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For the 2008 remake, see: The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008 movie).

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Release Date	September 28, 1951
Genre	Scifi
Director	Robert Wise
Screenwriter	Harry Bates Edmund H. North
Stars	Michael Rennie Patricia Neal Hugh Marlowe Sam Jaffe Billy Gray Frances Bavier
Studio	Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Tagline: A robot and a man . . . hold the world spellbound with new and startling powers from another planet!

Premise

Following the end of World War II, an alien known as Klaatu and his robot, Gort, land on Earth to deliver a message to mankind. Communicating his important message proves difficult however, and Klaatu decides he must learn more about life on Earth by experiencing it.

Summary

A spaceship lands on a baseball field in Washington, D.C. and a humanoid alien and a robot emerge. His gift is misinterpreted as a weapon and he is shot in the arm by a trigger happy soldier. His robot companion, Gort quickly disarms them. The alien, Klaatu, is taken to Walter Reed Hospital where he undergoes tests which show he resembles humans in every way.

Klaatu meets with a Washington official and informs him that he has an important message to deliver but cannot do so until he can arrange a meeting with all the heads of state of the countries of Earth. The alien, Klaatu, is informed that this is not possible as most of the countries on Earth would refuse such a request.

Uninterested in the petty squabbles of human kind, Klaatu manages to leave the hospital before he can be stopped and visits a local boarding house taking on the identity of a Mr. Carpenter. There he meets Helen Benson, her son Bobby and several other residents. He gains some insight into what the average person is thinking and with Bobby's help learns a bit more about humans on Earth. Bobby informs him that the world's most important scientist is Dr. Jacob Barnhardt. The two visit Barnhardt's home and find him absent but Klatuu adds some vital information to one of Barnhardt's equations and leaves his calling address.

Barnhardt later arranges for them to meet at his home where Klaatu explains himself and the importance of his mission. Having recently developed nuclear power, mankind has drawn the attention of an alien confederation of which Klaatu is a member. With the likelihood that they will one day use this power to travel to other worlds, Klaatu has arrived to inform the people of Earth that should they take their aggressive and war-like habits beyond their world, they will face their own destruction by forces determined to keep the peace. Barnhardt agrees to arrange a meeting of important scientific and philosophical minds for Klatuu to speak to but requests that to ensure their attention he make a non-violent but nevertheless powerful demonstration of what he can do.

After being sent to bed by his mother, Bobby follows Mr. Carpenter when he sees him leaving in the middle of the night and witnesses him entering his spaceship. His mother and her fiancee, Tom refuse to believe him initially but grow suspicious when a diamond is discovered in Carpenter's room much like the ones he earlier exchanged for a small amount of currency with Bobby. Tom takes the diamond to several dealers who can identify nothing similar on Earth.

Klastu's demonstration is put into action a day after speaking to Barnhadt. All technology dependent on electricity is rendered inoperable for a period of thirty minutes. The event has the effect of forcing people all over the world to stop their work.

Aware that he may have been discovered, Klaatu discloses the nature of his true mission to Helen and gains her help but she is unable to stop Tom before he alerts the army of Klaatu's location. With the army after them, Klatuu gives a message to Helen to deliver to Gort should anything happen to him. He also informs her that the robot has the ability to destroy the planet. Klatuu is shot and killed by the army and taken to Walter Reed. Gort kills both soldiers who approach him and when Helen approaches prepares to kill her as well but she delivers Klatuu's message and is, instead, taken inside the ship.

Gort leaves the park for Walter Reed where he easily retrieves Klatuu's body and returns it to their ship. With the aid of their advanced technology, Klaatu is restored to life. He delivers his message to the waiting scientists informing them of the true nature of the universe. His world and several others, in order to assure peace, turned over the policing of their planets to advanced robots capable of punishment too severe to consider for attempts at aggression against their neighbors. With the development of nuclear power, Earth has the potential to threaten this peace at risk to their own survival. Klaatu's arrival serves as a warning to mankind to put aside their aggressive ways or face destruction.

After delivering his message, Klatuu and Gort leave in their ship leaving their audience to ponder their future.

External Links

The Day the Earth Stood Still at IMDB

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