This DVD item from 20th Century Fox was reviewed on 9-Dec-2008. The Day the Earth Stood Still Reference DVD. Classifications : General Science Fiction & Fantasy Genres DVD Video Alien Invasion Science Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Genres DVD Video Aliens Science Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Genres DVD Video Classics . Click the following link to view the cover of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Related topics: 1951. General. Genres. DVD. Video. Alien Invasion. Science Fiction. Genres. DVD. Video. Aliens. requestid: ecf5dc6d-f468-4bc1-92de-843eea36770d
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1) DVD DVD The Day the Earth Stood Still by 20th Century Fox. I suppose with the remake showing this is as good a time as any to watch the original classic again. In fact this timeless film demands to be watched again and again. The premise is simple and yet profound. An alien visitor that looks human arrives on Earth to give Earth´s people a message about the future of mankind; however political red-tape and our own personal problems prevent him from delivering the message because he needs to assemble World leaders for it to happen and they just can´t because of divisions. So instead he shows a sign by making all machinery stop around the world for a limited amount of time and in doing so this causes the military to kill him. It´s an essential piece for any movie collection and the moral to the message doesn´t change and still matters today. There are also a lot of religious undercurrent themes (such as bodily resurrection, miracles and signs) but in the context of a highly developed race with advanced technology that should amuse the scientifically-minded.¤ 2) DVD DVD The Day the Earth Stood Still by 20th Century Fox. This movie is one of the best sci-fi´s ever made, the new verse just doesn´t cut it. I hate when they will take a classic and re- do it. What is the point? Been there done that are my thoughts. Back to the movie....Micheal Rennie is terrific!!!! I feel he´s a under rated actor and should of been in more movies but, just the same he was perfect for this role.I agree with many of the others comments this film held you in suspense and it was due to the professional acting and directing,plus the story was great!I feel this movie will live on and continue being a classic.It is one of my most favorite movies,I´ve watched it many times over and was captivated every time. Can someone tell me...why are there 2 disc´s?¤ 3) DVD DVD The Day the Earth Stood Still by 20th Century Fox. Though released almost sixty years ago in 1951, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL is a sci-fi and cinema classic that still holds up incredibly well. The film has had a huge impact upon popular culture and many elements in the film, e.g. the groundbreaking score, are now staples of the sci-fi genre.
The movie opens with worldwide warnings of an object hurling towards Earth. The object turns out to be a spaceship that lands in a field in Washington, D.C. The military, police officers, emergency personnel, and casual spectators surround the ship to see what will happen. A door opens in the spacecraft and a human-like creature walks out. The creature claims to come in peace and begins to take out a device from his suit. A fearful soldier shoots the creature and he falls to the ground wounded. From the spaceship a giant robot, named Gort, emerges and proceeds to destroy all the weapons in the area. He stops at the alien´s command. The robot freezes and no one is able to move him from his place. Meanwhile, the alien is taken to a hospital. It is learned that the alien´s name is Klaatu and he has come to Earth to deliver a vital message to the leaders of the world. Unfortunately, the world is an imperfect place and many of the world´s leaders refuse to come to Washington, D.C. to hear what Klaatu has to say. So, he takes things into his own hands and escapes from the hospital. Very few people know what Klaatu looks like and he is able to blend in with the populace. He takes up residence at a local boarding house and takes the name of Mr. Carpenter. Klaatu attempts to complete his mission, but also befriends Helen Benson (Patricia Neal), a widowed mother, and her son, Bobby (Billy Gray).
Though some modern viewers might find THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL quaint, the film was exceptionally well done. The movie is notable for it´s memorable images, i.e.Gort chasing after Helen Benson, and groundbreaking score by Bernard Herrman (the movie was one of the first to use theremins, an instrument that soon became common place in sci-fi musical scores). The movie withstood the test of time to become a classic piece of filmmaking and science fiction, it still holds up incredibly well today. Not only that, but despite not having many of the particulars that audiences seem to clamor for today: tons of special effects, excessive violence, gratuitous sexuality, etc.; the movie can still captivate an audience. In short, it´s a film that people of all ages and from all walks of life can watch and enjoy today. "Klaatu barada nikto." And for those of you with a keen eye, look for Frances Bavier (best known as Aunt Bea on THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW) as Mrs. Barley, one of the residents of the boarder house that Klaatu moves into.
