The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

20th Century Fox, 1951. Directed by Robert Wise. Starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, and Sam Jaffe.

The Day the Earth Stood Still is far from your typical sci-fi movie. It's actually the product of a very specific social and historical context: that of postwar America as it entered the 1950s. Such a film could never have been made before World War II or before the outset of the Cold War. All the fears that plagued the American society of the time creep into the movie—the atom bomb, the menace of a nuclear war, worldwide political instability—but they're handled in a radically different manner, and that contributes to the appeal of the finished product. One of the foremost assets of the film is the fact that it doesn't treat highly delicate political issues in a one-sided way, but it simply highlights their existence and their complexity, making the audience reflect on them.

The plot is very simple, although extremely telling when we look at it in the light of its historical context. It tells the story of Klaatu (Michael Rennie), an alien from outer space who arrives in Washington on a sort of diplomatic mission: warning humans about the concern that their increasing military power is creating on other planets. After a not-so-warm welcome, the storyline follows Klaatu as he mingles with human beings in an attempt to understand the way in which their society works. Therefore, we see human society from the detached point of view of an outsider that is struggling to come to terms with the fact that dialogue doesn't seem to be a viable way to interact with his distant neighbors.

Robert Wise, who directed great B-movies such as The Body Snatcher (1947), offers here an interesting take on the state of affairs of world politics in the early 1950s. Unlike many pictures of this kind during this period and afterwards, The Day the Earth Stood Still doesn't seem to be interested in taking sides, and it doesn't offer a definitive solution either. It simply warns us about the evils of war and points out the dangers of the lack of communication between governments of different political tendencies. If humans had allowed two World Wars to break out, there's no reason why there couldn't be a third one.

When you see this movie, you may claim that its special effects are a little dated by modern standards. Well, even though they weren't when the film was made, that doesn't really matter, because the essential element of The Day the Earth Stood Still is its message. Wise very deftly twists our expectations as spectators of a sci-fi movie. Here, aliens aren't a menace to humans; on the contrary, it's the other way around. Klaatu doesn't travel millions of miles to attack the Earth; rather, he arrives as a friend, trying to draw attention to the dangerous turns that life on Earth has taken. And in his final speech, he's very eloquent: "Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration." Of course, Klaatu isn't really talking about an alien invasion. Unfortunately, not many have actually paid heed to his warning, and his words ring as true today as they did in the war-stricken world of the mid-twentieth century.

Anton&Erin.

Oklahoma! (1955)

RKO/20th Century-Fox, 1955. Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, Charlotte Greenwood, and Rod Steiger. Music score written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Although most loyal fans of this irresistible 1955 musical would enthusiastically shout out each letter to the title O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A as they sing along to the upbeat score by Rodgers and Hammerstein, the words we are compelled to cheer while watching this film could only be G-O-R-D-O-N M-A-C-R-A-E! In this tale of the farmer and the cowman, and of the looming ratification of Oklahoma’s statehood, no one could fill the big screen or the vista of the golden prairie like the incomparable Gordon MacRae. The depth of his voice carries the audience from scene to scene, and during the sequences that do not feature MacRae, we often found ourselves eagerly awaiting his reappearance. Now, this is not to say that the Hollywood version of the musical does not provide any worthy match for its playful cowboy. On the whole, it offers a well-rounded cast, including the lovely and charming Shirley Jones (who here far outshines her most famous role as Shirley Partridge of “The Partridge Family”), Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, and Charlotte Greenwood. The film entertains throughout with sharp dancing, witty solos, and ensemble numbers to match the previous year's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

There is another side to Oklahoma!, however, that makes the movie stand out from more typical musicals and from the typical accusation that audiences sometimes rashly hurl at the genre: that musicals are just superficial dreamworlds arranged for the showcasing of stars’ smiles and musical prowess. Jud Fry, Aunt Eller’s farmhand (who is deftly played by Rod Steiger), throws a dark edge on the sunshine of Oklahoma!. In fact, the awkward transition between songs and violence that Fry’s character creates calls attention to the dynamics of collective social judgment and other issues not often touched on in such films. One unfortunate effect of this effort for substance, however, is realized in a dream sequence halfway through the picture. Unlike the powerful dramatic exchanges between Jud and Curly or Jud and Miss Laurey, this episode reveals the director’s indulgence in the melodrama of modern ballet, pseudo-Freudian dream suggestivity, and strange double-casting of characters. First of all, why can’t Shirley Jones and the rest of the cast play their own characters in this dream within a musical dreamworld? And second, why cram the serious artistic commentary of the film down the audience’s throats with a sequence like this? It is just not necessary in our opinions. The subtle performance by Steiger is much creepier and so much more effective.

Whether you are looking for a light sing-along or a provoking take on the molding of a state’s history and identity, Oklahoma! will not disappoint – so long as you strategically break for refreshments during the ballet!

Erin&Anton.