Sunday, September 27, 2015

Annotated Bibliography for The Day the Earth Stood Still

Adapting The Day the Earth Stood Still
Social History:

Pardon, J. (2008). Revisiting a Science Fiction Classic: Interpreting The Day the Earth Stood Still for Contemporary Film Audiences. Journal of Popular Film and Television VJPF J. of Popular Film & Television, 141-149.

            Joshua Pardon, is currently an assistant professor at Ferris University and, at the time of this article, was working with the Journal of Popular Film and Television.  In this article, Pardon discusses the 1951 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still and its implications in its own and current times.  Pardon argues that the 1951 version holds anti militarist views pertaining to the recent end WWII and the percolating of the Cold War.  He also argues that paranoia generated by communism of the 1950s and paranoia generated by terrorism of the 2000s allows the film to convey the same message to two different audiences.  Pardon believes that The Day proposes a threat to scientific advancement.

Peters, T. (2009). Klaatu Barada Nikto: Reviewing “The Day the Earth Stood Still”. Dialog: A Journal of Theology, 48(2), 121-124. Retrieved September 27, 2015, from Academic Search Complete.

Ted Peters received degrees from Michigan State (B.A.), Trinity Lutheran (M.A.), and Chicago University (Ph.D.).  He is currently the editor for Dialog and coeditor of Theology and Science.  In his article, Peters argues that after seeing the 2008 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still he does not have much hope in humanity.  Peters However Peters’ primary argument is that the 2008 version replaces the threat of international war (1951) with the threat of environmental disillusionment.  Because of this exchange, the movie’s plot changes from “I am here to save you” to “I am here to save your planet.
Gabbard, K. (1982). The Day the Earth Stood Still. Literature Film Quarterly, 10(3), 150-153. Retrieved September 27, 2015.

Krin Gabbard also discusses the era in which the 1951 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still emerged.  Gabbard not only states that The Day challenged the “anti-communism hysteria” but that to do so was radical for its time.  He also commented on Klaatu’s Christ-like similarities where a foreigner comes to the world in an effort to save humanity from itself.  Gabbard can expand my argument to not only include the 2008 remake but also Farewell to the Master, the original book that the 1951 movie originated from.
The Day the Earth Stood Still. (2015, September 15). Retrieved September 28, 2015.

            This annotation covers the Wikipedia article over the 1951 film.  The page does not include a synopsis of the story (found on a different page) however it does arguably provide Klaatu’s most memorable lines, and a few segments of dialogue.  One of those segments is Klaatu’s conversation with Bobby where Klaatu professes coming from a place where there are no wars and Bobby responds “Gee, that’s a good idea.”  This could be used to show the intention of the film.
Genre
The Day the Earth Stood Still. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2015, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043456/

            This is a review of the information given by IMDB about the 1951 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still.  IMDB confirms that The Day is a part of the Sci-Fi genre and provides a great deal of information regarding who was involved in the making of the film.  The synopsis of the storyline describes Klaatu’s action in the story in great detail.  In addition to the baseline information and synopsis, the site provides a net income (1.2 million not adjusted for inflation) and a series of mishaps that occurred during the movie.
The Day the Earth Stood Still. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2015, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970416/

This is a review of the information given by IMDB about the 2008 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still.  The most notable difference between the IMDB’s is the synopsis mentions Helen’s involvement in greater detail than the 1951 version.  Net Income was estimated at 80 million.  Because this IMDB is about a remake, it provides a great deal of comparison information from the 1951 original.

Csicsery-Ronay, I. (2014). The Eye of Gort. Science Fiction Studies, 41(2), 301-313. Retrieved September 28, 2015.

Istvan Cscsery-Ronay received his education from Bennington College (B.A.) and Princeton University (Ph.D.).  Ronay discusses the staging of eye-contact and how it influenced the meaning of the 1951 The Day the Earth Stood Still.  Ronay believes that the relationship between Klaatu, the father-like alien, and Helen, the widowed mother, engages in romanticism however it engages one that transcends the erotic.  Meaning, while there was a little romance between the two characters, it did not actually display any romantic elements (like kissing, hugging, and sex.)
The 42 Best Sci-Fi Movies 1950 - 1965 in 67 Posters. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2015.

The 42 Best Sci-Fi Movies, discusses the impact that Science Fiction had on the 1950’s and early 60’s.  Unfortunately, the site’s credibility is undeterminable because the author is not listed and no sources are referenced.  42 Best Sci-Fi Movies states that Science Fiction did not take notice to the A-Bombs dropped in Japan.
Waldman, K. (2013, January 31). The Delicious Dreadfulness of Nuclear Monsters. Retrieved September 29, 2015.


Katy Waldman gives a synopsis of wave of Sci-Fi that rolled across the 1950s.  She primarily discusses Nuclear Monster movies however she notes that once a film is popular enough, it is a sociological event.  She also goes on to talk about the Black and White nature of the film.  While the film may not intend any meaning from the Black and White, the nature of the film (and films of that period) are “yes and no” or “good and bad.”

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