The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

A flying saucer descends on Washington D.C. but when the saucer's inhabitant (Michael Rennie) emerges, he is shot out of fear that he might do some harm. Taken to a hospital, the alien escapes and stays at a boarding house where he can study these humans more closely while figuring out his next step. Based on the short story FAREWELL TO THE MASTER by Harry Bates and directed by Robert Wise (WEST SIDE STORY). One of the great science fictions films of all time, DAY THE EART STOOD STILL was unusual in that it was an A picture from a major studio with a stellar cast and director at a time when most sci-fi movies were B films without any major director or stars. For the most part, it's an intelligent and literate film with no bug eyed monsters or aliens out to take over the planet. These are intelligent extraterrestrials who come in peace but are met with the violence so typical of humans when they are confronted with something they don't understand and thus fear. The analogy of Rennie's alien to Christ is subtle but it's most definitely there. The iconic score is by Bernard Herrmann. With Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Frances Bavier and Edith Evanson.