An example was a few years ago when my book club read a Zombie novel called Zone One by Colson Whitehead. Whitehead has won a Pulitzer (not for this novel) so the man is no slouch. We knew going in that this was going to be a well written book. Still - one expects at least ONE character to be bitten by a Zombie. I mean, it can be a well-read Zombie if that makes everyone feel better.
Anyway, after reading the book, I felt robbed. Not one nibble.
So guess what doesn't happen in The Day The Earth Stood Still? Hmph.
As followers of this blog know, my dear friend Beth honors her late father's birthday by watching a film that he loved on that day. This has been dubbed "White Buffalo Day" because White Buffalo was one of his all-time favorite films. Last year we watched They Might Be Giants which is not at all about the band. So, true to form, this year we stocked up on a lot of wine and cheese and watched another favorite.
The Day the Earth Stood Still - released in 1951
So I think if the Earth ACTUALLY stood still, wouldn't we all fly off into space? I mean, gravity would be gone, right? I'm no scientist but I'm pretty sure I'm right, or at least on the right track, about this one...
There is really almost nothing not to like about sci fi films from the 50s. They typically have very interesting production design and almost always directly point at the political climate of their time. McCarthyism was running rampant in the 50s; there was a lot of fear about Communist invasion or a nuclear holocaust. People were scared and although filmmakers were discouraged to directly criticize or point this out, they still did and they weren't all that subtle. Mutant bugs, aliens descending from other planets, you name it, it's in there.
This film is no different. A lovely gentleman alien, Klaatu, comes to Earth with his massive robot. (No, this is not a euphemism. Stay with me.)
Klaatu and Gort, a match made in the heavens
He says he comes in peace and the military's response is to shoot him. Later we find out (in an "I told you so" moment) that those that live on other planets think the Earth's inhabitants are weapon-loving jerks (I'm paraphrasing) and they are worried about what we'll do.
Wait. When was this made? Sigh.
This film was directed by Robert Wise who started his career as an editor on films like Citizen Kane. He went on to direct some big budget, iconic films - West Side Story and Sound of Music. TDTESS was an early directorial effort (his debut as a director was on Curse of the Cat People which is a great film!). The cinematography is gorgeous - a bit Noir, a bit Expressionism, a lot of artistic shadows.
(Quick note about German Expressionism and Film Noir - in film (similar to the art movement), Expressionism was about depicting inner turmoil. This genre came to life in 1920s Germany, highlighting the post WWI atmosphere that was full of anxiety and distrust. And the Noir genre created feelings of pessimism and menace with their moody lighting effects. So this is a totally FUN movie!)
Also, many films clearly are influenced by TDTESS. Just for a start, I noticed that two animated films, Monsters vs Aliens and Iron Giant pull heavily from this film.
But really, let's give a shout out to Gort, the 8-foot robot that is only trying to protect Klaatu. In real life the actor was 7ft 7in, so this was some true method acting. His robot suit looked like it was made of neoprene and, irritatingly, kept folding at the knees. I mentioned that he was "moving all fabric-y". I blame the wine.
Honestly, this film could have been made right now. The same fears are relevant in our current political climate.
The only differences I see is that the soundtrack made heavy use of the Theremin (Of course. All 50s sci fi films did.) and all the men wore short ties and high pants. That shit wouldn't fly today.
(My drink pairing for this film is a Manhattan. Not the project, just the cocktail.)
On the flip side, Beth and I decided to round out our experience by watching the remake.
The Day the Earth Stood Still - released in 2008
A short message to Keanu Reeves who plays Klaatu:
Keanu. Dude. For some reason I always want to give you the benefit of the doubt (I mean, you are the impetus of my motto "One doesn't have to be good at one's job for me to want to have a fling" Well, my motto is nastier, actually, but sometimes my aunt reads this) but you never deliver. What is with the ONE expression for the entire film? Was your director really okay with this?
Keanu as Klaatu - note the expression
In the hospital - same expression
Doing math - SAME EXPRESSION
So, the remake. It's a pretty good film, actually. It's much more like what you'd expect a sci fi film of the Aughts to be. Good, solid effects. Good, solid acting (well, mostly). Good, but kind of unremarkable, in my opinion.
Here's the thing. The 50's version is a lot more hopeful and uplifting. The Aughts are way more about telling it like it is. A perfect example is the single mother storyline. In the 50's, the kid is of the tie-wearing, polite, "gosh, golly" variety. Annoyingly so, actually. And the mom, Patricia Neal, is just looking to get remarried. The '08 version's kid is played by Jaden Smith (that's right...heir to the Fresh Prince's throne) and the stepmom/scientist is played by Jennifer Connolly. Since she's a stepmom, they don't really have a connection at the outset but eventually - when humanity is literally being wiped out by the nano bot aliens - they have a moment and realize they're cool. Well, phew. Just in time.
My favorite moment, though - and in true Beth/Sue style - is when Jaden hopes Keanu can bring his long dead father back to life. When Keanu woodenly lets him know that's impossible, Jaden reacts by crying while Beth and I immediately and simultaneously launched into our very best Zombie impressions. Braaiiiins.
There are a couple stand-out cool things -
1) We see the alien's origin story of why he has a human body (spoiler - they take a DNA sample). Keanu is basically "born" out of this awful looking placenta-type material when he enters our atmosphere. Beth kept calling it "Tilapia". Thankfully not my favorite seafood.
2) 2008 Gort has this really cool looking texture (not a man in a neoprene suit!) - it looked a bit grainy and had some shimmery movement. Turns out it was foreshadowing Gort dissolving into the little nano robot bugs that were destroying all of humankind. LOTS of particle animation (think the big sand face in The Mummy).
In the end, though, the '08 version of TDTESS was pretty bleak. One reviewer at the time summed it up perfectly: This remake of the 1951 genre classic might have better visions and visuals than the low-budget original, but it lacks the heart and sense of wonder the first film had.
And the Earth never stopped spinning.
(My drink pairing for this film is a Fuzzy Navel in honor of Beth's dad. If you remember from last year, he was so amused by this drink that he bought all the ingredients but ultimately thought it was terrible. So let's make one, toss it and have a glass of wine instead!)
My takeaways:
#1 - Sci fi movies of the 50s are really fantastic.
#2 - Robots of the 50s are also pretty fantastic even when their costumes are...less than fantastic.
#3 - Happy birthday Jim Masse!
xoxo...hashtagSueslife
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