{"id":35424,"date":"2015-11-25T13:36:34","date_gmt":"2015-11-25T20:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=35424"},"modified":"2020-12-10T11:46:21","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T18:46:21","slug":"forbidden-planet-1956","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=35424","title":{"rendered":"Forbidden Planet (1956)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;The fool, the meddling idiot! As though his ape&#8217;s brain could contain the secrets of the Krell!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Poster-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-35427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Poster-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Poster-83x128.jpg 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Poster-665x1024.jpg 665w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Poster.jpg 1947w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nIn the 23rd century, the crew leader (Leslie Nielsen) of an interplanetary cruiser is surprised to find that a scientist (Walter Pidgeon), his daughter (Anne Francis), and their robot Robby are the sole inhabitants on the planet Altair-IV. While falling in love with Francis, Nielsen learns that Pidgeon has tapped into the brain-boosting equipment left behind by the planet&#8217;s extinct Krell population, and has unwittingly created a monster of lethal proportions.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anne Francis Films<\/li>\n<li>Robots<\/li>\n<li>Science Fiction<\/li>\n<li>Scientists<\/li>\n<li>Space Exploration<\/li>\n<li>Walter Pidgeon Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that while &#8220;several science fiction film of the fifties are more intelligent, clever, suspenseful, economical, original, [and] witty&#8221; than this &#8220;first SF film&#8230; made in glorious color and Cinemascope&#8221;, none was &#8220;more influential&#8221;, given that it was &#8220;the only SF movie of the period to succeed in giving the genre a long-denied tag of respectability within the industry&#8221;, and &#8220;represented the first time a major studio (MGM) released an SF film that was meant to be a top-of-the-line production&#8221;. He points out, however, that while the &#8220;picture certainly has an interesting, intelligent premise&#8221;, the script itself (by Cyril Hume) is &#8220;very trite [and] juvenile&#8221;, the &#8220;direction by Fred Wilcox lacks excitement, the acting is stiff, and the crew-cutted, always snickering, obedient, white, WASPish soldiers are more fitting for the dull Eisenhower Era than the 23rd century&#8221;. He further argues that the film&#8217;s worst mistake may be &#8220;having [the robot] Robby (who has amazing power) relegated to comic relief&#8221; rather than, for instance, joining in &#8220;during the climactic Id vs. Morbius scene&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>While I&#8217;m annoyed by Robby &#8212; his interactions with a tippling cook (Earl Holliman) are especially groan-worthy &#8212; I actually believe the film&#8217;s <em>worst<\/em> error is its lack of (strong) female characters. <em>Forbidden Planet<\/em> immediately and unambiguously fails the <a href=\"http:\/\/bechdeltest.com\/\">Bechdel Test<\/a>, given that there is only one female character (Francis) who is thus unable to talk to another female about <u>anything<\/u>, let alone a topic other than men. Indeed, nearly all of Francis&#8217;s dialogue centers ON men &#8212; from her growing understanding of what this &#8220;sexual attraction&#8221; thing is all about, to which man she will (inevitably) end up attached to, to how she can dress in a way that will make the men more comfortable, etc. She&#8217;s ultimately little more than skimpily dressed eye candy. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Francis.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Francis.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"304\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Francis.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Francis-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Francis-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Francis-604x255.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Of minor interest is the fact that <em>Forbidden Planet<\/em>&#8216;s storyline is loosely based on Shakespeare&#8217;s <em>The Tempest<\/em> &#8212; though we never fully understand why Morbius is so protective of his daughter, given that the &#8220;Freudian-incestuous elements are toned down.&#8221; Once the narrative centers on Nielsen&#8217;s exploration of Altair-IV and his growing understanding of Pidgeon&#8217;s history on the planet, however, we immediately become drawn in &#8212; thanks in large part to the truly &#8220;marvelous design of Altair-IV and the Krell underground chambers&#8221;, as well as some nifty special effects. Also wonderfully innovative is the &#8220;electronic music by Louis and Bebe Barron&#8221;. Regardless of its flaws, film fanatics will likely want to check this one out at least once, given its popularity and historical importance.   <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fine futuristic sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Sets.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"304\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Sets.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Sets-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Sets-300x127.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Sets2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Sets2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"304\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Sets2.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Sets2-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Sets2-300x127.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Impressive special effects<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Special-Effects.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Special-Effects.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"304\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35435\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Special-Effects.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Special-Effects-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Special-Effects-300x127.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Good use of widescreen Technicolor cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Technicolor-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Technicolor-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"304\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Technicolor-1.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Technicolor-1-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Technicolor-1-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Technicolor-1-604x255.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Walter Pidgeon as Morbius<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Pidgeon.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Pidgeon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"304\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-35426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Pidgeon.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Pidgeon-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Forbidden-Planet-Pidgeon-300x127.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Louis and Bebe Barron&#8217;s electronic soundtrack<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its cult and historical status. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0049223\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/movie\/review?res=9D06E1D7103CE03BBC4C53DFB366838D649EDE\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/moria.co.nz\/sciencefiction\/forbidden-planet-1956.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=4094&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s3284forb.html\">DVD Savant&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/1114\/forbidden-planet#articles-reviews?articleId=18630\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/forbidden-planet\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The fool, the meddling idiot! As though his ape&#8217;s brain could contain the secrets of the Krell!&#8221; Synopsis: In the 23rd century, the crew leader (Leslie Nielsen) of an interplanetary cruiser is surprised to find that a scientist (Walter Pidgeon), his daughter (Anne Francis), and their robot Robby are the sole inhabitants on the planet Altair-IV. While falling in love with Francis, Nielsen learns that Pidgeon has tapped into the brain-boosting equipment left behind by the planet&#8217;s extinct Krell population,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=35424\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35424"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56743,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35424\/revisions\/56743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}