The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
Subjected to a mediocre remake in 2008, the 1951 version of this alien invasion movie was directed by Robert Wise, from a screenplay by Edmund H. North. Based on the 1940 short story Farewell To The Master by Harry Bates, the tale sees a humanoid alien – Klaatu – arrive on Earth, accompanied by a menacing, silent robot, named Gort.
Klaatu brings a simple but haunting message – that the populations of other planets have become increasingly concerned for their own safety, as humanity have developed atomic weaponry, and taken their first steps toward space. If they continue their violence, “then Earth will be reduced to a burned out cinder.”
In what is one of the most effective examples of an alien Raid type of invasion movie, Klaatu arrives as the ‘spearhead’ of a potentially larger force, warning of things altogether more terrifying to come. But it also incorporates an intervention, as humanity is given the opportunity to prove itself capable of something other than death and destruction.
Capturing the fear of its time, The Day The Earth Stood Still highlights the combination of atomic development, the evolving space programme and excessive global violence as the cause of Klaatu’s visit – making it the perfect expression of the anxieties of a society less than a decade on from a brutal World War.
