The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
- Starring:
- Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, (more)
- Director(s):
- Robert Wise
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- G
- Format(s):
- DVD
|
Blu-ray
View All Versions to rent and buy
Synopsis of The Day the Earth Stood Still
All of Washington, D.C., is thrown into a panic when an extraterrestrial spacecraft lands near the White House. Out steps Klaatu (Michael Rennie, in a role intended for Claude Rains), a handsome and soft-spoken interplanetary traveler, whose "bodyguard" is Gort (Lock Martin), a huge robot who spews forth laser-like death rays when danger threatens. After being wounded by an overzealous soldier, Klaatu announces that he has a message of the gravest importance for all humankind, which he will deliver only when all the leaders of all nations will agree to meet with him. World politics being what they are in 1951, Klaatu's demands are turned down and he is ordered to remain in the hospital, where his wounds are being tended. Klaatu escapes, taking refuge in a boarding house, where he poses as one "Mr. Carpenter" (one of the film's many parallels between Klaatu and Christ). There the benign alien gains the confidence of a lovely widow (Patricia Neal) and her son, Bobby (Billy Gray), neither of whom tumble to his other-worldly origins, and seeks out the gentleman whom Bobby regards as "the smartest man in the world" -- an Einstein-like scientist, Dr. Barnhardt (Sam Jaffe). The next day, at precisely 12 o'clock, Klaatu arranges for the world to "stand still" -- he shuts down all electrical power in the world, with the exception of essentials like hospitals and planes in flight. Directed by Robert Wise, who edited Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) for director Orson Welles before going on to direct such major 1960s musicals as West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music (1965), The Day the Earth Stood Still was based on the story Farewell to the Master by Harry Bates. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 92 mins
Complete Cast of The Day the Earth Stood Still
- Michael Rennie - Klaatu
- Hugh Marlowe - Tom Stevens
- Billy Gray - Bobby Benson
- Lock Martin - Gort
- H.V. Kaltenborn - Himself
- John Burton - British Radio MC
- Fay Roope - Major General
- Robert Osterloh - Major White
- Tyler McVey - Brady
- Freeman Lusk - Gen. Cutler
- Frank Conroy - Harley
- Carleton Young - Colonel
- Stuart Whitman
- Wheaton Chambers - Jeweler
- Marjorie Crossland - Hilda
- Bobby Gray
- Gil Herman - Government Agent
- Patricia Neal - Helen Benson
- Sam Jaffe - Dr. Barnhardt
- Frances Bavier - Mrs. Barley
- Drew Pearson - Himself
- Marshall Bradford - Newscaster
- James Seay - Government Man
- House Peters, Jr. - MP Captain
- Dorothy Neumann - Barnhardt's Secretary
- George Lynn - Col. Ryder
- Harry Lauter - Platoon Leader
- John Brown - Mr. Bradley
- Rush Williams - MP Sergeant
- Olan Soule - Mr. Krull
- James Craven - Businessman
- Edith Evanson - Mrs. Crockett
- Harry Harvey - Taxi Driver
- Director(s):
- Robert Wise
- Writer(s):
- Edmund H. North
- Producer(s):
- Julian Blaustein
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- G(Questionable for Children)
- Categories:
- Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- 1951 - Golden Globe - Motion Picture Promoting International Understanding
- 1951 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Motion Picture Promoting International Understanding
- 1994 - Library of Congress - U.S. National Film Registry
- Looking for special editions of The Day the Earth Stood Still?
- See All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
BY MAIL
