The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Director: Robert Wise Cinematographer: Leo Tover


Robert Wise’s entertaining sci-fi classic sees a humanoid alien visitor named Klaatu (Michael Rennie), accompanied by a softly spoken but powerful eight-foot tall robot, Gort, who lands his UFO in Washington D.C., to deliver an important message to Earth’s leaders that will affect the entire human race. Klaatu has come on behalf of Aliens who are feeling threatened by the nuclear proliferation they have viewed on post-war Earth. Reflecting the fear and paranoia of the early cold-war era, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a landmark for the genre that’s superbly crafted, thought provoking and has aged remarkably well.

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Buy or Rent (watch online)
Special Edition [Blu-ray]
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Monstarz The Day the Earth Stood Still Gort and Klaatu Retro Action Figure 2 Pack
Studio Classics Set 18 (Battle for the Planet of the Apes/The Day The Earth Stood Still/The Neptune Factor/The Poseidon Adventure) DVD
Two-Disc Special Edition (DVD)
Iconic Movie Collection: Alien (1979), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), 28 Days Later (2003), The Fly (1958) DVD

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• • No. 660 on The Pendragon Society’s 1000 Greatest Films of All-Time (2019)

CAST

• Patricia Neal as Helen Benson
• Michael Rennie as Klaatu
• Billy Gray as Bobby Benson
• Hugh Marlowe as Tom Stevens
• Sam Jaffe as Professor Jacob Barnhardt
• Frances Bavier as Mrs. Barley
• Lock Martin as Gort
• Frank Conroy as Mr. Harley
• Edith Evanson as Mrs. Crockett, landlady (uncredited)
• Tyler McVey as Brady (uncredited)

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Directed by Robert Wise
Produced by Julian Blaustein
Screenplay by Edmund H. North
Music by Bernard Herrmann
Cinematography Leo Tover
Edited by William H. Reynolds
Running time 92 minutes
Country United States
Language English