Forbidden Planet (1956)

Science fiction films began to emerge in the 1950s, initially spawned by the Atomic Age and the advent of advances in special effects. Films like Gordon Douglas's THEM! (1954), Jack Arnold's TARANTULA (1955), and Nathan Juran's THE DEADLY MANTIS (1957) had the nuclear bomb or its radioactive residue turning insects like ants and praying mantises into gigantic monsters. There was a tad of science to mostly fiction. Robert Wise's THE DAY THAT THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) was the first mainstream science fiction film to bring an alien (in the human guise of Michael Rennie) from outer space to earth. This would be quickly followed by Byron Haskins THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953) based on H.G. Wells novel with Martians invading Earth. But the first science fiction film to set its story outside of our galaxy, on a distant, unknown planet somewhere in the future inhabited by a stocky robot and filmed in bright Metrocolor not black and white was Fred M. Wilcox's FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956).

I have to admit that the thought of watching filmmakers in the 1950s try to tackle an outer space film with the limited special effects technology at their disposal at the time never really appealed to me.  But as I prepared to watch FORBIDDEN PLANET and read up about it, it's evident that this seminal film shaped future television show mavericks and filmmakers from Gene Roddenberry (creator of STAR TREK) to George Lucas (he wrote and directed a little film called STAR WARS) and its influence can be seen in films from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) to Ridley Scott's ALIEN (1979). 

Loosely based on William Shakespeare's play The Tempest (more about that later), FORBIDDEN PLANET'S screenplay is by Cyril Hume based on a story by Irving Block and Allen Adler.  Directed by Fred M. Wilcox, FORBIDDEN PLANET begins with a crew representing the United Planet Federation in the 23rd century arriving in a classic shaped space saucer C57D on the outskirts of the planet Altair IV after a one-year flight. Their mission is to search for survivors from a previous expedition to Altair IV twenty years earlier. Just before the saucer lands, they receive a transmission from a voice warning them to stay away.  Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) disregards the admonition.  The saucer lands on the rocky planet.  A shuttle car comes toward them driven by Robby the Robot (Frank Darro inside; voiced by Marvin Miller). Robby takes Adams along with Lt. "Doc" Ostrow (Warren Stevens) and Lt. Jerry Farman (Jack Kelly) to the compound of Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter Altaira Morbius (Anne Francis). Although she's never seen another man before except her father, Altaira greets the men dressed in a daring mini skirt. 

Dr. Morbius tells Adams that after their expedition landed on Altair IV, an unseen force killed off his crew one by one.  Only Morbius, his wife, and daughter survived (his wife eventually passing away of natural causes). Morbius offers to help their spaceship return to Earth but Adams needs to receive his next orders from Earth. Lt. Farman falls for Altaira and teaches her how to kiss but Altaira's not impressed. Adams catches Farman and Altaira and admonishes both of them.  Back at the spaceship, an invisible entity enters the ship and sabotages some of its equipment. Adams and Doc Ostrow return to visit Morbius the next day. Adams comes across Altaira swimming.  He apologizes to her for his outburst.  They kiss and Altaira is more receptive. Morbius appears and tells Adams and Ostrow about a civilization called the Krell he's been studying that lived on Altair IV 200,000 years before Morbius and his starship landed. Morbius has discovered a Krell device that has enhanced his intellect and an underground power source of shafts and ventilators powered by 9,200 thermonuclear reactors. Adams believes this power source should be brought back to Earth. Morbius is hesitant to share his discovery with humanity. 

The crew members put up an electric perimeter with sensors around the ship to ward of the invisible monster. When the ship's cook (Earl Holliman) asks to go beyond the perimeter to secretly meet with Robby the Robot (who's created 480 bottles of Kansas City bourbon for the cook), the invisible creature sneaks on board again, killing Chief Engineer Quinn (Richard Anderson). Morbius shows up at the ship and warns Adams and the crew they are in mortal danger. Adams sets up a stronger defense with a pair of giant ray guns.  Radar picks up a large blip approaching. The invisible creature strikes the electrified perimeter, revealing its frightening outline. The monster is barely phased by the fence's electric volts. Lt. Farman and two more crew members are killed trying to stop the entity. At the same time, Altaira has a nightmare that awakens Morbius. Strangely, the creature stops attacking.

Adams and Doc return to Morbius's residence to evacuate him and Altaira. Robby the Robot blocks their way until Altaira allows them safe passage. Doc tries the brain booster to unlock the secrets of the Krell.  The apparatus reveals to Doc that the Krell destroyed their own civilization.  Doc's brain is overwhelmed by the apparatus and he dies.  Morbius refuses to leave but Altaira makes up her mind to depart with Adams. The ethereal monster shows up at the compound. Adams figures out that Morbius's enhanced brain from the Krell technology has created an alter ego for Morbius - the invisible monster. The monster tries to burn through the locked doors. Morbius faces off against his Id entity, destroying the monster but dying in the process. Adams takes Ataira and Robby back to the ship.  Back in space, they watch as the planet Altair IV self-destructs, taking 200,000 years of Krell technology with it.

