Unusual Scoring of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951)

[gpz1100z1]

ACK ACK

[needcooling]

Watching and hearing that is like taking a big step into the past.. several decades.

[silversurfergw]

One of my favorite sci-fi movie with 2 memorable lines...."i never call you a liar Mom" and "forgive me for being blunt".

[jim102353]

Greatest sci-fi movie of all time without question, we will never see anything like it ever again!

[vickyoftexas]

My favorite film & OST of all time. This is what it was all about in my youth. Michael Rennie made the best of all aliens...One who could blend in with Humanity. I still have chills when I hear Bernard Herrmann's haunting film score.

[tripsadelica]

One of Herrmann's finest scores and the most capable at 'scene-setting". The man was a genius and Lionel Newman did a fantastic job of conducting. The theremin made this soundtrack great...and, of course, the film will always be a timeless classic whilst the remake is a gormless mess!

[errolfan]

@tripsadelica Is that gormless or Gortless?

[tripsadelica]

@errolfan Hahahahah! BOTH! ;-)

[sta4652005]

Theremin at it's best in a great film.



[KC8YOQ]

WOW great score! Thanks

[errolfan]

All of us earth people should have this on our favorites.

[jhoward1957]

@errolfan I agree earthling. this is a time tested treasure.

[StuartVail]

Classic Hermann score.

[mierpaul]

This sci-fi theme in so iconic. The quivering tremalone set the standard for all space invader movies. In fact i heard it when my kids were watching fairly odd parents.

[DaveM599]

Honestly, how many great memorable scores did Herrman write (rhetorical question)?

[OliverJohnMizen]

God I am just so addicted to this mysterious, scifi theme!

[Ziplock74]

i just got a theremin, they're so fucking cool

[errolfan]

@Ziplock74 Use your Ziplock.

[errolfan]

@Swingsation65 I didn't know that (about Lost in Space). As far as Rota goes, I might as well be lost in space.

[spence900]

We just watched the entire film on DVD yesterday, and I could have sworn there is also an ORGAN in there at one point. Not electric, but a actual pipe organ, and it sounded large and thuderous. Can't remember exactly at what point I heard it, but I suppose I could watch it again :-)

[RogueRotting360]

@spence900 There's 2 Hammond Organs notated in the score, as well as the studio Reed Organ.

[Noveltooner]

@spence900 It was during the sequence when Washington, D.C. is quarantined and the army is preventing anyone from either entering or leaving. Although the Hammond electric organs were indeed used in the scoring, I understand that the main studio pipe organ on the soundstage was indeed used in this scene. It was last minute; Alfred Newman conducted the cue while Herrmann was checking for balance and Herrmann felt the electric organ statements were too weak in their effect.

[Hbomb871]

I have been looking for this music for so long ever since i heard it being played with Eric the MIdget

[garusell]

Bernard Herrmann. Genius, genius, genius, genius, genius.

[peppersax]

What can I say. Bernard Herrmann started it all. He took film composition (especially horror and suspense) to such a high bar, that it's nearly impossible to compose something different without paying homage or referencing him in some way. He was without a doubt the GREATEST film composer ever. Enough said!!!

[RBNDanny]

It's genius. For those old science fiction movies. And as a theme for Eric the Midget.

[soupy2]

@RBNDanny i was always wondering where that etm song came from. i love it!

[RBNDanny]

@soupy2 Yeah, it's too funny. It makes Eric sound like he is sitting at home plotting. :))) On the 08-18-2010 show is a funny ETM bit. About "Beezid" wanting him to wear a bee costume. :)))

[sanantoniosquare]

I LOVE Bernard Herrman

[KeatonMovieFever]

That opening sucks me in every time. Great, great score.

[Dogsledfan]

Probably [the late] Dr. Samuel Hoffman on the theremin here.

[hebneh]

This opening sequence was more powerful for the original audiences due to the use of two national radio commentators of the time who Americans would recognize.

Notice the many shots of average Americans listening to the radio, who later will find themselves without electricity for a half hour, interrupting their milk shake mixers, washing machines, roller coasters, and all sorts of important devices.

[errolfan]

@hebneh Not to mention the missed opportunity for Klaatu while the elevator was stalled. Hmm...

[Stigmatainmypants]

One of my favourite musical scores of all-time. Simultaneously scares the daylights out of you, and yet gives you a sense of wonder and hope.

[0ejmusik0]

Somebody please make a heavy metal version of this whole song! Anyone who understands metal would understand how awesome this song would be metallized! Especially the piano part at the end, if it was played by guitar, complete awesomeness. I just started playing guitar but I will post a rough draft of this song, metal style. As a matter of fact, Bernard Herrmann would have been a great composer of heavy metal.

[errolfan]

@0ejmusik0 ?

[sammorganr3]

@0ejmusik0 youre actually so so right. i might consider trying XD

[bondurango]

Herrmann was Hitchcock's musical alter ego. For example, Psycho is about sexual inversion. Here, in the first scene, he does inversion by creating a cycle of two alternating ostinati rhythms between the piano & the percussion,  i.e. vibraphone, with the latter getting a touch of chromatic color by a subtle, more nuanced, use of the electronic Theremin, which is the defining instrument of the entire film.

[BlueCougar]

It's actually 2 pianos, 2 harps, 2 Hammond organs, 2 Vibraphones, 10 brass and some other instruments. Still an unusual instrument combination.

