The words intelligent and science fiction in regards to a film from the 50's may seem like somewhat of an anachronism when one thinks about most of the drive-in movie schlock of that era, but there are a few treasures to be uncovered. It's a short list of course, but one that includes The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and Forbidden Planet. I don't know what audiences of that particular decade originally thought of this film that was short on action and long on dialog, but almost fifty years later it still holds up quite well despite the seemingly endless advances film makers have made in the special effects department. It's living proof that it's not just the special effects that make a well done science fiction film, `it's the script and the story, stupid'.
The plot at first glance seems relatively simple. A spaceship crew is sent to the planet Altair-4 (Altair being derived from a Greek word for star, clever isn't it?) to find out what happened to the Belerephon Expedition that had settled on the planet some twenty years earlier. As they approach the planet they are contacted by one of the settlers, Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), who warns them to make a U-turn and go pester some other planet. Of course being an upright and true blue kind of guy who always follows orders, Commander Adams (Leslie Nielsen), lands his flying saucer space ship on the planet anyway to find out what exactly is going on and so that we can have the rest of the movie. They are soon greeted thereafter by a robot named Robbie who is piloting a land speeder that would probably make Luke Skywalker just as pea green with envy as the sky of Altair-4 is. Robbie quickly whisks away the Commander, the `Doc' (Warren Stevens) and Lt. Farman (Jack Kelly) to the home of Dr. Morbius who seems to be in a bit more of a congenial mood then he was during his earlier radio transmission. We soon find out that all the other members of the Belerephon Expedition met a horrid untimely death, and the only inhabitants left on the planet are Morbius, Robbie, and the daughter of Morbius, Altaira (Anne Francis). So who or what killed the other colonists? Why was Dr. Morbius the only original member of the expedition to survive? And which of the three bachelors will our dating game bachelorette Altaira choose: the commander, the doctor, or the playboy?
All the answers for these questions are contained in a forthright screenplay written by Cyril Hume, who based his tale on a reworking of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Hume must have firmly believed in the existence of intelligent life on the planet Earth (name origin unknown). There is a monster in Forbidden Planet, but it is not thrown on the screen just so we can have another 50's type monster on the loose and have it stomp everything in sight scenario. There are explanations, and even though you may find many of the special effects antiquated, you won't care. As we tour the underground workings of Altair-4 with Dr. Morbius as our guide, we become totally fascinated by the story of The Krell, the previous tenants of Altair-4 who thought they had achieved the ultimate possibilities of mind over matter.
This is not to say Forbidden Planet is perfect. There is a comedic subplot regarding the ships cook (Earl Holliman) thrown in at the insistence of the studio. While one can see the humor as Cook has Robby perform a little chore for him, it still seems out of place and unnecessary in this film. The romantic angle of the film seems mired knee deep in 50's sensibilities. I'll be the first to proclaim loudly that the beauty of Anne Francis could knock any man for a loop, but the reactions of the crew to her appearance seem more like the twittering one would expect from a prepubescent school boy than anything else. Yet in the end, when she finally does choose Bachelor number one, we see an underlying tension emanating from Morbius that is essential to the underlying themes of the story.
As for the cast, Walter Pidgeon is outstanding as Morbius. Leslie Nielsen does a good job as the Commander, reminding us that he was once able to play a straight role. Anne Francis has always been a favorite of mine, but she handles the chores of Altaira, who meets her first Earth men (other than her father), with a kind of wide eyed matter of fact innocence. The rest of the cast are okay with probably Warren Stevens as Doc being the best of the lot. Oh, and let's not forget the legendary Robbie the Robot, whose appearance in this film alone makes it worth seeing.
Forbidden Planet is a must see for any science fiction film, if for no other reason than that it answers the question in regards to whether or not there were any intelligent science fiction films made in the fifties. The answer is of course yes, and if I can answer that particular question in that manner, I have no choice but to give you my grade which for Forbidden Planet is a B+.
The plot at first glance seems relatively simple. A spaceship crew is sent to the planet Altair-4 (Altair being derived from a Greek word for star, clever isn't it?) to find out what happened to the Belerephon Expedition that had settled on the planet some twenty years earlier. As they approach the planet they are contacted by one of the settlers, Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), who warns them to make a U-turn and go pester some other planet. Of course being an upright and true blue kind of guy who always follows orders, Commander Adams (Leslie Nielsen), lands his flying saucer space ship on the planet anyway to find out what exactly is going on and so that we can have the rest of the movie. They are soon greeted thereafter by a robot named Robbie who is piloting a land speeder that would probably make Luke Skywalker just as pea green with envy as the sky of Altair-4 is. Robbie quickly whisks away the Commander, the `Doc' (Warren Stevens) and Lt. Farman (Jack Kelly) to the home of Dr. Morbius who seems to be in a bit more of a congenial mood then he was during his earlier radio transmission. We soon find out that all the other members of the Belerephon Expedition met a horrid untimely death, and the only inhabitants left on the planet are Morbius, Robbie, and the daughter of Morbius, Altaira (Anne Francis). So who or what killed the other colonists? Why was Dr. Morbius the only original member of the expedition to survive? And which of the three bachelors will our dating game bachelorette Altaira choose: the commander, the doctor, or the playboy?
All the answers for these questions are contained in a forthright screenplay written by Cyril Hume, who based his tale on a reworking of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Hume must have firmly believed in the existence of intelligent life on the planet Earth (name origin unknown). There is a monster in Forbidden Planet, but it is not thrown on the screen just so we can have another 50's type monster on the loose and have it stomp everything in sight scenario. There are explanations, and even though you may find many of the special effects antiquated, you won't care. As we tour the underground workings of Altair-4 with Dr. Morbius as our guide, we become totally fascinated by the story of The Krell, the previous tenants of Altair-4 who thought they had achieved the ultimate possibilities of mind over matter.
This is not to say Forbidden Planet is perfect. There is a comedic subplot regarding the ships cook (Earl Holliman) thrown in at the insistence of the studio. While one can see the humor as Cook has Robby perform a little chore for him, it still seems out of place and unnecessary in this film. The romantic angle of the film seems mired knee deep in 50's sensibilities. I'll be the first to proclaim loudly that the beauty of Anne Francis could knock any man for a loop, but the reactions of the crew to her appearance seem more like the twittering one would expect from a prepubescent school boy than anything else. Yet in the end, when she finally does choose Bachelor number one, we see an underlying tension emanating from Morbius that is essential to the underlying themes of the story.
As for the cast, Walter Pidgeon is outstanding as Morbius. Leslie Nielsen does a good job as the Commander, reminding us that he was once able to play a straight role. Anne Francis has always been a favorite of mine, but she handles the chores of Altaira, who meets her first Earth men (other than her father), with a kind of wide eyed matter of fact innocence. The rest of the cast are okay with probably Warren Stevens as Doc being the best of the lot. Oh, and let's not forget the legendary Robbie the Robot, whose appearance in this film alone makes it worth seeing.
Forbidden Planet is a must see for any science fiction film, if for no other reason than that it answers the question in regards to whether or not there were any intelligent science fiction films made in the fifties. The answer is of course yes, and if I can answer that particular question in that manner, I have no choice but to give you my grade which for Forbidden Planet is a B+.