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Half sheet theatrical release poster for
Forbidden Planet, a landmark 1956 science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Directed by Fred M. Wilcox, it is widely considered one of the most influential sci-fi movies ever made, setting several cinematic "firsts":
Setting: The first sci-fi film set entirely on a foreign planet (Altair IV).
Technology: The first to depict humans traveling in a faster-than-light starship of their own creation.
Sound: The first Hollywood film with an entirely electronic musical score, composed by Bebe and Louis Barron.
Robotics: It introduced Robby the Robot, one of the first film robots with a distinct personality and sense of humor.
Plot & Inspiration
The film is a loose sci-fi adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. In the 23rd century, Commander John J. Adams leads a crew to Altair IV to investigate the disappearance of a colony sent 20 years earlier. They find only two survivors: the reclusive Dr. Edward Morbius and his daughter, Altaira, living in a technological paradise built by the extinct, highly advanced Krell race. The crew soon faces an invisible "Monster from the Id"—a physical manifestation of Morbius's own subconscious fears unleashed by Krell technology.
Key Cast
Walter Pidgeon as Dr. Edward Morbius
Anne Francis as Altaira "Alta" Morbius
Leslie Nielsen as Commander John J. Adams (in one of his earliest dramatic roles)
Warren Stevens as Lt. "Doc" Ostrow
Marvin Miller as the voice of Robby the Robot
Cultural Impact
Forbidden Planet paved the way for high-budget, serious science fiction, directly inspiring Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek and later franchises like Star Wars. In 2013, the film was added to the U.S. National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". |
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