Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Billy Gray, Lock Martin
Director: Robert Wise
20th Century Fox
Rated G
A visitor from another world, a deadly robot and an ultimatum - these are the basic elements of what has become the peak of 1950’s sci-fi b-movies. With iconic images and a haunting score by Bernard Herrmann, The Day the Earth Stood Still has been referenced and emulated since its release.
While the filmmakers were unaware of the Christian themes in the story, it is unclear if they were intentionally placed there by the screenwriter (Edmund H. North). Nonetheless, these themes are obvious.
The main character, Klaatu, an alien sent to Earth with an important message, goes underground to observe humans, taking the name “Carpenter” from a dry cleaning tag on the suite he steals. While Klaatu’s namesake, Jesus, didn’t need to observe us to understand us, He also came to Earth with an important message. Only He came so we could observe and understand Him.
Klaatu is accompanied on his mission by Gort, an eight-foot robot with deadly strength and weapons. Gort spends most of the movie as a motionless centurion guarding their spaceship. But when Gort moves, people run. It is revealed in the finale that Gort is one of many robots built to patrol the universe and eliminate any hostile threats. Warning Earth that their Cold War era behavior might incur the wrath of these police is Klaatu’s message. Hmmmm, this sounds familiar. “For the wages of sin is death…” That makes Gort sound like the God of the Old Testament.
Speaking of death, Klaatu continues his Jesus parallels by being resurrected from the dead…with a little help from Gort. It is rumored that Christian activist groups at the time of the movie’s release were upset by this and so they added Klaatu’s line explaining that his resurrection was temporary and that eternal life was reserved only for the “almighty spirit.” This line may have leaned a little heavy against the fourth wall.
In the end, Klaatu and Gort leave Earth to await our response to their warning. “Make peace or die” is a pretty bleak message. Thankfully that wasn’t Jesus’.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” Romans 6:23
I’ll take spaceship #2, please - the one with grace and forgiveness and without the merciless killer robot.
All in all, The Day the Earth Stood Still is just fun sci-fi camp wrapped around a chewy antiwar center. Or is there more to it? Could it be that the film’s famous line “Klaatu barada nikto” can be translated to “Forgive them, Gort. For they know not what they do?” Is that a theremin I hear playing?
Director: Robert Wise
20th Century Fox
Rated G
A visitor from another world, a deadly robot and an ultimatum - these are the basic elements of what has become the peak of 1950’s sci-fi b-movies. With iconic images and a haunting score by Bernard Herrmann, The Day the Earth Stood Still has been referenced and emulated since its release.While the filmmakers were unaware of the Christian themes in the story, it is unclear if they were intentionally placed there by the screenwriter (Edmund H. North). Nonetheless, these themes are obvious.
The main character, Klaatu, an alien sent to Earth with an important message, goes underground to observe humans, taking the name “Carpenter” from a dry cleaning tag on the suite he steals. While Klaatu’s namesake, Jesus, didn’t need to observe us to understand us, He also came to Earth with an important message. Only He came so we could observe and understand Him.
Klaatu is accompanied on his mission by Gort, an eight-foot robot with deadly strength and weapons. Gort spends most of the movie as a motionless centurion guarding their spaceship. But when Gort moves, people run. It is revealed in the finale that Gort is one of many robots built to patrol the universe and eliminate any hostile threats. Warning Earth that their Cold War era behavior might incur the wrath of these police is Klaatu’s message. Hmmmm, this sounds familiar. “For the wages of sin is death…” That makes Gort sound like the God of the Old Testament.
Speaking of death, Klaatu continues his Jesus parallels by being resurrected from the dead…with a little help from Gort. It is rumored that Christian activist groups at the time of the movie’s release were upset by this and so they added Klaatu’s line explaining that his resurrection was temporary and that eternal life was reserved only for the “almighty spirit.” This line may have leaned a little heavy against the fourth wall.
In the end, Klaatu and Gort leave Earth to await our response to their warning. “Make peace or die” is a pretty bleak message. Thankfully that wasn’t Jesus’.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” Romans 6:23
I’ll take spaceship #2, please - the one with grace and forgiveness and without the merciless killer robot.
All in all, The Day the Earth Stood Still is just fun sci-fi camp wrapped around a chewy antiwar center. Or is there more to it? Could it be that the film’s famous line “Klaatu barada nikto” can be translated to “Forgive them, Gort. For they know not what they do?” Is that a theremin I hear playing?
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