The DVD includes all kinds of extra features including a commentary by Robert Wise, a 70-minute documentary entitled "Making the Earth Stand Still", a Movietone Newsreel that includes a spot with Gort, restoration comparatives between the original film and restored versions of the movie, still galleries, the shooting script, original theatrical trailer, and trailers for ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. and JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. I particularly enjoyed the "Making the Earth Stand Still" documentary. I learned a great deal about the movie that I had never known or thought about before. For instance, though the parallels are rather apparent, I had never picked up on the Christian allegorical elements of the film. I also found it fascinating that Lock Martin, the giant of a man who portrayed Gort, was rather feeble.¤ 4) DVD DVD The Day the Earth Stood Still by 20th Century Fox. This classic science fiction, the defining film of the genre for many people, is about a humanoid that travels 250,000,000 miles from another planet with a message for the people of our planet. He lands in Washington, D.C. with his guardian robot and attempts to connect with world leaders to make his message known. There is mistrust by those in power of someone they are unfamiliar with and powers they have not seen before. They are not willing to give him the opportunity to speak so he must attempt to get his message out through other channels. Are there people who will listen to his message of how to prevent Planet Earth from self destructing or being destroyed from outside forces? Will anyone take him seriously? You have to remember that this was made during the height of the Cold War and nuclear war was on the radar screen of almost every citizen. Watch the newsreel that coincides with the release of the movie to see what was going on in the world at that time and it will help to put the movie into context. While there is action and some violence this is also a movie of relationships and how people react to something/someone they´re not familiar with. A classic still worth watching today with good entertainment value as well as plenty of food for thought. www.lusreviews.blogspot.com.¤ 5) DVD DVD The Day the Earth Stood Still by 20th Century Fox. The movie is one of those that is just a relevant today as when made. The special effects are still those of the 1950´s but still a great watch. This is the original in B&W.¤ 6) DVD DVD The Day the Earth Stood Still by 20th Century Fox. The Day The Earth Stood Still depicts the arrival of an alien dignitary, Klaatu (Michael Rennie), who has come to earth with his deadly robot, Gort (Lock Martin), to deliver the message that earthlings must stop warring among themselves--or else. After being shot at by military guards, Klaatu is brought to a Washington, D.C. hospital, where he begs a sympathetic but frank Major White (Robert Osterloh) to gather all the world´s leaders so he can tell them more specifically what he has come to warn them about. Losing patience, Klaatu slips into the human world, adapting a false identity and living at a boarding house where he meets a smart woman with a conscience and her inquisitive son. Both mother and son soon find themselves embroiled in the complex mystery of Klaatu, his message and the government´s witch hunt for the alien.¤ 7) DVD DVD The Day the Earth Stood Still by 20th Century Fox. A hallmark of the science fiction genre as well as a wry commentary on the political climate of the 1950s, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a sci-fi movie less concerned with special effects than with a social parable. A spacecraft lands in Washington, D.C., carrying a humanoid messenger from another world (Michael Rennie) imparting a warning to the people of Earth to cease their violent behavior. But panic ensues as the messenger lands and is shot by a nervous soldier. His large robot companion destroys the Capitol as the messenger escapes the confines of the hospital. He moves in with a family as a boarder and blends into society to observe the full range of the human experience. Director Robert Wise (West Side Story) not only provides one of the most recognizable icons of the science fiction world in his depiction of the massive robot loyal to his master, but he avoids the obvious camp elements of the story to create a quiet and observant story highlighting both the good and the bad in human nature. --Robert Lane¤ Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 6-Jan-2009, 024543050056, FRB-6AB-D8B-C0B-WSB-DKB-8 
The Day the Earth Stood Still, DVD, Image © 20th Century Fox
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