All of Washington, D.C., is thrown into a panic when an extraterrestrial spacecraft lands near the White House. Out steps Klaatu (Michael Rennie, in a role intended for Claude Rains), a handsome and soft-spoken interplanetary traveler, whose "bodyguard" is Gort (Lock Martin), a huge robot who spews forth laser-like death rays when danger threatens. After being wounded by an overzealous soldier, Klaatu announces that he has a message of the gravest importance for all humankind, which he will deliver only when all the leaders of all nations will agree to meet with him. World politics being what they are in 1951, Klaatu's demands are turned down and he is ordered to remain in the hospital, where his wounds are being tended. Klaatu escapes, taking refuge in a boarding house, where he poses as one "Mr. Carpenter" (one of the film's many parallels between Klaatu and Christ). There the benign alien gains the confidence of a lovely widow (Patricia Neal) and her son, Bobby (Billy Gray), neither of whom tumble to his other-worldly origins, and seeks out the gentleman whom Bobby regards as "the smartest man in the world" -- an Einstein-like scientist, Dr. Barnhardt (Sam Jaffe). The next day, at precisely 12 o'clock, Klaatu arranges for the world to "stand still" -- he shuts down all electrical power in the world, with the exception of essentials like hospitals and planes in flight. Directed by Robert Wise, who edited Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) for director Orson Welles before going on to direct such major 1960s musicals as West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music (1965), The Day the Earth Stood Still was based on the story Farewell to the Master by Harry Bates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Special Features
Audio commentary by Robert Wise & Nicolas Meyer
70-minute "Making the Earth Stand Still" documentary
Movietone newsreel (1951)
Restoration comparison
5 still galleries
Shooting script
Theatrical trailer
Full-frame format (aspect ratio 1.33:1)
Audio: English stereo, English mono, French mono, Spanish mono
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Region
1
Languages
English
French
Spanish
Display Format
Black & White
Audio
PCM stereo
PCM mono
THX-Certified Mastering
Chapters
Side #1 -- Side A
1. Main Titles
2. A Fast Bogey
3. A Spaceship
4. A Spaceman
5. Examination
6. A New Tenant
7. Seeing the Sights
8. Visiting Professor Barnhardt
9. Curious About Carpenter
10. In the Spaceship
11. Carpenter's Confession
12. The Military Takes Over
13. Three Little Words
14. Goat's Task
15. Addressing Earth
Side #2 -- Side B
1. Main Titles
2. An Interesting Script
3. Casting
4. The Robot
5. The Gentle Giant
6. Art Direction
7. The Score
8. Grabbing the Audience
9. The Perfect Title
10. The Sneak Previews
11. Not Like the Other Movies
12. Political Overtones
13. Something Important to Say
14. A Classic Film
15. The Collectors
Menu
Side #1 -- Side A
Play
Language Selection
Languages: English Stereo
Languages: English Mono
Languages: French Mono
Languages: Spanish Mono
Subtitles: English
Subtitles: Spanish
Subtitles: None
Scene Selection
Special Features
THX Optimizer
Audio Tests
Video Tests
Commentary
View the Film With Commentary by Robert Wise and Nicholas Meyer: On
View the Film With Commentary by Robert Wise and Nicholas Meyer: Off
DVD Release Dates
