The Day the Earth
Stood Still (20th Century-Fox, 1951)
directed by Robert Wise, produced by Julian Blaustein, written
by Edmund H. North
based on the shorty story Farewell to the Master, by Harry Bates
Synopsis of The Day the Earth Stood Still (spoiler
alert)
An alien (Klaatu) (who is identical in physiology to humans) with his mighty robot (Gort) land their
spacecraft on Cold War-era Earth just after the end of World War II when
planetary survival is threatened by the nuclear arms race. They bring an
important message to the planet that Klaatu wishes to tell to representatives
of all nations. However, conveying that message to all of the world’s political
leaders proves to be impossible, so, after learning something about the
natives, Klaatu decides on an alternative approach. The aliens have understood
that earthlings will soon be able to use atomic power for inter-planetary
travel, and because they are still warlike, the federation of planets decided
that earth must be destroyed if it cannot be convinced to submit to the pact of
non-violence that all other planets live by.
Interestingly, Klaatu explains to humans that he has traveled to Earth by an advanced form of atomic power, and this story element reveals that in 1951 even among extreme peaceniks there was a firm belief that nuclear energy had uncomplicated potential for peaceful applications. There was no consideration of the dangers of radioactive fallout, and little thought given to the hazards of uranium mining and nuclear waste disposal, nor to the risks of reactor meltdowns. To the extent that there were any concerns about these, the hazards were deemed to be manageable. This started to change only in the late 1950s.
Interestingly, Klaatu explains to humans that he has traveled to Earth by an advanced form of atomic power, and this story element reveals that in 1951 even among extreme peaceniks there was a firm belief that nuclear energy had uncomplicated potential for peaceful applications. There was no consideration of the dangers of radioactive fallout, and little thought given to the hazards of uranium mining and nuclear waste disposal, nor to the risks of reactor meltdowns. To the extent that there were any concerns about these, the hazards were deemed to be manageable. This started to change only in the late 1950s.
 |
| The Day the Earth Stood Still Klaatu and Helen, Gort in the background |
About the director
For over fifty years Robert Wise has made great movies.
He won the Academy Award for West Side
Story and for The Sound of Music.
But his movies have done more than just entertain us. Working in all genres, he
has helped us think about the human condition. Racism, capital punishment,
power and purpose in the corporate boardroom, questions of war and peace, the
dangers of nuclear and biological weapons—all have been addressed at one time
or another in his films, and often ahead of his time. After watching a Robert
Wise film, we leave the theater not only entertained but also enlightened by a
director who uses his mastery of cinema not so much to leave us conscious of
his style as to tell us a story so that we might better understand the world
around us.
- From Conversations with
History, Interview with Robert Wise, 1998, by Harry Kreisler of the Institute
of International Studies at the University of California at Berkeley
The Story
The Day the Earth Stood Still seemed on the surface to be one of the many typical, low-grade science fiction films cranked out by Hollywood, but critics, historians and the public quickly noted there was more to it. It became a classic, recognized for the brilliant way it managed be very human and realistic, and for the way it managed to criticize both sides in the Cold War at the height of the anti-communist witch hunts that had silenced the American entertainment industry and intelligentsia. Though the film focuses on an alien threat, this device was a veil over the real threat that the audience could understand implicitly. Now that both the Soviets and Americans had large arsenals of nuclear weapons, everyone knew that total destruction could be achieved without the help of aliens.
After being shot in the arm and captured, Klaatu is under
guard at a hospital in Washington. He reveals to the President's secretary, Mr.
Harley (Frank Conroy), that he bears a message so momentous and urgent that it
must be revealed to all the world's leaders simultaneously. However, Harley
tells him that it would be impossible to get the world leaders to agree to
meet. This scene is carefully crafted so as to not come off as explicitly anti-American
or accusing of the USSR. Mr. Harley says only ambiguously that Klaatu must be
aware of “evil forces that have produced the trouble in our world.” Those forces might be the atom bomb itself or the enemy against which we, "the good guys" must fight against.
