The Day The Earth Stood Still

The Day The Earth Stood Still is a science fiction thriller. The film was directed by Robert Wise who also brought us Star Trek The Motion Picture. The story is based on Harry Bates' 1940 short story "Farewell to the Master". The film stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Sam Jaffe, and Hugh Marlowe.

The film was a huge success in its time and is still as popular today as ever. It is widely regarded as one of the best of its genre especially in the 1950’s when special effects were still in their infancy. The documentary style of filming gives the film a realism that keeps the viewer hooked to the last minute.

Despite the religious overtones and hard core science fiction theme the film is a commentary on the trials and tribulations of the human condition. Unusually for a film of this age the female lead is portrayed as a strong unflappable character and does not fold at the first hint of danger or uncertainty. The inscrutable robot figure of Gort is now an iconic part of science fiction history along with the smoothly lined spaceship.

An alien spaceship lands on Earth professing peace, unfortunately a nervous soldier shoots the alien representative which prompts a violent outburst from the robot guardian in which all the weapons are destroyed but no humans are harmed. The alien is resurrected and goes to live amongst the general public as Mr Carpenter to find out if humans are worthy of surviving.

Cinema release 1951

Certificate U

Available on DVD and Blue Ray