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Review
by Kelly Parks |
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USA Release: AUG! 22, 1956 MGM Rated: N/A |
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Theremin music rocks!*
Okay, maybe it's an acquired taste, but if you were raised on horror and sci-fi movies there's gotta be a special place in your heart for that weird electronic scary music.
FORBIDDEN PLANET was directed by Fred M. Wilcox and written by Cyril Hume, Allen Adler (PARASITE) and Irving Block (THE 30 FOOT BRIDE OF CANDY ROCK, THE SAGA OF THE VIKING WOMEN AND THEIR VOYAGE TO THE WATERS OF THE GREAT SEA SERPENT) and is based on Shakespeare's "The Tempest".
The story begins with the arrival at Altair (a star similar in size to our sun but quite a bit brighter) of a military starship from Earth. Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen: CREEPSHOW, DAY OF THE ANIMALS) and his men have spent a year in hyperspace to reach Altair in order to find out what happened to an ill-fated previous expedition. A group of scientists went to explore the Altair system and were never heard from again.
When our technology is advanced enough, we'll have flying saucers
They go into orbit around Altair IV after the Commander and his close shipmate Doc Ostrow (Warren Stevens: CYBORG 2087, THE STUDENT BODY) pause to admire an arranged eclipse.
At first they can find no trace of the previous expedition. Then frighteningly powerful radar scans hit the ship followed by a radio message from Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon: THE NEPTUNE FACTOR) asking just who the hell they are. When Commander Adams delivers what he thinks will be welcome news, that he's there to rescue Morbius and his colleagues, Morbius just says thanks but no thanks, no need to land, goodbye! A little miffed at the lack of gratitude but determined to follow his orders, the Commander lands anyway.
The ship sets down in a desert surrounded by rocky hills. No sooner have the men left the ship, hardly having time to admire the green sky and two moons, than a vehicle approaches at a mad pace. The very 50's-futuristic looking ground car is driven by Robby the Robot (Marvin Miller - voice: THE DEADLY MANTIS, KING DINOSAUR) who politely asks Commander Adams and company to get in, please. Clearly AI (Artificial Intelligence) tech like this doesn't exist on Earth. Adams and Doc aren't certain what to make of Robby. The Commander, apparently just trying to make conversation, comments to Robby about Altair IV's atmosphere, noting the high oxygen content. Robby replies,"I rarely use it myself, sir. It promotes rust." Since Robby would have to be made out of advanced synthetics and little or no iron, this wasn't a Data-like misunderstanding. This was dry AI humor.
Robby delivers Adams, Doc and Lt. Jerry Farman (Jack Kelly: THE NIGHT HOLDS TERROR, CULT OF THE COBRA) to the house of Dr. Morbius (the only building on the whole planet). Morbius apologizes for being short with them before they landed, explaining that he's been a recluse for many years. He is more polite, but still tries to give them the bum's rush, basically saying, "See, I'm fine, everything's fine, now please leave."
It was one lousy year in space, but it looks like it's getting better!
The beautiful Altaira (Anne Francis: THE SATAN BUG, BRAINSTORM), Morbius' adult daughter, chooses that moment to enter the room. She's a sight for sore eyes to the lonely spacemen and is quickly cornered by the very horny Lt. Farman.
While Farman is busy bad-mouthing his friends to deflect Altaira's interest in them, Morbius explains that the rest of the members of his expedition are long dead. A mysterious, unseen creature came in the night and tore them limb from limb killing most of them. The few survivors attempted to lift off in the expedition's ship, but the ship was immediately vaporized. Only Morbius and his wife (who stayed behind because they loved this planet) were inexplicably immune. Morbius' wife died not long after, of natural causes.
TRIVIA * Theremin music certainly rocks, but FORBIDDEN PLANET didn't use Theremin music. The score was created by Louis and Bebe Barron using their own electronic sound inventions. Louis and Bebe (birth name, Charlotte May Wind) are historically credited for writing the first electronic music for magnetic tape (1950), as well as the first entirely electronic score for a feature film, which is this movie. Louis and Bebe made their electronic sound invention based upon the cybernetic theories of MIT mathmatician, Norbert Wiener, which he wrote in his 1948 book, Cybernetics: Or, Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine. Louis created his sound circuits based upon the equations found in Wiener's book. And a tip of the hat to Don John Long! And - Uncredited Robby the Robot designer, Robert Kinoshita, dies at the age of 100 in 2014. Plus - Anne Francis stars in FORBIDDEN PLANET, whoa, oh, oh oh, ohhh... |
Altair IV's bloody past and the combination of Morbius' refusal to leave and his dire warnings about the fate of the unwelcome space men if they don't leave puts Commander Adams in an awkward position. He decides he must consult his superiors back on Earth. Unfortunately this means building a communications facility, which will take several days.
Strange happenings begin immediately. Late at night an invisible intruder enters the ship and sabotages vital equipment. This results in Adams and Doc paying an unexpected visit to the Morbius house where they discover what Morbius was trying to keep secret.
His house is built on the entrance to the underground ruins of a powerful race, called the Krell, that inhabited this planet 200,000 years ago. "Ruins" really isn't the right word, since everything built by the Krell is self-repairing and self-cleaning and all in perfect working order.
The unrepentedly arrogant Morbius (I love that guy!) explains that his exposure to a Krell device has dramatically boosted his intelligence and thus he alone is able to decide which of the Krell wonders humanity is ready for. He makes it clear that it'll be a short list as Morbius has a low opinion of his fellow man.
It was this brain boost that allowed Morbius to build Robby. The robot is tremendously powerful but Morbius was apparently an Asimov fan because Robby's programming includes Asimov's laws of robotics, making Robby incapable of harming any rationale being.
!!!SCIENCE MOMENT!!!:
The opening narration (have I mentioned that I hate narration?) tells us that the space age begins when man reaches
the moon in the final decade of the 21st century. This movie was released
in 1956, just thirteen years before we reached the moon and five years
before Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. As always, science
fiction is rarely too imaginative. More often, it's not imaginative enough.
This is excellent, good old-fashioned sci-fi. The invisible monster (which you do get to see, eventually) gave me nightmares as a kid and still makes me nervous. And the explanation behind it, which also explains Morbius' immunity and the fate of the Krell, is elegant and insightful into human nature.
I give FORBIDDEN PLANET an easy five Shriek Girls.
This review
copyright 2000 E.C.McMullen Jr.
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