Klaatu escapes from the hospital and lodges at a boarding house, assuming
the alias John Carpenter. Among the residents are Helen Benson
(Patricia Neal), a World War II widow, and her son Bobby (Billy Gray). While staying at the boarding house, Klaatu visits the famous physicist Jacob Barnhardt (Sam
Jaffe), hoping to convince him of the need to convene the world’s top
scientists and politicians to hear his message.
Klaatu eventually finds that it is time to tell Helen who
he is so he can enlist her help. He finds her at her workplace where she leads him to
an unoccupied elevator which mysteriously stops at noon, trapping them
together. A montage sequence shows that, as a demonstration to capture the
attention of the world, Klaatu has neutralized all electric power everywhere
around the planet, except in situations that would compromise human safety, such
as hospitals and airplanes in flight.
After the thirty-minute blackout ends, the manhunt for Klaatu
intensifies as Tom, Helen’s fiancé, informs authorities of his suspicions.
Helen is upset that Tom placed importance on his jealousy and ambition to be the hero who catches the alien. She breaks off their relationship and
helps Klaatu complete his mission.
During the chase, Klaatu is mortally wounded by army
soldiers, but he has instructed Helen that should anything happen to him, she
must tell Gort "Klaatu barada nikto". Helen heads to the spaceship
and gives Gort the message. Gort leaves her in the spaceship, then goes to retrieve
Klaatu's corpse. Gort then revives Klaatu while Helen watches. Astute observers
of the film noted that John Carpenter has the same initials as Christ, and in
the final scene he rises from the dead, but industry watchdogs forced the
writer of the story to make Klaatu explain that his revival is only temporary.
Even with advanced medical technology, they cannot overcome death. Like
other mortals, he does not know how long he will live. This fix actually helped
to make the story more human and "down to earth."
Klaatu steps out of the spaceship and addresses the
assembled scientists, explaining that humanity's penchant for violence,
combined with its discovery of nuclear energy and first steps into space, have
caused concern among other inhabitants of the universe. On other planets,
intelligent creatures have created, empowered, and submitted themselves to robot
enforcers who deter such aggression. He warns that if the people of Earth voyage
into space with their violent tendencies unreformed, the robots will destroy
Earth. He finishes by saying, "The decision rests with you." He
enters the spaceship and departs.
DVD Extras:
Interviews and 1952 Newsreel
The texts below come from the supplementary videos on the
2003 DVD release. The interviews were conducted in 1995, and they reveal how
the director and producer were determined to find a way around the censorship
and the negative political atmosphere of the era. They also discuss the
ambiguous intentions of the film around the question of surrendering national sovereignty
to an international entity.
Patricia Neal, who played the role of Helen, said that
she couldn’t take the story seriously during filming, and kept laughing during
rehearsals. However, she felt differently when she saw the film. It’s just a
sci-fi flick, but it had a lasting impact on world culture and on history. The
idea of a meeting of world scientists was taken by the writer from Einstein’s
1949 Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace, but then perhaps the
film had an influence on the Russell-Einstein manifesto of 1956, on the Pugwash
conferences that followed from it, and on the entire counter-cultural and
anti-nuclear movement that emerged later in the decade. According to President
Reagan’s biographer, Reagan liked the notion that extraterrestrial invasion
would trump national differences, and he mentioned the scenario upon
meeting Mikhail Gorbachev for the first time at Geneva in 1985. [1]
The Movietone
Newsreel transcript reveals exactly what US Secretary Harley’s words in the
film refer to in the real world. The report on the San Francisco Peace Treaty
shows Western leaders speaking with an utter disregard for diplomatic civility
toward the Soviet Union. The former WWII ally is here mocked as if by crude, adolescent
bullies, and this report from the free Western press makes no attempt to tone
down the rhetoric with more objective language. It speaks for government
agencies with enthusiasm for vilification, as if it were the product of a wartime
propaganda machine, which it was essentially. Ironically, the newsreel includes
a report on the film The Day the Earth
Stood Still winning a science fiction award. At the end of the newsreel, the
male adolescent mentality or the time comes through again in the language used
to describe the Miss America and Mrs. America pageants of 1952. Irony upon ironies:
the newsreel was distributed by 20th Century-Fox, the same company that
produced The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Interviews on the
making of The Day the Earth Stood Still,
from the 2003 DVD, interviews conducted in 1995
Robert Wise
(director) 00:01:16
It was a marvelous way to tell a science fiction film. I
liked so much about what it had to say, particularly at this time. This was the
early 50s after WWII. We had had the atomic bombs on Japan which caused such a
furor, rightly so, around the world, so it was very, very hot subject matter.
