The Day the Earth Stood Still | |
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Directed by | Robert Wise |
Produced by | Julian Blaustein |
Screenplay by | Edmund H. North |
Based on |
Farewell to the Master 1940 short story by Harry Bates |
Starring | |
Music by | Bernard Herrmann |
Cinematography | Leo Tover |
Edited by | William H. Reynolds |
Production
company |
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Distributed by | Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. |
Release date
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Running time
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91 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $995,000 |
Box office | $1.85 million (US theatrical rentals) |
The Day the Earth Stood Still | |
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Film score by Bernard Herrmann | |
Released | 1993 |
Recorded | August, 1951 |
Genre | Soundtracks, Film score |
Length | 35:33 |
Label | 20th Century Fox |
Producer | Nick Redman |
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | link |
The Day the Earth Stood Still (a.k.a. Farewell to the Master and Journey to the World) is a 1951 black-and-white American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein, directed by Robert Wise, that stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, and Sam Jaffe. The screenplay was written by Edmund H. North, based on the 1940 science fiction short story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates. The score was composed by Bernard Herrmann.
In The Day the Earth Stood Still, a humanoid alien visitor named Klaatu comes to Earth, accompanied by a powerful eight-foot tall robot, Gort, to deliver an important message that will affect the entire human race.
In 1995 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
When a flying saucer lands in Washington, D.C., the Army quickly surrounds it. A humanoid (Michael Rennie) emerges, announcing that he has come in peace. When he unexpectedly opens a small device, he is shot by a nervous soldier. A tall robot emerges from the saucer and quickly disintegrates the soldiers' weapons. The alien orders the robot, Gort, to stop. He explains that the now-broken device was a gift for the President which would have enabled him "to study life on the other planets".