“The universe grows smaller every day, and the threat of aggression by any group, anywhere, can no longer be tolerated. There must be security for all, or no one is secure. Now, this does not mean giving up any freedom, except the freedom to act irresponsibly.”
The year is 1951, and America is just a few short years after the end of World War II. The Cold War is in full swing, and the atomic age is blossoming. This is a time where the only thing that kept a full scale war from breaking out between the two super powers, and destroying everything was the event of mutually assured destruction. The world was in a constant stalemate, and the threat of war loomed large over everything. If war were to occur, the atomic bombs that the U.S. and Russia had would destroy everything. Darryl Zanuck had an offer of a film for director Robert Wise. He wanted to do a Science fiction. He wanted a sci-fi that was believable, and would also stay with the audience well after the end of the film. That movie was The Day the Earth Stood Still and it had a message. The message was to cease all war on this planet for the betterment of mankind. The Day the Earth Stood Still was about Klaatu, an alien who came to earth in a space ship with the robot Gort, a gift, and a message. The gift was misinterpreted as a weapon, and the military shot Klaatu. Klaatu escapes from the hospital, and boards with a local family, hoping to find someone who he can deliver enough of a message to that it will convince the person to get a group to meet with him. In the process of setting up the “summit”, he gets shot, again by the military, and departs, leaving his message for earth.
Special Features
The DVD 2-disc edition and the Blu-ray releases come with a myriad of Special Features. The movie has two different commentaries. One is with the director Robert Wise and Nicholas Meyer, the director of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The other commentary is one made up of film and music historians discussing everything about the film. There is “The Making of The Day the Earth Stood Still, and a reading of the original short story. There’s a featurette called “The Mysterious, Melodious Theremin” about the strange and wondrous instrument that provided the score with its distinct and haunting sounds, and a performance of the Theremin parts of the main title. There is a Fox Movie-to-news reel that mentions the movie on it, and the teaser and theatrical trailers are on it, including the theatrical trailer for the remake. All of that is just what’s found on disc one. Disc two has “Decoding ‘Klaatu Barada Nikto’: Science Fiction as metaphor” about the meanings of the work. There is also “a brief History of Flying Saucers” and a documentary about Harry Bates, called “The Astounding Harry Bates”. There is a documentary about Edmund North, and one about nuclear disarmament which is also a p.s.a. And to top off the disc there is a multitude of galleries about the production of the film. The Blu-ray release does have a few Exclusive features called “Interactive Theremin: Create Your own Score” and the”Gort Command!” Interactive Game. Additionally the Blu-ray version uses Dolby Digital 5.1 DTS audio.
The Day the Earth Stood Still is an absolute classic that stands the test of time. This is one of the best science fictions that the 1950’s has to offer, if in fact this is not the best sci-fi of all that were made in that decade. The way that the film presents the event, as earnestly as possible, makes the whole film more believable. The effects ate top notch, and feel as if they would actually be happening within the universe of the movie. The picture is clear, and the sound crisp, although nowhere what I could expect for the blu-ray edition of the movie. The Day the Earth Stood Still is one movie that everyone should see, especially every science fiction fan. The quality is high, and there are a ton of special features. I’d recommend this DVD to everyone. Watch it, you might just listen to the message, especially if you are willing to let go and just enjoy it.
Comics Online gives The Day the Earth Stood Still 5 Gorts out of 5.
