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(From Joe Bob's Ultimate B Movie Guide) |
 Probably the most popular classic sci-fi
flick of the "common man," about a strangely emotionless visitor from
outer space named Klaatu who dresses in dull tailored suits, like
corporate America, and is guarded by Gort the robot policeman. He comes to
warn Earthlings that, if they don't stop fighting and choose to live in
peace, the rulers from other planets will be forced to incinerate the
planet with an army of Gorts. Klaatu is constantly attacked and mistrusted
by a people who don't believe his intentions are peaceful, but he
befriends a young boy (Billy Gray) and corrects a genius scientist's
equations before cutting off all Earth's machines. When he's assassinated,
Gort restores him to life, but not before he almost murders Patricia Neal.
Fortunately she has been given the code that will stop him: "Klaatu barada
nikto." Famous for many things, including cinematography and Bernard
Herrmann's eerie score, the film is open-ended--is the visitor a
totalitarian menace or the messiah sent to indict and then save the wicked
Earth? Since he visits the Lincoln Memorial and weeps in Arlington
National Cemetery, most think he's benign, but in this first of the Cold
War scare movies, no one could be certain. The Army took one look at the script and decided it was a war-protest movie, leaving the movie makers without any troops or tanks for their movie. So then they went to the local National Guard. Good move, cause the National Guard said they'd send all the troops and tanks and jeeps and trucks they wanted for the price of fuel and day wages for the guys in that big scene where the saucer lands in Washington.With Michael Rennie as the visitor, Sam Jaffe as the scientist. Directed by Robert Wise. Based on the story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates. 
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