green men in this one. But as the movie demonstrates our response might not be any different as Klaatu is shot within minutes.
That doesn't go down too well with Gort, the eight-foot tall robot who came to Earth with him and who we learn has the power and arguably the authority to destroy the Earth. Gort is a great creation, played in parts by a mannequin and a man named Lock Martin who was a fragile giant in real life. Patricia Neal is on board as a woman who is sympathetic to the alien and her son played by Billy Gray wants to be friends with him right away. This movie does a grand job of capturing the fear which drives and informs modern society, which always seems ready to fight and respond to some menace, even if there is not much menace. Sam Jaffe plays a scientist meant to be Einstein, who is eager to listen to the alien who can teach the Earth great things, mostly how to not kill ourselves off.
The story is famous for its Christ allusions and they real. Klaatu goes by the name of "Carpenter" when he seeks to hide in plain sight among us. He descends from the heavens and ascends in the same manner. He is killed and brought back to life, all in an attempt to save mankind from its darker aspects. But these references don't hamper the film, but only add luster.
They remade The Day the Earth Stood Still with Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, and he does a dandy job. This one has amazing special effects, but for my money they can never top the 1951 classic which made us all look up with wonder.
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Klaatu was also a rock band who wrote the song 'Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft' in 1976 and then The Carpenters did a fantastic version of it which reached the British Top 10 in 1977. The Carpenters version begins with an hilarious phone-in from an alien to a DJ played by Richard Carpenter.
ReplyDeleteThere's no doubt I heard this back in the day, but it was not part of my consciousness. Thanks for the reference which with the internet meant only minutes to find both versions. l do prefer the Carpenter version, the melody seems richer.
DeleteI didn't pick up on the religious conetations of this movie at all, but it makes sense with mankind's future being in the hands of a higher power in this case the aliens, which we of course rejected as we did with Christ's teachings at the time. I wonder if that was picked up on by the religious right ?
ReplyDeleteI liked the remake for its special effects but the original was by far the better movie. Interesting fact ( to me at least lol) the director of the 1951 movie twas the same man that directed "The Sound of Music"
I can only imagine the ruckus the religious right would make of this movie today. But truth be told most things that group gets on about have to be a bit more blatant (or fabricated).
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