The Day the Earth Stood Still
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🎬 Book or film
Contents 4
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| Type | Book, film or media |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Klaatu |
The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 American science-fiction film directed by Robert Wise, in which a humanoid alien, Klaatu, lands a flying saucer in Washington, D.C., with a powerful robot, Gort, to warn humanity about its nuclear weapons. Made in the early years of the flying saucer era and the nuclear arms race, it is one of the most influential alien-visitation films.[1]
Story
After a flying saucer lands on the National Mall, the army surrounds it. Klaatu (Michael Rennie) emerges announcing that he comes in peace, but a nervous soldier shoots him. He slips away to live among ordinary people, befriending Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) and her son Bobby, and seeks out the scientist Professor Barnhardt. To demonstrate his power, he stops all electrical equipment on Earth for 30 minutes. Before the army shoots him again, he teaches Helen the phrase "Klaatu barada nikto" to give to Gort. Revived by the robot, Klaatu tells the assembled scientists that an interplanetary organisation polices aggression with robots like Gort, and that Earth must choose between living in peace and "obliteration".[1]
Production
The screenplay by Edmund H. North was based on Harry Bates's 1940 short story "Farewell to the Master". Producer Julian Blaustein wanted a film reflecting the fear and suspicion of the early Cold War and atomic age. The main actors never went to Washington; background scenes were shot there by a second unit. Bernard Herrmann's score used two theremins and electric instruments; composer Danny Elfman later said it inspired his interest in film music.[1]
Legacy
The film was praised abroad, winning a special Golden Globe for "promoting international understanding".[1] In 1995 it was added to the US National Film Registry.[1] The film's humanlike visitor warning against atomic weapons appeared a year before George Adamski claimed that a man from Venus had warned him of the dangers of nuclear war.[1][2]
References
- The Day the Earth Stood Still — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- George Adamski — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 31 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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