n 1951, a flying saucer suddenly lands on the mall in Washington, D.C. Its occupants: alien visitor Klaatu (Rennie) and a menacing robot called Gort—who's a crack shot with the disintegration ray behind his visor. Klaatu has brought an important message for mankind but, in a world at the height of cold War paranoia, he can't get them to listen.
After being shot by a frightened soldier, locked up in a military hospital and told that his request to meet with all Earth's leaders is simply impossible given the political climate, Klaatu ditches the government and tries another tack. Disappearing into the city, he ends up in a boarding house, where he befriends working mother Helen Benson (Neal) and her son, Bobby (Gray). Klaatu learns about humanity's virtues from them, while hiding from a government manhunt and trying to set up a meeting with Earth's intellectuals so he can deliver his message.
As part of this bid to get mankind's attention, Klaatu arranges to temporarily bring all Earth's technology to a screeching halt—giving the film its name. But with alien hysteria already ramped to fever pitch, this only convinces the government that Klaatu is dangerous and must be caught, dead or alive. As the army's dragnet closes in, Klaatu worries mostly about the horrible power Gort could unleash if he's killed. He gives Helen the key command phrase that may offer the last chance to save the world: "Klaatu barada nikto."
One of the true classics of SF film, The Day the Earth Stood Still has been meticulously restored for this DVD release. The two-sided disc is also packed with extras, although some were originally produced for an earlier laserdisc release. These include a 70-minute documentary on the production, a commentary track with director Robert Wise and Nicholas Meyer, newsreel footage from the period, trailers and an enormous collection of still images. These include the script itself, publicity and candid backstage shots, and even promo booklets offering U.S. and British theater owners some rather odd strategies for marketing the film.
Cold-war propaganda rises to the level of art
The Day the Earth Stood Still won a Golden Globe award in 1951, albeit as the "best film promoting international understanding." The movie is essentially an anti-nuclear war message swathed in genre trappings. Indeed, in the documentary, Making the Earth Stand Still, producer Julian Blaustein admits he started with that message and went looking for a story that could encapsulate it. Blaustein ultimately commissioned a very loose adaptation of Harry Bates' Farewell to the Master, published in Astounding Stories in 1940.
Even if the script is largely padding for Klaatu's climactic speech, The Day the Earth Stood Still soars on its performances, Robert Wise's direction and Bernard Herrmann's soundtrack (which invented the elements that would become SF cliches). Fox has given the film the respect it deserves. True, the documentary isn't new to this release. But Blaustein, the original driving force behind the film, is no longer living. And the documentary is an excellent exploration of the film. The still galleries are generous, but some notes would have gone a long way to provide context.
Wise's commentary track with Nicholas Meyer is another gem, as the two directors discuss their techniques. Meyer makes an interesting foil for Wise, given that Meyer directed the 1983 miniseries The Day After, which also was controversial for its stark depiction of the horrors of nuclear war.
Strangely enough, probably the most important extra is the period newsreel footage. Supposedly it's there because a brief segment shows the film getting a pre-Hugo awards "certificate of merit" at the 1951 WorldCon. But its real benefit is the way it plunges viewers into the political and cultural context of the day. For those who fret about modern media bias, it's jaw-dropping stuff. Watch it first, then the movie.
The Day the Earth Stood Still has been seen as a political parable (which this disc makes clear the creators intended) and as a religious allegory (which it also makes clear surprised them). It's also a great film in its own right, and this presentation brings it gloriously into the DVD era.
