The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!

A classic film; one of my favorites. I love this movie. Made in 1951, directed by Robert Wise, and starring Michael Rennie as Klaatu, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, (Who was Dr. David Zorba in the series Ben Casey, M.D.) Billy Gray and Frances Bavier (Aunt Bea from The Andy Griffith Show)this movie remains one of the great movies of all time.

A remake is in production now. As a film buff (coming from circus, movie, and vaudeville folk -- and growing up in Hollywood -- ) I take things way too seriously when it comes to things like remakes of classic movies. What’s the point? Not often are the remakes an improvement. But that’s debatable, and putting that aside, there are some things that are classics and just shouldn’t be touched. Like covers of the Righteous Brothers Unchained Melody, some things just shouldn't be redone. Ever. For any reason. As tempting as doing the greatest version ever of Unchained Melody is (and there’s a hell of a chanteuse inside me belting out that song that brings the world to its knees, dahlings!) everyone needs to resist that temptation and just not do it. (Although I will say U2's version is pretty neat; but it's not the same. Just not the same. . .)




Anyway. Remake of the movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still. New version stars Keanu Reeves,Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates and directed by Scott Derrickson. It's in production now, filming in Vancouver and British Columbia, Canada. The U.S. release date is December, 2008.

Here are a few quotes I like from the film:

Mr. Harley: Your impatience is quite understandable.
Klaatu: I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it.
Mr. Harley: I'm afraid my people haven't. I'm very sorry... I wish it were otherwise.

Barnhardt: Have you tested this theory?
Klaatu: I find it works well enough to get me from one planet to another.

Klaatu: You have faith, Professor Barnhardt?
Barnhardt: It isn't faith that makes good science, Mr. Klaatu, it's curiosity. Sit down, please. There are several thousand questions I'd like to ask you.

Klaatu: I am fearful when I see people substituting fear for reason.

Bobby Benson: Is it different where you've been? Don't they have places like this?
Klaatu: Well, they have cemeteries, but not like this one. You see, they don't have any wars.
Bobby Benson: Gee, that's a good idea.

Suggested links:

The Day the Earth Stood Still
alansmithee.5u.com/.../scifi/1951/dess.html

Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com/