06/03/2002 Entry:
"The Day The Earth Stood Still - Robert Wise (1951)"

I didn't really watch this, I just caught pieces of it on Fox Movie Channel while I was doing stuff around the house, so it won't go on the master list. Still, this was probably one of the first science fiction films I saw as a youngster, and I've had a real fondness for it ever since. It wasn't until after I saw it featured in Theremin that I went and revisited it as a film buff, and I really appreciated the craft that went into it. I mean, some of the acting is pretty bad, and the story is sappy and heavyhanded (although I admit to having a soft spot for sappy and heavyhanded sometimes.) However the cinematography and music are spectacular. You can really hear the beginnings of the classic Bernard Herrman score developing here. Combine that with the stark black and white cinematography of Leo Tover in the spaceship interiors, and you create a fantastically spooky and otherworldly feeling. This certainly isn't the best movie or even best science fiction movie I've ever seen, but in terms of mood and craft its hard to top.