The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Director: Robert Wise
Starring: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe & Billy Gray

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As most people know, 1950's American sci-fi B-movies tended to be thinly veiled Communist or A-bomb horror stories. The Day... remains safely within these parameters. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite have the campy appeal and creepy action of other 50's B-movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Whereas ...Body Snatchers conflicts reside in...well, in the invasion of body snatchers, the drama from The Day the Earth Stood Still comes from Klaatu--the alien invader--berating that contemporary (American) culture for its barbarism.

He also had the annoying 1950's alien quality of referring to anything to do with the Earth to another Earthling with the second person possessive. For example, instead of saying, "I'm going to go 'drop the kids off at the pool'", Klaatu might say, "I'm going to go 'drop off one of your Earth kids at one of your Earth pools" or "I've got to take one of your Earth shits". With that habit in mind, I refer you to this.

Though a classic, The Day the Earth Stood Still drags without the interesting or exciting plot conflicts of other B-movies. Watch it for research, or watch it for nostalgia. Do not, however, watch it with friends.

February 9
apartment TV, afternoon

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