If you’re a fan of the history of science fiction, particularly in movies, one of the seminal titles is certainly 1956’s Forbidden Planet. During the 1950s, sci-fi films were in vogue, thanks largely to the growing popularity of authors like Robert Heinlein, as well as the fact that young moviegoers embraced the genre in ways their parents never really did. But most of the science-fiction movies that were produced were made on a B-movie budget. Forbidden Planet is a rare exception, in that it was made by perhaps the biggest studio in town, MGM, on an A-movie budget, in CinemaScope, while also sporting landmark special effects, including sequences that used animation provided by Disney animators loaned to the studio.
It was also quite cerebral, in that it was the serious-minded story of the crew of a spaceship who land on a faraway planet, only to discover a presumed-dead scientist, Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), and his daughter, Altaira (Anne Francis), who have been marooned there. It’s actually a variation on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, albeit with a liberal dose of science fiction sprinkled in, with the crew attacked by an unseen force with a unique connection to Morbius’ subconscious.
Forbidden Planet was actually not a huge success when it came out, but it was still relatively well-received and, most importantly, was seen by the right people. One of those people was Gene Roddenberry, with it unlikely that we ever would have gotten Star Trek without Forbidden Planet. What’s also noteworthy about the film is its leading man—none other than Leslie Nielsen. While known to most for his comedy roles in Airplane! and The Naked Gun, he was actually a deadly serious actor for most of his career and, at the time, was being groomed as a heartthrob. He’s effective but a little dull as the ship commander Adams, with that being a common complaint at the time about his performances—that they were too humorless. Little did anyone know what a natural, untapped gift he had for comedy.
Probably the biggest star to come out of the movie was Robby the Robot, a film prop that cost about 7% of the movie’s budget to construct. He actually got his own spin-off movie, The Invisible Boy, which is included on Arrow’s 4K as a bonus feature. The movie also has a highly unusual soundtrack, with Bebe and Louis Barron’s pioneering electronic score influencing the electronic music that would come to dominate ’70s and ’80s sci-fi scores by artists like Tangerine Dream and Vangelis.
Befitting its huge stature, Arrow Video has gone all out for the 4K release, with the film getting a full 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative in its original, ultra-wide 2.55:1 aspect ratio. It’s certainly a sight to behold. It also has a great set of audio tracks, with the original mono track restored, as well as an early stereo mix (3.0) that was used in its premium release in 1956. There’s also a new 5.1 mix included.
The two-disc set is loaded with extras, including new commentary by critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw. In addition to the bonus movie, The Invisible Boy, as well as an episode of TV’s The Thin Man, where Robby played a supporting part (MGM pushed him hard), there’s also deleted footage and several retrospective features, both new and old.
Perhaps the most valuable is a documentary that was made in the 2000s for the Forbidden Planet DVD that includes a then-contemporary interview with Nielsen (minus his beloved fart machine), recorded not long before he passed away, where he looks back at his role in the film, how he was positioned, and how proud he is of the film’s enduring reputation. A lot of other luminaries weigh in, including John Carpenter, who cites it as a major influence on his own work.
Truly, if you are a sci-fi fanatic, this belongs in your collection. However, if you haven’t seen Forbidden Planet yet, this is a Criterion-level presentation of a very important film that—while a bit dated—still holds up seventy years after its release.