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From director Robert Wise (WEST SIDE STORY, SOUND OF MUSIC) comes arguably the most influential sci-fi film of all time. This 1951 classic seems to hearken in the dawn of smart science fiction. The influences it had on future films is undeniable. The design of the 8-foot robot Gort (Lock Martin, INVADERS FROM MARS) is borrowed in films like THE IRON GIANT, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and the upcoming SKY CAPTAIN. The atmospheric black-and-white photography and moralistic tale must have been a huge influence on THE TWILIGHT ZONE. ARMY OF DARKNESS uses EARTH's secret phrase "Klaatu verata niktu" as the phrase Bruce Campbell can't remember.
The story begins with a flying saucer racing to Earth at 4,000 mph, finally landing in Washington D.C. A tension grips the planet waiting for something to happen. Then we meet Klaatu (Michael Rennie, THE ROBE) who has come to Earth to give all its nations' leaders a message. The film makes an intriguing comment about human nature and our inhumanity to each other. There's a great sequence where Klaatu pretending to be a human named Mr. Carpenter is interviewed by a reporter about the aliens and because his answer isn't the scared and dramatic response the reporter is looking for, Klaatu is quickly sidestepped.
Rennie is so perfect in his role. He so defines it that plans to remake the film have always gone awry due to the inability to find an actor suitable enough to play the lead part. When Klaatu goes to stay in a boarding house, he meets Helen Benson (Patricia Neal, HUD) and her son Bobby (Billy Gray, JIM THORPE – ALL AMERICAN), who along with Helen's fiancé Tom (Hugh Marlowe, ELMER GANTRY), show the good and bad of human desire and motivations. The story is very simple, but surprisingly deep nonetheless. Klaatu's motivations are never 100% clear and we never know what's going to happen to tick him off, spurring him to let Gort loose on our cities.
The visuals are iconic. In addition to Gort, the spaceship has the classic flying saucer look. The visual effects stand up well, allowing the film to remain timeless and avoid being bogged down by dated razzle-dazzle. Bernard Hermann's Golden Globe winning score helped seal the Theremin as an instrument for sci-fi. Winning the "Best Film Promoting International Understanding" award at the 1952 Golden Globes was no fluke, for its message is as relevant today as it ever was. For sci-fi, this film put the class in classic.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