It's grown hotter over the years of course with all the threat of nuclear war
that has gone on up until recent times and maybe still. So, I went back to see
Julian and I said, "Listen, I love the film. I think it's a marvelous
script and a marvelous way to tell a science fiction film and a marvelous way
to get a message over to this world that says, "Let's stop fooling around
with this atomic bomb that we've invented... and start being sane about this
whole matter."
Robert Wise
(director) 01:04:10
The fact that the story of The Day the Earth Stood Still had something important to say was
very meaningful to me. I've been anti-militarist my whole life... I made a
number of films that say we should stop wars, stop fighting and somehow get
along... I made a film called The Sand Pebbles about a gunboat on the Yangtze
River in China with Steve McQueen playing the lead in it. It had a message to
America saying, "Stop showing your military might all around the world,"
as we've been doing since the early part of the [20th] century... It's been
important for me to have something vital to be said in my films, but never,
hopefully, to get up on a soap box and talk about what the message is, or the
theme, but to have brought it out and dramatized it through the story itself...
except, interestingly enough, in The Day the Earth Stood Still... where Klaatu
gets up and delivers [his message] to the scientists and important people there
what it is about: stop fooling around with your primitive atomic bombs and
warfare or we may have to do away with you.
Julian Blaustein
(producer) 00:01:57
The idea for the picture came from a series of newspaper
headlines which referred to the phrase "peace offensive." At the time
the Soviet Union was trying to talk peace and all the people, obviously, who
were enemies of the Soviet Union didn't trust them and it became a "peace
offensive" and it seemed like such a contradiction in terms that
characterized that whole period that we were living in. The atmosphere and
political ambience was so negative, and I wondered if we could do something to
say that peace is a five-letter word, not a dirty word. The screen [motion
picture industry] has maybe a responsibility. It started that way and then I
said I'm never going to find a story that will carry that idea without becoming
a tract, without becoming a non-entertainment piece of work that Darryl Zanuck
[head of Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation] would never approve. He had
the approval of what we did. And it suddenly hit me the science fiction story
might be the way to go.
What turns out to be a man steps off the space ship,
brings an offering as a gift, but because it's strange and certainly unusual,
he's immediately shot at by our military and seriously wounded. That appealed
to me. The way that we deal with strange things is with weapons, guns, no
effort at finding out how the other person thinks, feels, works. Different from
us? Kill him.
And the main idea in that story that was appealing was
the fact that peace in the universe had been achieved by sacrificing some
sovereignty to a central agency, but irrevocably, so that the United Nations,
for us, became the focal point of the way to go to world peace. Give the United
Nations full authority to step in, to put down violence wherever they saw it—give
them the equipment, the manpower, which we knew was unrealistic. To give up
sovereignty is something that is very tough to ask heavily nationalistic
entities to do, but it was an idea that was very appealing.
Billy Gray (child
actor in the film) 1:06:15
The message is incredibly powerful and it is just as
important today, if not more so than then. I don't think the Soviet Union
really had ideas of world conquest. That was started by our industrial military
complex to fatten everybody's purse primarily... and I think this picture
addressed that dilemma and it probably wasn't very popular. It was right around
the "red scare" time. This was 1951. The McCarthy hearings were
happening. It took a lot of courage to put this movie together.
Julian Blaustein
(producer) 01:07:18
The political landscape was scarred by this political
attitude in Washington, picked up by that portion of the press and the public
that agreed that there were communists under everybody's bed, and if you
belonged to this kind of organization or made that kind of comment, you were a
danger. And it hurt a lot of people. It was not an atmosphere in which
political positions that were unpopular might well have been financed by motion
picture companies, but we never had any trouble, as I remember it, except for
Sam Jaffe. He was attacked after the picture was made. The picture was attacked
because of him, but not because of the subject matter, which is interesting.
Robert Wise
(director) 1:09:58
In spite of the fact that it's science fiction, it's very
credible... credible situations, credible characters, even though the key
character is from outer space.
