Remember back when nothing "happened" in movies?

Watching this recently, it amazed me how little action there is in this movie, and yet it remains as captivating and enthralling as ever. There are none of the set pieces we have come to expect in modern genre films: no explosions, no gory deaths, one small chase scene. Tension is developed through character development and the wonderful performances of Patricia Neal and Michael Rennie, with some wonderful supporting work from Sam Jaffe and Frances Bavier (Mayberry's Aunt Bea!)

There are very few special effects: the odd tank disappears in a glow of light, but other than that, this is a film driven by character development. Taut direction by Robert Wise, straightforward writing from Edmund North and impressive cinematography by Leo Tower create an intelligent, literate, adult science fiction film that appeals to all ages.

Special mention must be made of Bernard Herrmann's haunting score. One of the first film scores to use Leon Theremin's eerie and eponymous electronic instrument, which unfortunately became a genre cliché, the music adds immeasurably to the tense and unsettling atmosphere.

Modern audiences may find the film's message heavy handed and obvious, relying on 1950's atomic paranoia and the absolute power it brought. In fact, Klaatu's proffered peaceful solution borders on totalianarianism. But these are minor considerations considering this is a simple story stunningly told.

The DVD contains many interesting extras of interest to film buffs and collectors, including a shooting script, extended discussions on the evolution of the film from idea to release, and an odd look at the people fascinated with collecting 1950's sci-fi film props and paraphernalia.

"Stood" Still Stands Tall

1951's The Day The Earth Stood Still is a classic in every sense of the word and then some. When a spaceship lands in Washinton D.C. its alien passenger (Michael Rennie) refuses to reveal his purpose for landing on Earth. As the world leaders and their armies debate what to do next, ordinary citizens let fear and paranoia take hold. The key to the alien being's mission to earth rests with a mother Helen (Patrcia Neal) and her son Bobby (Billy Gray). Soon the boy and his mother have the fate of the planet Earth in their hands.

Directed by Robert Wise, the movie, fully restored for the DVD release, has drama, good special effects (for its time) and plenty of social commentary (that's still relevant in today's world). The film is pure magic. Even though, the last time I saw it was some 12 years ago in film school, I think its still one of the best films that I ever "had" to watch.

I have to commend FOX, for the way the film is given the deluxe treatment on DVD. The extras are just superb. The commentary with Wise and (fellow "TREK film") director Nicholas Meyer is a real treat. It's very well done and informative. There's also a "meaty" 70 minute retrospective documentary, archival newsreel footage, a restoration comparison, no less than 5 photo galleries, the shooting script, and the vintage theatrical trailer. To have this many extras on a DVD of an older film is a rare thing. Those fans of the film will be delighted with this disc. And to anyone not familiar with the movie--now's the time. Highly Recommended

terrific dvd -- and great for Bernard Herrmann fans too!

This is the dvd treatment deserved by this sci-fi classic! The film still holds up, the print looks great, the sound track is crisp and the extras are spectacular. If you remember this film from days gone by, or if you are curious to see this classic, you can't go wrong here.

Michael Rennie, in his film debut, is perfect as Klaatu, the visitor from another planet who arrives to warn humans against their violent ways. Patricia Neal and Billy Gray as her son befriend Klaatu without knowing who he is, and scientist Sam Jaffe, looking every bit like Einstein, converses with the stranger before the final showdown outside the spaceship.

In addition to this great film, you'll see and hear some wonderful dvd extras on this double-sided disk, including: a commentary track with Nicholas Meyer (Time After Time, The Day After) interviewing director Robert Wise (Sound of Music, editor on Citizen Kane) as they watch the film; a 1951 newsreel which includes a science fiction convention award for the film; trailers for Journey to the Center of the Earth and One Million Years B.C.; hundreds of stills; complete blueprints for the spaceship; a complete shooting script; American and British press books (marketing items); a restoration comparison including scenes from the 1995 film transfer, the 1993 laser disc master and the 2002 film restoration; a featurette about film collectibles; and a terrific making-of featurette, with interesting and fun comments from stars Patricia Neal and Billy Gray (later in Father Knows Best), director Wise and producer Julian Blaustein (80 min).

For admirers of Bernard Herrmann, the features include lots of anecdotes and information about this great composer, who went for lots of atmosphere in a score using two theremins, brass, harps, electric bass and guitar, a vibraphone and backward tracks. Herrmann composed some of Hollywood's most iconic scores (Vertigo, Psycho, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Fahrenheit 451), and it's fun to learn more about him.

I loved this film when I was a kid, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it again and learning so much about it. While all the extras were great, I especially enjoyed the commentary track. Wise addresses the Christ-story parallels in the film, the movie's anti-nuke theme, and gives us lots of fun info. For instance, we learn that Darryl Zanuck wanted Spencer Tracy to play Klaatu(!); that Gort was played by the doorman at Grauman's Chinese Theatre (the tallest man they could find), and was actually rather frail, so he could only stay in the Gort suit for 20 minutes at a time; and that there were actually two Gort outfits -- one with a zipper on the front and one with a zipper on the back, depending on where the camera was situated.

Great fun!