In a New York Times opinion piece, a writer gives a side-by-side comparison of two versions of The Day the Earth Stood Still and the cultures that received them.

I compared the two earlier this month, watching the vintage version for the first time in at least 25 years. I was reminded of how deeply it had insinuated itself into the DNA of popular culture. I also thought of Norma Desmond, the fallen movie idol in “Sunset Boulevard,” who said of her spent career: “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.”

[Thanks to David Klaus and Andrew Porter for the link.]