Narration from:
49 Nations Sign
Japanese Peace Treaty, Movietone News Inc.,
1952, distributed by 20th Century-Fox
Story 1
In spite of Soviet Russia's attempt to wreck it, the San
Francisco Japanese Peace Treaty Conference attended by 52 nations moves to a
successful conclusion, [with the] final hours highlighted by John Dulles
exposing Soviet plans to make the Japan Sea a Russian lake.
Congressman Armstrong's presentation to Gromyko of a map
showing all the slave camps in the USSR, [is] quickly discarded by his aide.
The New Zealand delegate, Sir Carl Berenson [makes
a] dramatic statement of a fact the Russians overlook. "The United States, with the
full cooperation of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and other
members of the British Commonwealth, fought the Japanese for four years! And
the Soviet Union fought them for six days!"
A bit of blatant hypocrisy by the Polish delegate getting
the treatment it deserves: “A great English man once said, that to preach
freedom of discussion is not enough, you have to practice it. If you don't
practice it... [laughter erupts in the hall].
The treaty sponsored by Britain and the United States succeeds
as the signing begins, a triumph for Mr. Acheson the Russians couldn't bear to
witness. They deserted the party. [Signing] for the Argentine, the Commonwealth
of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, la belle France, communist defeater
Greece, the Philippine Islands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and
finally Japan. Mr. Dulles and Secretary Acheson deserve the plaudits of their
country and the free world.
Five hours later at San Francisco's Presidio, Secretary
Acheson and his loyal bipartisan spokesman Mr. Dulles, with premier Yoshida of
Japan, compound the diplomatic victory scored at the peace treaty conference.
In the hall of the headquarters of the Sixth Army, they assemble to conclude a
mutual defense pact between the United States and Japan. Mr. Acheson signs for
the United States while his prototype from across the Pacific, Premier Yoshida,
signs for his empire, former enemies becoming allies in a security pact against
communist aggression in the Far East.
Story 2
Accepting the city's salute in Cleveland, Ohio, General
MacArthur makes this observation on Japan: "In this post-war period of
general failure to attain real peace, one of the bright spots has been
conquered Japan. It is a Japan which may now assume the burden of preparing its
own ground defense against predatory attack and thus in short time release our
own beloved divisions for a return home.
Story 3
Flash floods that accompany torrential rains make life
rugged for this Greek contingent of United Nations forces fighting communist
aggression in Korea. Waist deep in water, these veteran red-fighters
who've never fled from communist attacks find it strategically wise to pull up
stakes now. Nature's a real tough foe. Over northern Korea, rain-filled clouds
failed to impede a bombing mission of US Air Force B-29s. A marshalling area at
Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, being plastered in spite of occasional flak
from red enemy aircraft guns. An emergency truck wheels to the runway to meet a
returning sky giant that was slightly damaged by the fire from the ground. The
hits were superficial, however, and although the tail of the big ship is pretty
well riddled, not even the tail gunner was hit. Just a laugh for these
dauntless airmen.
Story 4
Klaatu, the weird Earth visitor in the 20th Century-Fox
film The Day the Earth Stood Still,
learns a quaint Earth custom. He receives a certificate of merit from the
Science Fiction Convention at New Orleans. He is presented by Chairman Moore
for the faithfulness of the film to the best science fiction traditions.
Story 5
Pomp and pulchritude on parade in Atlantic City and Miss
South Dakota bids for Miss America. Same girl in a bathing suit. Miss Indiana
poses a pretty problem for the judges as she seeks the laurels of loveliness.
Miss North Carolina, a bright-eyed belle of the South, sir. Right fetchin', I'd
say. And here's Miss Utah, five foot 10, eyes of blue, a blonde enchantress
whose blooming talent places her in the charmed circle. Colleen Kay Hutchins of
Salt Lake City crowned by last year's winner Yolande Betbeze, Miss America of
1952, America's reigning beauty, Queen Colleen.
Story 6
In Asbury Park, New Jersey, more bathing beauties vie for
the title of Mrs. America. These
wedded wonders are cheered on by happy husbands. Mrs. Virginia. Hmm. And Mrs.