Even with the leaps and bounds the science fiction film genre has made in the last forty plus years, FORBIDDEN PLANET is truly a groundbreaking film if you can get past some of the antiquated wardrobe (miniskirts in space, really?) and lack of scientific knowledge when the film was released in 1956. Cinema's first robot is unveiled with Robby the Robot, created by Dr. Morbius himself. We would become much more familiar with robots i.e., droids in George Lucas's STAR WARS (1977) and Irving Kerschner's THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) introducing us to C-3PO and R2D2, the great grandchildren of Robby. Robby even seems like a distant cousin to the computer H.A.L. 9000 from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY minus the murderous streak. The bright green color of Altair IV's horizon and rocky, pinnacle landscape are the first interstellar world moviegoers had ever seen. Although there is plenty of scientific gibberish spoken by the crew members, I did hear words like "hyperspace" and "blasters" spoken that would become the norm in the STAR WARS universe and countless other sci-fi movies. 

You can clearly see the importance FORBIDDEN PLANET had on the creation of the television series STAR TREK (1966-1969) created by Gene Roddenberry. FORBIDDEN'S Commander Adams (Leslie  Nielsen) brings the ship's medical officer Doc Ostrow and Lt. Farman with him to meet the planet's only resident Dr. Morbius. In STAR TREK, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) routinely investigated planets with the Enterprise's physician "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelly) and science officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy). FORBIDDEN'S ship C57D has teleporter pods similar (but used differently) to the teleporters that STAR TREK'S crew would use to beam down to a planet's surface. The set and backdrop for the landscape of FORBIDDEN PLANET with its bright colorful horizon would be the standard for many STAR TREK episodes (unless they filmed on location or a studio backlot). 

Commander Adams uses a blaster in FORBIDDEN PLANET.  Captain Kirk had a phaser (basically the same weapon).  The creature created from Morbius's subconscious Id kills several random crew members in FORBIDDEN PLANET.  In STAR TREK, it was a badge of honor for the nameless Enterprise crew member wearing the red shirt to be killed first on a new planet they were investigating. Altaira's (Anne Francis) miniskirt in FORBIDDEN PLANET, as unusual for a planet wardrobe as could be, was the official ship norm for the female crew members in STAR TREK.  And many of the alien women the Enterprise crew would encounter would often be scantily clad (as much as one could in the 1960s). Although Lt. Farman kisses Altaira first, it is Commander Adams who wins over her heart and mind in FORBIDDEN PLANET.  Just like Commander Adams, STAR TREK'S Captain James T. Kirk was always scoring with the ladies of the universe.  Commanding a spaceship has its privileges. 

I touched upon that FORBIDDEN PLANET is described as "loosely" based on William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. That might be an understatement.  For those of you (myself included) who don't know the plot of The Tempest, it's about a magician named Prospero who is shipwrecked on an island with his daughter Miranda and his two servants: a beast named Calibran and a sprightly spirit named Ariel. Sound vaguely familiar? The screenwriters for FORBIDDEN PLANET have Dr. Morbius exiled on the planet Altair IV with his daughter Altaira and a robot he's built that's like a servant/bodyguard to him called Robby.  How Shakespeare didn't receive a credit (at least an Executive Producer credit) for FORBIDDEN PLANET is beyond comprehension. What borrowing from the Bard does prove is that his stories could be transformed into any movie genre from Anthony Mann's THE MAN FROM LARAMIE (1955) King Lear plot for a western to turning Romeo and Juliet's story of two star crossed lovers from warring Italian families into two rival New York gangs for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins's musical WEST SIDE STORY (1961). Science fiction was no different in handling Shakespeare's universal stories.

The pivotal role of Dr. Morbius played by Walter Pidgeon in FORBIDDEN PLANET is a God-like character that we will see in future science fiction films and TV shows. Morbius led the first colony to  Altair IV. After nearly every one of his crew mysteriously dies (except his daughter), Morbius discovers the power of the Krell technology, the previous inhabitants. Using their devices, he increases his brain power one hundred-fold. He builds the perfect servant in Robby the Robot. He is master of his kingdom until Commander Adams and his crew show up.  Their arrival unleashes the darker side of Morbius. An invisible monster, a manifestation of Morbius's Id or subconscious, is waiting. When Morbius feels threatened, either by Lt. Farman kissing his daughter or Adams wanting to take the Krell technology back to Earth, Morbiu's alter ego comes to life, causing havoc and death to Adams crew and spaceship.

Several STAR TREK episodes had similar beings who landed on unknown or uninhabited planets and became self-proclaimed rulers of the planet (check out the 1967 STAR TREK episode THE SQUIRE OF GOTHOS starring William Campbell as one example).  Another space television show LOST IN SPACE (1965 - 1968) had a Dr. Morbius like antagonist in Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris) who had a goatee like Morbius.  LOST IN SPACE also had a robot that talked and looked similar to Robby the Robot from FORBIDDEN PLANET, but LOST IN SPACE'S robot had no name. In the end, as the English poet John Donne wrote, "no man is an island." Morbius's isolation on Altair IV leads him down the wrong path.  Morbius might have used his newfound powers more wisely had more of his colony survived. 

