Dec. 21, 2002 - 10:39 pm
this is one of those that you've always heard the name of as being a classic sci-fi film, but also one that you've never actually seen. well that was true in my case anyway. but i saw it listed as number 184 on the IMDb and said to myself that it sounded like a cool film and that i should take the time to see it. good thing i did. i was extremely surprised, in a positive way.
the story is that an alien spacecraft lands in Washington D.C. one day and a man gets out. he brings a gift, but one of the soldiers surrounding the ship takes a single shot at him when the soldier suspects the object is a weapon. the man from the craft falls to the ground wounded and suddenly a huge metal robot appears from the door of the craft. awesome beginning to a film, and very frightening in its way.
the plot moves forward and we find out that the space man has come with a message of warning from somewhere in outer space. something about Earth's current tendency towards violence and how this must stop in order to prevent the destruction of the planet.
i love that the IMDb's trivia pointed out that Klaatu, the space man, is actually a Christ figure. that totally makes sense now looking back on it, though i didn't think of it at the time. he comes with a message of peace and warning, and is only met with hostility from the existing government. isn't that how it always goes? i really enjoyed seeing it told from a sci-fi perspective though.
also, the robot character is outstanding. he of course never speaks, but I know it would've lessened my opinion of him if he had spoken. nothing is as powerful in a character as being both physically strong and silent. Gort is a flawless character.
has anyone else seen Army of Darkness (1993)? you remember the phrase that Ash has to remember in order to get the Necronomicon? yeah, that's from this movie. that's what Helen is supposed to say to Gort at one point to keep him from killing everyone and then destroying the world. oh, i love Army of Darkness...
two other things i should point out about this film are the awesome cinematograpy. the framing of shots is always well thought out. creative and obtrusive in a useful way. this film knows how to use black and white film stock to convey emotion. the lighting is great. shadows are used very often to convey the tension of certain situations. i think my favorite example of this is when Klaatu first enters the boarding house and is completely backlit. you can't see his face, even though everyone in the room is focused on him and not saying a word. the only sound you hear is the TV describing the space man and how he is nowhere to be found, and how he might be dangerous.
also, these are some effects in this film. both visual and sound effects. very creative and they really do stand the test of time. they still look great watching them today, more than 50 years later.
i wonder if this was the first sci-fi film to feature the eerie-sounding theremin instrument. that was first used in Billy Wilder's The Lost Weekend (1945)...which was not at all sci-fi.