\n\tIn The Day the Earth Stood still, producer Julian Blaustein and director Robert Wise have a highly exploitable, suspensefully entertaining drama that will ride the crest of the current cycle of science films with the ease of a space ship. <\/p>\n
\n\tAdapted from a story by Henry Bates, the drama is an intriguing science fantasy, made believable by touches of genuine humor and the faint suggestion of a romance between a pretty American widow and a mysterious visitor from another planet. The overtones of social significance are adroitly handled and make real sense in an era of tragic international quarrels. <\/p>\n
\n\tPhysically, the production is all science saga should be \u2014 Blaustein supervises the special effects with telling results; the Washington locale is excellently fulfilled; and the thoughtful choice of actors accounts for convincing performances throughout. Wise\u2019s direction imbues the narrative with the compelling atmosphere of the documentary; he creates an illusion of presenting the real thing rather than a fictional motion picture. Inevitably, the Wise technique heightens suspense values and writes terrific punch into the action scenes involving a powerful robot who accompanies the human visitor to the U.S.<\/p>\n
\n\tMichael Rennie is the visitor, a man who whirls into the center of Washington in a space ship accompanied by his robot. His mission is one of peace \u2014 he wants to talk to the President. An hysterical soldier shoots him, Rennie is carried to Walter Reed Hospital. Here, by administering medicine brought from his outer-planet home, Rennie recovers. He tells the President\u2019s secretary that he wishes to speak to representatives of all nations on earth. The secretary informs him this is impossible. <\/p>\n
\n\tRennie casually leaves the hospital, takes a room in a boarding house where he meets Patricia Neal and her young son, Billy Gray. His adventures with the lad are amusing; one includes a visit to Sam Jaffe\u2019s home where, by working an intricate scientific problem within seconds, he identifies himself as a super-intellect. Jaffe agrees to bring men of science from the four corners of the globe to hear him speak.<\/p>\n
\n\tMeanwhile the police are searching frantically for him. Though wounded again, he escapes to his ship and before flying off tells those who hear him that the world must solve its petty political problems; otherwise, action by other planets in the universe will destroy the world. <\/p>\n
\n\tRennie\u2019s quiet dignity in the part of the space visitor brings conviction to the interesting role. Miss Neal is vibrant and lovely as the young widow, and Hugh Marlowe is vigorous as her ambitious suitor. Jaffe\u2019s scientist is portrayed with the actor\u2019s usual resourcefulness. Gray is fine as the youth. Supporting players include some of Hollywood\u2019s best character actors. Commentators Drew Pearson, Gabriel Heatter, H.V. Kaltenborn and Elmer Davis are on deck to implement the air of authenticity. <\/p>\n
\n\tLeo Tover\u2019s work in the trick photographic department is exceptional. Lyle Wheeler and Addison Hehr, allowing imagination to run wild, perform a superb job of art direction. Bernard Herrman\u2019s eerie score and the editing of William Reynolds are other outstanding contributions to the success of the production. \u2014 Staff byline, originally published on Sept. 4, 1951.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tThe poster art for 1951\u2019s The Day the Earth Stood Still.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tThe Hollywood Reporter\u2018s original review of The Day the Earth Stood Still in 1951.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In September 1951, 20th Century-Fox\u2018s sci-fi drama The Day the Earth Stood Still rolled out in theaters following…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":614543,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[302831,156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-614542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-classic-reviews","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=614542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/614543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=614542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=614542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=614542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}