One of the most suspenseful set pieces in FORBIDDEN PLANET is when Commander Adams spaceship picks up Morbius's subconscious Id, the invisible monster, on its radar heading toward them. An electric perimeter has been set up around the ship to catch the being. The crew waits tensely, blasters drawn, as the radar blips draw closer and closer. But there's nothing to see until the monster strikes the electric force field revealing its terrifying silhouette. The monster flings crew members around like rag dolls. To create the Id monster, MGM "borrowed" from Walt Disney Animation (with their approval) one of their best animators Joshua Meador to bring the space monster to life. Meador basically drew the monster with pencil rather than cel animation than added some optical effects to enhance the creature.  If you look closely, the Id monster resembles Dr. Morbius. Ridley Scott's ALIEN and James Cameron's ALIENS (1986) would have similar suspenseful scenes with the unseen alien or aliens approaching as blips on a tracking device, ratcheting up the suspense, not revealing the alien until the terrifying last moment. 

Walter Pidgeon is perfect as the erudite Dr. Morbius with his deep, baritone voice and commanding presence.  The tall, distinguished actor was a leading man in the 1940s in films like Fritz Lang's MAN HUNT (1941), John Ford's HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941), and William Wyler's MRS. MINIVER (1942). Fans of Leslie Nielsen who thought he only performed in comedies thanks to the Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrahams AIRPLANE! (1980) and THE NAKED GUN series will be surprised by Nielsen's non-comic role as Commander John J. Adams in FORBIDDEN PLANET.  There are times though when Nielsen speaks that he's almost channeling Lt. Drebin from THE NAKED GUN to crack a joke with his deadpan delivery. But Nielsen is all seriousness in FORBIDDEN PLANET. 

Anne Francis as Morbius's daughter Altaira was not an actress I was very familiar with. Despite landing some decent roles in films like John Sturges BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955) and Richard Brooks THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE (also 1955) besides FORBIDDEN PLANET, Francis could never rise above her pretty looks to play more meaningful roles.  But she's a nice addition to FORBIDDEN PLANET as she's the only female role in the film. FORBIDDEN PLANET supporting cast would be filled with character actors that I would become more familiar with on television shows I watched in the 70s.  Earl Holliman who supplies comic relief as the cook in FORBIDDEN PLANET would be Angie Dickinson's police partner on NBC's POLICE WOMAN (1974 -1978). Richard Anderson as Chief Science Officer Quinn in FORBIDDEN PLANET would become better known as the Bionic Man Steve Austin's (Lee Majors) boss Oscar Goldman in the ABC series THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN (1974 -1978).  And James Drury who has a minor role as Crewman Strong (I don't think I even noticed him) would find more success in westerns including Sam Peckinpah's RIDE THE HIGH COUNTY (1962) and on the NBC western series THE VIRGINIAN (1962-1971) where Drury played the title role of the Virginian. 

Some final FORBIDDEN PLANET tidbits. The musical score by Louis and Bebe Barron is credited as electronic tonalities, the first ever electronic soundtrack in a film. Since no musical instruments were used, the musicians' union blocked the Barrons from receiving a credit as composers hence the credit "electronic tonalities" for the Barrons. As mentioned, FORBIDDEN PLANET had a huge influence on the seminal science fiction television show STAR TREK.  Coincidentally, Warren Stevens who plays Doc Ostrow in FORBIDDEN PLANET would be a guest star on a 1968 episode of STAR TREK called BY ANY OTHER NAME. It's ironic that the choice of the shape of C57D that lands on Altair IV is a flying saucer.  The flying saucer usually represents menacing aliens from Ed Wood's PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE (1957) to Tim Burton's MARS ATTACKS! (1996).  In FORBIDDEN PLANET, it's the mode of transportation for the United Planet Federation in the 23rd century.  Cylindrical space rockets that we're all accustomed to now were just a few years from our consciousness as the United States and Russia would race to put a man in space. 

When we think of directors of great science fiction films, names like George Lucas, Stanley Kubrick, or Ridley Scott come to mind. Director Fred M. Wilcox name is not among that list. Wilcox is the man who directed FORBIDDEN PLANET, the film that would ignite future filmmakers to take us to new worlds beyond Earth. Wilcox's only previous hit was LASSIE COME HOME (1943) which wouldn't seem to indicate that he was the man to direct FORBIDDEN PLANET.  Wilcox wouldn't do much more after the pioneering science fiction film but his contributions to FORBIDDEN PLANET and his handling of the material will forever be remembered. 

I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable FORBIDDEN PLANET was. A distant planet, a giant robot, an invisible Id monster, and a dying civilization with technology beyond anything Earth could do were all science fiction staples that I was familiar with but never knew their cinematic origins. Taking a page from Shakespeare but expanding on his story was a nice touch as well. FORBIDDEN PLANET'S legacy lives on from television shows STAR TREK and LOST IN SPACE to the STAR WARS film universe, directed by a man who first brought us Lassie.  Throughout the galaxy, only on the planet Earth and a town called Hollywood could this tale come to be told.