Movie Project - Day 17: The Day The Earth Stood Still (

This is probably the oldest movie that I sat down and watched with my daughter, and to my surprise, this was also Grandma and Grandpa's first time watching it too. Caitlin had only seen bits and pieces, and with all the fuss that Bronwyn was making, it was no different today. I was the sole person who had seen the 1951 version beginning to end.

I had to do my best to keep my mouth shut, even when my mother-in-law flat out asked for spoilers. If she had seen the movie before, I would have no problem reminding her what happened. I've had enough trouble with giving spoilers about the movie while watching it.

I'm not sure if Rini fully absorbed what was going on due to a few reasons: 1. The movie relied on exposition to move the plot, 2. The movie was completely done in black and white, yet she did pay attention to it for the more part, and 3. We started watching the movie about a third of the way into it.

One of the great things I love about this movie is how it portrays interplanetary beings. Klaatu was able to intermingle with the general population because he looked like s regular human being. That's one of the things I strongly believe. Meeting an alien from another planet would be much like meeting someone from outside your country, or from another side of the world. When I was in Greece, some things seemed rather alien to me. I can only imagine how people would have thought of me.

Even living in Quebec can seem a little alien to other Canadians. Different language, different traffic laws, different standards of courtesy, and different tax laws. One of the few places I have heard of where they actually have a tax on tax.

Though, Rini did see the end where Klaatu tells everyone that they need to get along or Earth will be annihilated, but I'm not sure if that's the thing that she'll remember. I know that I'll mark this day as the first time Rini heard the words "Klaatu barada nikto" in their proper context. Three of the most well known words is the history of science fiction, probably due to the fact that it's never mentioned what the phrase actually means.

Would I watch this again with Rini? Definitely. It's a great classic film and a masterpiece of science fiction. I've considered trying to find a copy of it, and came rather close to purchasing a copy of it. The only reason I didn't was because I didn't want to have a copy of the 2008 remake. Back in 2009, the original was bundled with the remake, and I saw it a waste of money. Perhaps I was callous in my decision, but time will tell.