SYFY Fest shows the Cold War classic “The Day the Earth Stood Still” on Friday, Feb. 9
Film fans who may have missed the first film in the 4th Annual Moab SYFY Film Festival on Feb. 2, fear not: Friday, February 9 will see the screening of the 1951 classic “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”
Each film in this year’s series involves direct contact with beings from outer space, raising questions about their mysterious motives. The common thread weaving through these films is the exploration of human reactions to these otherworldly visitors.
Friday’s film, carrying on this year’s festival themes, depicts how earthlings react to the arrival of a humanoid alien in a classic flying saucer. The alien, Klaatu, attempts to spread a message of world peace, accompanied by a large robot named Gort (commanded by the phrase “Klaatu barada nikto”).
“Its message, timely for the nuclear age, is that mankind would be exterminated if we didn’t stop killing one another,” commented film critic Roger Ebert.
The film has been influential for its designs and its classic science-fiction themes. The flying saucer in the film was partially designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who worked with set designers to imagine otherworldly building materials.
Reportedly, the film may have influenced world events: Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Colin Powell commented that U.S. President Ronald Reagan discussed the film’s premise—the world uniting against an alien threat—when meeting Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985.
The film’s score will be easily recognizable to many viewers as well: Bernard Hermann’s themes involving violin and theremin are iconic sci-fi music and were reused many times, including as the theme to the television show “Lost in Space.”
In 1995, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” A 2008 remake starring Keanu Reeves didn’t fare as well, receiving middling reviews upon its release.
Event founders Nora Shepard and Richard Codd have put on the film screenings for four years, providing free entertainment, popcorn and door prizes for the community in the name of cinema and fun in the cold of February.
This year’s SyFy festival is co-sponsored by the City of Moab Arts and Recreation Departments and the Moab Sun News, with support from the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission.
The 2024 festival will cap off on February 16 with 2016’s critically acclaimed film “Arrival,” directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.
All screenings take place at the Moab Arts building (111 E. 100 N., Moab), beginning at 7:00 p.m.
