The Day the Earth Stood Still Page #3

ANOTHER ANGLE:

PEARSON:

The ship, designed for travel outside

the earth's atmosphere, landed in

Washington today at 3:47 p.m., Eastern

Standard Time. We still don't know

where it came from, but I can reveal

that military leaders are considering

two possibilities; that it came from

some unfriendly power here on earth --

or that it actually arrived from

another planet.

CAMERA PANS to and DOLLIES IN on the TV screen in the wall.

On the screen is a shot of the space ship.

PEARSON'S VOICE

(over scene)

The ship is resting exactly where it

landed two hours ago, and there has

been no sign of life from inside it.

OUR CAMERAL HOLDS on the TV screen. The cuts that follow are

inside the frame of the screen:

EXT. THE MALL - MED. SHOT

Two platoons of infantry soldiers surround the ship, their

rifles at the ready.

PEARSON'S VOICE

(over scene)

Troops have been rushed from Fort

Myer and they have formed a cordon

around the ship.

MED. SHOT

showing two machine guns, two Sherman tanks and two 75MM

guns. The gun crews are posted for action and all weapons

are trained on the space ship.

PEARSON'S VOICE

(over scene)

They are supported by machine guns,

tanks and artillery.

MED. SHOT - POLICE CORDON

Cops are holding back a section of a large crowd, some

distance away from the ship. The people are wide-eyed and

tense with excitement.

PEARSON'S VOICE

(over scene)

Behind police lines, there is a large

crowd of curiosity seekers.

SERIES OF INDIVIDUAL CUTS

1. Civilians in the crowd, their eyes and nerves taut with

suspense.

2. A young soldier, who grips his rifle and moistens his

lips nervously, his eyes never leaving the ship.

3. A tank commander blinks from the tension of staring at an

unmoving object.

4. The last cut is of the ship itself.

PEARSON'S VOICE

(over scene)

As you can see for yourself, the

Army has taken every precaution to

meet whatever the situation may

require. Every eye -- every weapon --

is trained on the ship. It's been

this way for two hours and the tension--

CLOSE SHOT - PEARSON

as he interrupts himself excitedly, his attention riveted on

the TV screen.

PEARSON:

Just a minute, ladies and gentlemen!

I think I see something moving!

EXT. THE MALL - MED. LONG SHOT - DAY

We are at the actual location now, not looking at TV. We see

the ship surrounded by soldiers, two medium tanks, two

artillery pieces, and a couple of machine guns. Some distance

away is a suggestion of the crowd of civilians, held back by

police. Prominent in the scene are newsreel and television

cameras. OUR CAMERA MOVES IN to MED. SHOT. As it does so, we

see a couple of metal objects rising slowly from the top of

the ship. One, which is an oddly-designed coil of wire, slides

up and revolves slowly. The other is a section of vented

pipe with a convex cap on it.

REVERSE ANGLE:

on the soldiers, their eyes glued to this first sign of

activity from the ship. They shift uneasily, gripping their

rifles more firmly.

MED. SHOT - THE SHIP

After a long, tense moment, a ramp appears silently out of

the side of the ship and slides down to the ground. There is

an audible gasp as a man appears at the top of the ramp. He

looks around at the crowd with cool and imperturbable dignity.

This is KLAATU. He is completely human in appearance. The

only unearthly thing about him is his clothing. He wears a

tunic that is very good looking, but at the same time

thoroughly comfortable and practical. On his head is a metal

helmet that obscures most of his face. (It would be impossible

to identify him later.) The design of this helmet gives the

impression that it is more a formal headdress than for

protection. Klaatu is above all an impressive man -- a man

of tremendous dignity and presence. He has the tolerant

superiority that comes with absolute knowledge.

INDIVIDUAL REACTION CUTS

of soldiers, people in the crowd, and policemen. The newsreel

and TV men are busy at their cameras.

MED. CLOSE SHOT - KLAATU

After an impressive moment, he raises his arms in the

universal gesture of neutrality. Then he speaks, in perfect

English, his voice amplified as though through an enunciator.

KLAATU:

We have come to visit you in peace --

and with good will.

Klaatu walks slowly down the ramp toward the soldiers. As he

does so, he draws from inside his tunic a strange looking

object, longish and tubular. It might be a a telescope -- or

it might be some strange kind of weapon.

MED. SHOT

shooting from the side, showing Klaatu advancing slowly toward

the line of soldiers. He holds out the mysterious object in

front of him in a gesture that is actually one of offering

but could be misinterpreted as menacing. There is a growing,

uneasy rumble of muttering among the soldiers as Klaatu

advances. They are clearly frightened of what he may do.

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