Philadelphia. "Atta a girl, mommy." Mrs. California, and another
stunning bride, Mrs. New York City, an eye-catcher who catches the eye of the
judges. Easy, buster. Mrs. Penny Duncan is Mrs. America, a 5'7" strawberry
blonde, 126 pounds of heavenly homemaker, 22-year-old mother of a two-year-old
son. Hmm. How about that?
Selected dialog
from The Day the Earth Stood Still
Klaatu explains
the purpose of his visit to the president’s secretary
MR. HARLEY: Our world at the moment is full of tensions
and suspicions. In the present international situation, such a meeting would be
quite impossible.
KLAATU: What about your United Nations?
MR. HARLEY: You know about the United Nations?
KLAATU: We've been monitoring your radio broadcasts for a
good many years. That's how we learned your languages.
MR. HARLEY: I'm sure you recognize from our broadcasts
the evil forces that have produced the trouble in our world.Suely...
KLAATU: I'm not concerned with the internal
affairs of your planet. My mission here is not to solve your petty squabbles.
It concerns the existence of every last creature on Earth.
MR. HARLEY: Perhaps if you could explain a little...
KLAATU: I intend to explain… to all the nations, at the
same time. How do we proceed, Mr. Harley?
MR. HARLEY: Well, we could call a special meeting of the
General Assembly. But the UN doesn't represent all the nations.
KLAATU: Then I suggest a meeting of all the chiefs of
state.
MR. HARLEY: Believe me, you don't understand. They
wouldn't sit down to the same table.
KLAATU: I don't want to resort to threats, Mr. Harley. I
merely tell you that the future of your planet is at stake. I urge that you
transmit that message to the nations of the Earth.
MR. HARLEY: I will make that recommendation to the
president. But I must tell you in all honesty, I'm extremely dubious about the
results.
KLAATU: Apparently I'm not as cynical about Earth's
people as you are.
MR. HARLEY: I have been dealing in Earth's politics a good
deal longer than you have.
Klaatu explains that
he doesn’t have power over life and death
HELEN: I thought you were...
KLAATU: I was.
HELEN: You mean... he has the power of life and death?
KLAATU: No. That power is reserved to the Almighty
Spirit. This technique, in some cases, can restore life for a limited period.
HELEN: But... how long?
KLAATU: You mean, how long will I live? That, no one can
tell.
Klaatu’s final
statement to humanity
KLAATU: I am leaving soon, and you will forgive me if I
speak bluntly. The universe grows smaller every day, and the threat of
aggression by any group anywhere can no longer be tolerated. There must be
security for all, or no one is secure. This does not mean giving up any
freedom, except the freedom to act irresponsibly. Your ancestors knew this when
they made laws to govern themselves, and hired policemen to enforce them. We of
the other planets have long accepted this principle. We have an organization
for the mutual protection of all planets, and for the complete elimination of
aggression. The test of any such higher authority is, of course, the police
force that supports it. For our policemen, we created a race of robots. Their
function is to patrol the planets in spaceships like this one, and preserve the
peace. In matters of aggression we have given them absolute power over us. This
power cannot be revoked. At the first sign of violence, they act automatically
against the aggressor. The penalty for provoking their action is too terrible
to risk. The result is, we live in peace, without arms or armies, secure in the
knowledge that we are free from aggression and war, free to pursue more profitable
enterprises. We do not pretend to have achieved perfection, but we do have a
system, and it works. I came here to give you these facts. It is no concern of
ours how you run your own planet. But if you threaten to extend your violence,
this Earth of yours will be reduced to a burned-out cinder. Your choice is
simple. Join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face
obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer. The decision rests with you.
Note
[1] J. Hoberman, “The
Cold War Sci-Fi Parable That Fell to Earth,” New York Times, October 31, 2008. This article gives a detailed discussion of the film’s cultural legacy, and was
written just before the 2008 remake was released. A subsequent reviewer
for The Guardian wrote it was “a
stupendously dull remake of Robert Wise's 1951 sci-fi classic.” The remake,
heavily laden with special effects and a complicated plot, lacked the
simplicity and humanity of the original and is a footnote in film history, just like
it is in this essay.
