Gort makes his way through the shadows in Robert Wise’s sci-fi gem
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (Robert Wise, 1951)
Museum of the Moving Image
35th Ave. at 36th St., Astoria
Saturday, March 26, 12:30
Sunday, March 27, 1:00
Free with museum admission of $10 adults, $5 children three to eighteen
718-777-6800
www.movingimage.us
This cold-war-era classic stars Michael Rennie as an alien who lands on earth with a very important message: No peace, no planet. He brings along with him one of the great robots in cinema history, Gort (Lock Martin), and later utters to Patricia Neal one of the ten best lines ever: “Klaatu borada nikto.” This science-fiction fave works on a number of different and fascinating levels; during a 1998 UC Berkeley interview, director Robert Wise even noted, “Some people read a religious connotation into the thing, the resurrection and all. If you want to put a beard on Rennie and all, he could be a Christ figure.” The Day the Earth Stood Still is screening Saturday and Sunday afternoon as the conclusion to the Museum of the Moving Image’s “Fantastic Voyages” series. Be sure to also check out the museum’s inaugural exhibits following its major remodeling, including “Real Virtuality,” Chiho Aoshima’s “City Glow,” Martha Colburn’s “Dolls vs. Dictators,” and the always engaging “Behind the Screen.”