So after reading some ambient comments, it seems there is a version of this original Robert Wise classic with a plethora of excellent supplemental features. Anybody know which version on what media that would be?
A "newer" presentation cherry-picks from the previous special features to offer something less than/flimsier, apparently.
I have actually never seen this film start to finish.
This is the version I've got - region 2/PAL DvD. It has the commentary by Wise and Meyer, Movetone news from 1951, the theatrical trailer and a restoration comparison. The commentary is a must visit.
Mind you, if you were not gripped enough to see it in one sitting first time round, I don't see how it could make much of a difference any other way. It's pure movie entertainment - nuff said.
Wise actually says he did not intend the Christ allegory to hold any sway in his conversation with Meyer. Yet, that is extremely difficult to reconcile with the sledgehammer revelations that crop up repeatedly within the film itself. I suspect Wise knew what he was doing back in the 50s, when the internet did not exist. More recently, I think his collected wisdom informed him to put a lid on it.
The idea is that man has freedom of choice to roam and explore, but that wanton destructiveness is not an adult theme, and as such, is punishable with permanent banishment from the cosmos by an overseeing power with greater wisdom than that of Solomon.
Warlock, here are links to specific DVDBeaver reviews of all of the available editions of the film, including DVD and Bluray, with an itemized list of the various supplements compared for each edition:
I never quite understood the premise, that aliens had issues with humans conducting too much war and would therefore wipe us out if we didn't stop it.
* In what way were they affected by our bad behavior?
* Why was violence and total elimination their solution to stop us from being violent?
* Since they had a magic way of 'stopping' our technology, why not just hit the off switch on our weapons?
I normally do not pick away at plots, but TDTESS was always a bit of a puzzle to me.
Kind of funny how "American" the alien philosophy was!
The threat to others was implied by our increasing use of atomic power as a destructive force. It wasn't that we were a threat at that very moment. The warning was to mend our ways and put away our threatening behavior or we would be dealt with.
But don't forget that the race represented by Klaatu built the egoless overseers (Gort) with the capacity to override their own creators and to deal them swift and terminal retribution should aggression on their part or of others ever arise. In other words, the pact results in the equivalent of cold war detente. Whoever pushes the button is eradicated under a rule of unilateral self-annihilation.
Klaatu goes further and says the result of this universal pact is everyone is free to chase after more profitable pursuits. There is an ideal of sorts there, but, it does not ultimately cohere with human nature.
The threat to others was implied by our increasing use of atomic power as a destructive force. It wasn't that we were a threat at that very moment. The warning was to mend our ways and put away our threatening behavior or we would be dealt with.
Exactly. And it had to be an action we freely chose, even though the "choice" was a somewhat coerced one.
The threat to others was implied by our increasing use of atomic power as a destructive force. It wasn't that we were a threat at that very moment. The warning was to mend our ways and put away our threatening behavior or we would be dealt with.
Exactly. And it had to be an action we freely chose, even though the "choice" was a somewhat coerced one.
And one ends up with social/economic rule. Not sure which is worse.
Klaatu says the only freedom that is taken away is the freedom to act irresponsibly. Since everyone is given the choice to either continue to exist or not to exist at all, the full range of options is laid bare. It is a binary option. That is, the choice is fair because it is exactly 50/50. All life decisions are costly in one way or another. But there is no option to argue whether the choice is fair or not. Only the rational survive. If only they'd given Klaatu pointy ears.
“I came here to give you these facts. It is no concern of ours how you run your own planet, but if you threaten to extend your violence, this Earth of yours will be reduced to a burned-out cinder. Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer. The decision rests with you.” “Gort! Next stop Qo'noS and a talk with the Klingons….eh,… how often can the Life Restoration Unit be used…?”
Grecchus, I caught a bit of the show (or what I thought was this show) on TV one evening. My thorough appreciation for the theater was overcome by my absolute aversion to TV... .
John McMasters, thanks for the links. Looking forward to watching this front-to-back.
Here's a recent (August 20, 2014) story of a "world premiere of the 4K restoration of The Day the Earth Stood Still."
It makes me wonder what Fox put out on Blu-ray in 2008? I own it and can't imagine the movie looking much better (though there was some fading on one side of the image throughout).
