IMDb > The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The Day the Earth Stood Still
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The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 9)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) -- An alien lands and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) -- Doctors discuss the mystery of the extremely health alien as they light up cigarettes.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) -- An alien lands and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 23% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Edmund H. North (screenplay)
Harry Bates (story)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Day the Earth Stood Still on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 September 1951 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
A robot and a man . . . hold the world spellbound with new and startling powers from another planet! more
Plot:
An alien lands and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(278 articles)
Scores from Outer Space
 (From SoundOnSight. 30 September 2009, 7:38 PM, PDT)

Cinematical Seven: Our Alien Friends
 (From Cinematical. 18 August 2009, 8:02 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Interesting In Itself & As A Reflection of Its Era more (323 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Additional Details

Runtime:
92 min | Germany:85 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Italy:T | USA:Approved (PCA #15271) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | Canada:G (video rating) | South Korea:12 (2004) | Brazil:Livre | Germany:12 (f) | Netherlands:12 | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Ireland:G | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Robert Wise was attracted to the project because of its overt anti-military stance and also because he believed in UFOs. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In the shots from behind of Gort carrying first Helen, and later Klaatu, into the spaceship, the people being carried are clearly either small adults or adolescent children dressed to resemble Helen and Klaatu, in order to give the illusion of greater size to Gort. The small size of their limbs, and the differences in their relative heights and appearance from the close-up shots of Gort carrying the actual Helen and Klaatu, make this obvious. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
American Radar Operator: Holy Mackerel! Call headquarters. Get the lieutenant.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Scorsese on Scorsese (2004) (TV) more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
From what planet did Klaatu originate?
more
33 out of 39 people found the following comment useful.
Interesting In Itself & As A Reflection of Its Era, 15 September 2004
Author: Snow Leopard from Ohio

Interesting both in itself and as a reflection of its era, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" may seem unspectacular now to those who are used to the extravagant science fiction pictures of the present time, but it deserves its place as a cinema classic. The story is worthwhile in itself, and as soon as you set aside any preconceptions about what science fiction should involve, it also builds up some pretty good drama and suspense. Its perspective is also interesting to see as a reflection of the concerns of its era, which have such obvious similarities with those of the present.

The story itself sometimes moves rather slowly, and the focus is really more on the reactions to Klaatu's arrival than on the action itself. As Klaatu, Michael Rennie stays pretty low-key, as does the rest of the cast much of the time. Although there are times when the movie might lack some energy as a result, in general it probably works better that way than it would have if there were too much forced emphasis on the urgency of Klaatu's mission, which is more than able to speak for itself. The ideas behind the story are fairly simple, but they are, of course, just as significant now (or in practically any other era) as they were in the 1950's.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (323 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Was this considered a 'B' movie when released? shellsmachine
Patricia Neal lord_malasombra
Klaatu's interesting behavior mickeyone
Klaatu Barada Nikto trainspotted15
Location of the original Gort joehoward123
A Matrix Connection? mrpie81
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