The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)When someone like Klaatu (Michael Rennie) journeys two-hundred fifty million miles across space to deliver a message to the people of Earth, the sensible thing to do would be to listen. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) is about Klaatu's effort to prevent the annihilation of Earth by his intergalactic community should his hosts continue their current path of aggression. The irony is that the ambassadors and leaders of our planet are so petty and paranoid, that they shoot first, and the message becomes muddled.
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The Day the Earth Stood Still is presented as a scifi flick about first contact with an alien, but the story is really an introspective evaluation of humanity, asking us to consider how we treat strangers, how we listen to others (or fail to do so), and how our emotions control our actions in spite of our reasoning. The Day the Earth Stood Still remains poignant even today and the message of tolerance and understanding is still relevant. Klaatu's arrival is greeted with a cavalcade of artillery, machine guns, and petrified onlookers; when Klaatu brandishes a gift for this world's leaders, it is mistaken for a handheld weapon and is shot out of his hand, learning first hand about the fear that grips his hosts. Klaatu is treated amiably by ambassador in the hospital, but he is still a prisoner; his "escape" makes him a fugitive for a crime that he hasn't committed. The manhunt which follows is ludicrous, escalating into a "shoot first" mentality, even though there is no factual evidence that Klaatu means the Earth or its residents any harm, a reaction defended as preventative and cautionary. Level-headed people like Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) tend to be the exception rather than the rule in The Day the Earth Stood Still. Klaatu's mission is to deliver a warning to the people of Earth about their aggression; the selfish and paranoid grandstanding of the secretary to the President, Mr. Harley (Frank Conroy), becomes an ironic reaction, as if he and his colleagues were taking a page from Lord of the Flies. Are we as a planet so petty and xenophobic as to cut off our proverbial nose to spite our face when wisdom comes knocking at our door, even if it does come with an eight-foot tall metal robot named Gort (Lock Martin)? The question of whether fear of the unknown is learned or inherent is answered in Helen's son, a guileless innocent named Bobby (Billy Gray). He doesn't know Klaatu's secret identity--the spaceman adopts the alias of "John Carpenter", with no relation to the director--but Klaatu enjoys his company, and asks him to take him around the city to better understand humanity. The moment which best illustrates the absurd ease with which we destroy ourselves comes at Arlington Cemetery, when Bobby shows Klaatu his father's grave. Klaatu says that, where he comes from, they don't have any wars; Bobby replies in perfect childlike wisdom, "Gee, that's a good idea".
The depiction of Klaatu as a threat to all things American is spread by an exploitative media more concerned with ratings than facts, and is exacerbated by a reactionary military and political power base. (1951 never felt closer.) Average people, like those staying at the boarding house with Helen and Klaatu, debate hollow arguments about defending themselves against the "man from Mars"; this parallels the Red Scare and this presumed threat from the "Red Planet". Klaatu's finds support among the scientists and intellectuals, who are eager to learn from the advanced visitor, in spite of the government directing their research. For all of Klaatu's sophistication and intellect, his behavior suggests that he is not bound by our definition of morality. For example, he recognizes that there are times when it is better to lie to avoid suspicion, like when he borrows Bobby's flashlight and claims that his room has no power. There is also a degree of naivete--or even arrogance--to Klaatu's insistence that he reveals his ultimatum to all of the nations at once, claiming that he doesn't want to appear to favor one nation over another. Klaatu makes it very clear that he has no interest in the petty squabbles of the planet Earth, so why doesn't he simply deliver his immediately? These tenets ends up complicating his own mission; furthermore, his proclaimed mission shouldn't necessitate an undercover investigation into the "normal" people of Washington D.C. When Klaatu finally discloses the purpose of his great mission to the people of Earth, it isn't that far removed from a threat--he claims that if the planet continues to develop atomic warfare as they move into space, the Earth will be destroyed. His message is essentially a sanction applied to our planet by a more advanced--and if the threat is to be believed, more powerful--nation beyond our "first world". This is a similar threat made toward hostile nations--consider North Korea and Iran. If the United States considers a tyranny like North Korea dangerous enough to threaten with fury and fire, what does that say about the Earth if Klaatu proposes the same resolution? Klaatu's mission is essentially to threaten the world into peaceful compliance, as though he were a stern parent scolding a willful child. The message of The Day the Earth Stood Still is that should we wish to foster peace, we must do so within the spirit of maturity and mutual respect--otherwise, it will be enforced by someone with a bigger stick.
Recommended for: Fans of a science fiction film with a dose of social commentary. The conflict in The Day the Earth Stood Still should be obvious almost three-quarters of a century later. Klaatu deprives the Earth of its creature comforts like electricity to drive home the importance of how easy it is to crumble without it--how it would be after some global tragedy or war.
The depiction of Klaatu as a threat to all things American is spread by an exploitative media more concerned with ratings than facts, and is exacerbated by a reactionary military and political power base. (1951 never felt closer.) Average people, like those staying at the boarding house with Helen and Klaatu, debate hollow arguments about defending themselves against the "man from Mars"; this parallels the Red Scare and this presumed threat from the "Red Planet". Klaatu's finds support among the scientists and intellectuals, who are eager to learn from the advanced visitor, in spite of the government directing their research. For all of Klaatu's sophistication and intellect, his behavior suggests that he is not bound by our definition of morality. For example, he recognizes that there are times when it is better to lie to avoid suspicion, like when he borrows Bobby's flashlight and claims that his room has no power. There is also a degree of naivete--or even arrogance--to Klaatu's insistence that he reveals his ultimatum to all of the nations at once, claiming that he doesn't want to appear to favor one nation over another. Klaatu makes it very clear that he has no interest in the petty squabbles of the planet Earth, so why doesn't he simply deliver his immediately? These tenets ends up complicating his own mission; furthermore, his proclaimed mission shouldn't necessitate an undercover investigation into the "normal" people of Washington D.C. When Klaatu finally discloses the purpose of his great mission to the people of Earth, it isn't that far removed from a threat--he claims that if the planet continues to develop atomic warfare as they move into space, the Earth will be destroyed. His message is essentially a sanction applied to our planet by a more advanced--and if the threat is to be believed, more powerful--nation beyond our "first world". This is a similar threat made toward hostile nations--consider North Korea and Iran. If the United States considers a tyranny like North Korea dangerous enough to threaten with fury and fire, what does that say about the Earth if Klaatu proposes the same resolution? Klaatu's mission is essentially to threaten the world into peaceful compliance, as though he were a stern parent scolding a willful child. The message of The Day the Earth Stood Still is that should we wish to foster peace, we must do so within the spirit of maturity and mutual respect--otherwise, it will be enforced by someone with a bigger stick.
Recommended for: Fans of a science fiction film with a dose of social commentary. The conflict in The Day the Earth Stood Still should be obvious almost three-quarters of a century later. Klaatu deprives the Earth of its creature comforts like electricity to drive home the importance of how easy it is to crumble without it--how it would be after some global tragedy or war.