The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Directed byRobert Wise
Screenplay byEdmund H. North
Based on"Farewell to the Master"
1940 story in Astounding Science-Fiction Magazine
by Harry Bates
Produced byJulian Blaustein
Starring
CinematographyLeo Tover
Edited byWilliam Reynolds
Music byBernard Herrmann
Color processBlack and white
Production
company
20th Century Fox
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • September 18, 1951 (1951-09-18)
Running time
92 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$995,000[2]
Box office$1.85 million (US theatrical rentals)[3]
Movie trailer

The Day the Earth Stood Still (working titles: Farewell to the Master and Journey to the World) is a 1951 American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise. It stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Frances Bavier and Lock Martin. The screenplay was written by Edmund H. North, based on the 1940 science fiction short story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates. The film score was composed by Bernard Herrmann.[4] Set in the Cold War during the early stages of the nuclear arms race, the storyline involves a humanoid alien visitor who comes to Earth, accompanied by a powerful robot, 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".[5][6]

  1. ^ "The Day the Earth Stood Still (U)". British Board of Film Classification. September 20, 1951. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  2. ^ Solomon 1989, p. 246.
  3. ^ "The Top Box Office Hits of 1951." Variety, January 2, 1952.
  4. ^ Gianos 1998 p. 23.
  5. ^ "'The Day the Earth Stood Still': Award Wins and Nominations." IMDb.com. Retrieved: February 1, 2015.
  6. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved September 25, 2020.