The Day the Earth Stood Still Page #4

CLOSE SHOT - PLATOON LEADER

A young second lieutenant, standing in front of his platoon.

As Klaatu advances, the lieutenant unslings his carbine.

MED. SHOT

Klaatu starts toward the platoon leader, raising the object

he holds toward the man, trying to make clear his intentions.

Misinterpreting this as a menacing gesture, the platoon leader

raises his carbine to his shoulder.

MED. CLOSE SHOT

of one of the tank commanders in the turret of his tank. He

is watching Klaatu advancing toward the platoon leader and

he has drawn his pistol. Convinced that the lieutenant is in

jeopardy, the tank commander aims at Klaatu and fires.

MED. SHOT

as Klaatu falls to the ground wounded. The object he was

holding has dropped from his hand and smashed. The soldiers

start to gather around Klaatu excitedly when suddenly there

appears in the entrance to the space ship a huge robot. There

is a gasp of amazement from the crowd and the solders draw

back at sight of him. The robot is ten feet tall, is made in

the almost-perfect image of a man. He is to be played by an

actor and his flesh appears to be made of a greenish metal.

His eyes flash as though lighted internally. His perfectly-

fashioned, muscular body is covered only with a loincloth.

This is GORT.

There are cries of amazement as Gort walks slowly ponderously,

down the ramp to the ground. As he does so, the ramp closes

behind him. Gort's face is, and always remains, utterly

expressionless. He stops to look at Klaatu, lying on the

ground. Then he looks around at the soldiers, the tanks and

guns. All the guns have been traversing to follow him.

CLOSE SHOT - GORT

From inside him there comes an ominous crackling sound, as

though power were being generated within him. His eyes flash

toward the tank from which Klaatu was shot.

MED. CLOSE SHOT - TANK

There is a great metallic clatter and the Sherman tank is

suddenly reduced to a pile of junk metal, its parts completely

disintegrated. Only a piece of tank track and twisted gun

barrel emerge from the heap on the ground to identify what

had been there. The tank's crew has remained unharmed.

CLOSE SHOT - GORT

The crackling sound continues as his eyes start to sweep in

a semicircle taking in all the troops.

MED. SHOT - THE TROOPS

SHOOTING FROM BEHIND Gort, with the back of his head in f.g.,

CAMERA PANS to follow Gort's sweeping gaze. In a growing

crash and clatter of metal, every weapon in sight is

destroyed. The two machine guns are little heaps of junk.

The 75's are larger heaps. The second tank, like the first,

is a three-foot pile of scrap. Rifles have dropped from the

soldier's hands and lie on the ground as little mounds of

wood and metal. None of the men has been harmed, but their

faces show the utter terror of what they have experienced.

ANOTHER ANGLE - THE TROOPS

as they react to the full shock of what has happened. Most

of them stand rooted to the ground. Several laugh

hysterically. A few break and run wildly.

MED. SHOT - CROWD OF CIVILIANS

Sudden pandemonium breaks out. Utterly terrified by what

they have witnessed, the crowd becomes a wild, milling,

screaming mob, concerned only with escape.

MED. CLOSE SHOT - GORT

He is walking slowly, deliberately, menacingly toward the

tank commander who fired on Klaatu. Standing by the debris

of his tank, the man is immobilized with terror. The robot

starts to reach out to grab him.

CLOSE SHOT - KLAATU

lying on the ground. He speaks to Gort sharply, in a strange

language.

KLAATU:

Gort! Deglet ovrosco!

MED. CLOSE SHOT - GORT

He pauses obediently in the act of reaching out for the tank

commander. Dropping his arms, he stands motionless and remains

that way.

MED. CLOSE SHOT - KLAATU

He has raised himself to a sitting position on the ground,

his wounded shoulder giving him considerable pain. The two

platoon leaders come into scene hesitantly, badly shaken by

the awesome demonstration of power they have seen. They are

uncertain as to what they should do. The platoon leader eyes

the smashed object on the ground curiously and turns

questioningly to Klaatu. With great dignity, Klaatu picks up

the broken object, which we see well for the first time. It

is a delicately-made tubular telescope, badly smashed. On it

are indications of small electronic gadgets.

KLAATU:

It was a gift. For your President.

(glances at the broken

object ruefully)

With this he could have studied life

on other planets.

Klaatu lets the object drop with a shrug of mild exasperation.

The two lieutenants exchange a helpless look of bewilderment.

Then Klaatu raises himself to his feet painfully, holding

his wounded shoulder. As he does so, a colonel and a captain

come into scene.

COLONEL:

(to the lieutenants)

Is he all right?

FIRST PLATOON LEADER

Got hit in the shoulder, sir.

The three junior officers exchange ineffectual glances and

look to the colonel, who thinks for a moment before making

his decision.

COLONEL:

Send for an ambulance. Get him to

Walter Reed Hospital right away.

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