Defending an Anti-Military Position
an extract from Robert Cettl's book Film Tales: Movie Trivia in the Age of DVD (on sale now in print and soon in e-book)
Director Robert Wise leapt at the chance to direct the classic 1950s science fiction film of The Day the Earth Stood Still. What attracted him, in the wake of World War Two and the developing Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union, was the film’s fresh, overtly humanistic message. He felt that it was timely and appropriate. However, not everyone felt that way and the film ran into problems when it came time to film certain scenes involving a military presence. For this hit film, the director needed actual Army troops and equipment (jeeps, trucks, etc) for these scenes. At that time in the 1950s, the place to get this done was through the co-operation of the US Defence Dept. Securing the Defence Dept. co-operation ensured both a legitimacy and an authenticity to the project. To secure such co-operation, procedure demanded that a copy of the script had to be sent to them for their approval before co-operation was given. When the script for The Day the Earth Stood Still was submitted, co-operation was denied on the basis the film was anti-military (and pacifist). Co-operation was eventually secured by the National Guard, who had no such objections to the subject matter or to Wise’s approach to it.
Wider Screenings DVD Attraction: Robert Wise on The Day the Earth Stood Still
(courtesy of YouTube embedded video)