Day The Earth Stood Still, The

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4.5/5The Film

Robert Wise's 1951 science fiction classic has hit DVD a few times over the last couple of years but now, likely in anticipation of the remake starring, ug, Keanu Reeves and, wee, Jennifer Connelly, Fox has decided to really roll out the red carpet for the film - this time on standard definition and Blu-ray.

For the one or two people who haven't seen the movie, before, it begins when a rad flying saucer lands in Washington, DC, right there smack dab in the middle of the Mall. A solitary humanoid figure (Michael Rennie) emerges from the ship and is promptly shot by an overzealous soldier. Almost immediately after, a huge robot named Gort comes out of the ship to save him, melting a few tanks and cannons with his laser along the way. The injured spaceman urges his robot companion to stop and allows the American military to take him into custody.

Shortly after, the man, who we learn is named Klaatu, escapes and goes undercover amongst the humans to learn more about their culture. He takes up residence in a boarding house and hangs out with a family of humans for a while. Eventually the family starts to question is odd behavior causing him to reveal his true self. A media hey-day ensues and soon Klaatu and Gort explain the true reason behind their visit to Earth.

The Day The Earth Stood Still holds up incredibly well even by modern standards. The themes and ideas it plays with and the metaphors that it uses to explore mankind's inherent fear of that which it does not understand are as effective now as they must have been in 1951. The movie stands out from the hundreds of other science fiction films that were made around the same time in that it features an alien who is very much like us and who visits us not to take over our planet but to save us from ourselves. The picture is timeless in the sense that its message of understanding can still resonate and can still be applied to today's political climate.

Likewise, the special effects used in the attack scenes also remain fairly effective, as is the remarkable score courtesy of the great Bernard Herrmann. Nicely shot and well acted, particularly by Michael Rennie, the film has some excellent moments of tension and excitement and features some great design work, particularly in regards to the spaceship and to the robotic Gort. The film's opening moments remain some of the finest science fiction filmmaking of the era while the later parts of the picture firm the picture's message by allowing Klaatu to explore humanity in an attempt to understand both the good and the bad that mankind has to offer. It's an interesting, intelligent and through provoking picture fully deserving of its status as a classic.

4/5Video

4/5Audio

5/5Extras

The supplements start off with a pair of commentary tracks, the first of which is from director Robert Wise who is joined by Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan director Nicholas Meyer. This track was recorded for the previous special edition SD DVD release of the film and it holds up well as an interesting document about the making of the film from the director's point of view. The second commentary, which was newly recorded for this release, features film and music historians John Morgan, Steven Smith, William Stromberg and Nick Redman. This track takes a more retrospective and critical approach to the film as it points out what makes it so unique and explains various aspects of its production. Between the two tracks, pretty much everything you could want to know is explained about the film. However, if you're left wanting more...

...delve into the massive array of featurettes that have been included, beginning with The Mysterious, Melodius Theremin which is a really enjoyable look at the music behind the movie. Complimenting this nicely is the Main Title: Live Performance clip in which Peter Pringle plays the iconic theme from the film. The Making Of The Day The Earth Stood Still is a great look at the history of the picture that features input from Robert Wise and the film's producer, Julian Blaustein as well as audio clips from various cast and crew interviews that were conducted with some of the players who have shuffled off this mortal coil and obviously couldn't contribute. It's quite in depth and there are some very interesting stories here - this is a great companion piece to Wise's commentary track. Decoding Klaatu Barada Nikto is an interesting look at exactly what the title implies while Science Fiction As A Metaphor is a fairly highbrow look at how the science fiction of fifties pop culture was, in many ways, more than just simple entertainment. A Brief History Of Flying Saucers takes a look at, well, the history of flying saucers, no surprises there, while The Astounding Harry Bates and Edmund North: The Man Who Made The Earth Stand Still pay tribute to the writers responsible for this science fiction classic in both text and film form. Related is Farewell To The Master: A Reading By Jamieson K. Price Of The Original Harry Bates Short Story. Also worth noting is the Blu-ray exclusive Interactive Theremin feature that allows basically score the film on your own (a very cool interactive feature!) and a quirky game called Gort Command!

Also included are a documentary short called Race To Oblivion, and a Fox Movietone News Clip from 1951. Rounding out the extra features is the film's original theatrical trailer, an eight minute preview for the 2008 remake of the film, some still galleries, pressbook materials, animated menus, and on an alternate audio track the film's isolated score.

4.5/5Overall

Film Rating		DVD Rating
Director:	Robert Wise	Film:
Writer:	Edmund H. North, Harry Bates	Video:
Released:	1951	Audio:
Cast:	Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe	Extras:
		Overall: