The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise. It stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Frances Bavier and Lock Martin. The screenplay was written by Edmund H. North, based on the 1940 science fiction short story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates. The film score was composed by Bernard Herrmann. Set in the Cold War during the early stages of the nuclear arms race, the storyline involves a humanoid alien visitor who comes to Earth, accompanied by a powerful robot, to deliver an important message that will affect the entire human race. In 1995, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot

After a flying saucer lands in the National Mall, adjacent to the White House, in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Army quickly surrounds it with fully armed soldiers and tanks. A humanoid in a spacesuit emerges, announcing that he comes "in peace and with good will". Opening a small metallic device, he is shot and wounded by a nervous soldier. An intimidating robot emerges from the saucer and quickly disintegrates the soldiers' weapons, including tanks. The alien orders the robot, Gort, to desist. He explains that the now-broken device was a gift for the President of the United States "to study life on the other planets".