X
- 1951
- Approved
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 32 m
- 1951
- Approved
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 32 m
Summary An alien lands in Washington, D.C. and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.
Directed By: Robert Wise
Written By: Edmund H. North, Harry Bates
- 1951
- Approved
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 32 m
- 1951
- Approved
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 32 m
The Day the Earth Stood Still
8.1
Where to Watch
Summary An alien lands in Washington, D.C. and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.
Directed By: Robert Wise
Written By: Edmund H. North, Harry Bates
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
83
93% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
83
93% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Working from a script by Edmund North (Patton), taken from a story by Harry Bates, Robert Wise directs the movie with a minimum of spectacle.
This was the first major film to depict a benign extraterrestrial visiting Earth since the postwar flying saucer phenomenon began in June 1947. Few alien visitation films have surpassed it for suspense, narrative economy, acting and a just plain good story. [09 Apr 2004]
The well-loved science fiction tale of the brainy extraterrestrial Klaatu (Michael Rennie), who comes to Earth to warn the planet against its self-destructive nuclear pursuits; he winds up observing humanity close up. [06 Oct 2006, p.C6]
A landmark in terms of science-fiction style and influence, The Day the Earth Stood Still boasts a wavering, theremin score (by Hitchcock regular Bernard Herrmann), a shiny, disc-shaped spacecraft and even a robot named Gort. Yet it deals in these sci-fi cliches with an amazing artistry.
Wise achieved fame and riches with West Side Story and The Sound of Music, but he's most highly regarded for his splendid genre movies like this sci-fi classic, one of his numerous minor masterpieces.
It is comforting, of course, to have it made plain that our planetary neighbors are much wiser and more peaceful than are we, but this makes for a tepid entertainment in what is anamolously labeled the science-fiction field.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 17 User Ratings
8.1
82% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
18% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 17 User Ratings
8.1
82% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
18% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
National Film Preservation Board, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Online Film & Television Association
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