[errolfan]

Call me old-fashioned, but there is an innate intelligence about this movie that transcends the years since it was made. The movie examines our core beliefs from an outside point of view, and, in doing so, makes us re-think what we consider HUMAN behavior. This is my favorite Sci-Fi film.

[am2boni]

A classic!

[skateonme]

I saw this film included with other films that were composed by Bernard Herrmann last night at a classical concert with an orchestra without dialog, most amazing and beautiful thing ever.

[errolfan]

With, or, without Theremins?

[skateonme]

with

[spartacusvikinga]

I have added a show on You Tube. To maybe introduce the next generation to this great movie and it's definative soundtrack. Search..

Late of the Pier.VW. The Day The Earth Stood Still.

[Tdgonline]

Well, don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I'm a 56 year old male who saw this film for the first time in the theaters sometime during the 50's. Guess it was a repeat showing. But nevertheless, the magic was still there. And I was very young and scared. Especially when Gort came on the screen!

[errolfan]

You've got me beat. I'm 55, and if I had have happened to see this at the show when I was 4, I would have peed my pants. THAT I would remember.

[errolfan]

I'm glad to see the (slightly) younger generation appreciating this movie. The message to end human conflict is just as relevant today as it was in 1951. You'd think we'd know better by now.

[ultramarinegoat]

well sort of. In Klaatu's words it's more like "get rid of your weapons of mass destructions (which you don't have) or face complete annihilation". A bit heavy handed and a premonition.

[spartacusvikinga]

This is just so......brilliant. It captures the whole ideal of the film. Michael Rennie was perfectly cast. A great british actor IMO.

[DTiger71202]

I agree. Rennie was very good in the part. Spencer Tracy was first suggested to play Klaatu, but someone on the production staff said : "The audience would never get over seeing Spencer Tracy coming out of a flying saucer". Or something to that effect.

[errolfan]

Hmm... The more comments I see, the more I see we have in common. Fifty-five year old males who watched this movie for the first time on B&W TV during the sixties. I feel sorry for the upcoming generation that doesn't think twice about a movie viewed. Some films deserve more than that. Classic films (like this) should be required viewing in high school.

[DCnightcrawler]

I'm a 45-yr-old male who first saw this movie on TV in the 70's. To this day I still consider it the best science fiction film ever made. It is an example of the elegance of simplicity. Masterfully written, with special effects that are totally convincing without going over the top, it delivers flawlessly after more than half a century. Perfection!

[phil2u]

And it has Aunt Bea in it ! ! !

[errolfan]

Best opening film score to any Sci-Fi movie ever. Wait... I forgot the original orchestration from Metropolis. Tied for the best opening film score...

[SKATERCOMICS]

they werent

ahea

d of

their time that was the best time for movies and music

[peppersax]

Bernard Herrmann was wayyyyyyyyyyy ahead of his time. Just like Beethoven, who took the symphony to another level, BH took sci-fi/terror/suspense/horror movies to the next level. All these composers at one time copied BH: Jerry Goldsmith, Marco Beltrami, Alan Silvestri, Hans Zimmer, Christopher Young, John Williams,..Wait a minute! I guess, just about every film composer.

[nostromo38]

Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams: the holy trinity.

[konway87]

Bernard Herrmann knew what's good for a film. This score is a simple example. I love many of his music scores. His score for Twisted Nerve was absolutely brilliant.

[Fruth37]

This does not sound the same as my copy of the movie. Am I hearing things? This is my all time favorite movie and the opening credits are the best part as far as I'm concerned. The music never gets old and even if the movie is out dated, it's still got anything else beat!

[bluehazer]

Huh! Just noticed it! Sounds a lot like Mussorgsky! (Pictures At An Exhibition). Cool!

[singedrac]

Holy crap awesome! The house music titled "Timo Maas - Help Me" uses this music and I never even knew it was from this movie. :O

[nicksacop]

Amazing music which captured the heart and spirit of an equally amazing and intelligent film...the re-make was very poor.

[NoMercyClanCSS]

its annoying how in old movies, theyre beginning titles are so damn long! but this movie is too classic to be made fun of.

[thisnextsongiscalled]

of course, our generation has an attention span of 3 seconds

[jakaput]

tell you what, the remake SUCKS!

[spacepatrolman]

@jakaput there was a high school version in here that was really great

[mocharger06]

@jakaput You expected more with Keanu Reeves playing Klaatu?

[errolfan]

@thisnextsongiscalled Huh?

[harvey1954]

@thisnextsongiscalledHuh? . . . wadja say . . . hey, that's my sandwich . . . which book report. . . . .

[cookie123456789012]

@thisnextsongiscalled I made it through 2001: A space oddesy, Thank you very much.

[DCnightcrawler]

Well, when a movie as good as this is seen, the people behind the production should have their credits seen. Audiences today often get up and leave before the credits have rolled. I've found that long opening credits are usually a sign of a great film. Enjoy it and consider it a build-up to a great experience when you watch such movies.

[skateonme]

good analysis

[CherryVincent]

THE BEST THING..........ever

[5curtis0]

great vid

i liked this video :) 1f

[spartacusvikinga]

I don't know where you got the soundtrack from but a pat on the back for posting this. Many thanks.

[GoblinXXX]

This music plays whenever i walk into a room. Is that normal?

[ivanindahau]

the origional film rocked and always will. The remake (if ya can call it that) is awful!

[rundeltoro]

This music kicks ass