FORBIDDEN PLANET. Groundbreaking (and still fresh) science fiction movie

In 1969, thanks to the Moon landing, humanity took its first serious step toward realizing the age-old dream of space exploration. However, before that happened, decades had to pass in which science fiction creators showcased their visions of what the realization of this dream might look like. Often, they took considerable artistic liberties in their imaginings. In Forbidden Planet, a film made in 1956, thirteen years before the Apollo 11 mission, the narrator explains at the beginning that humans only conquered the silver globe at the end of the 21st century. But truth be told, it doesn’t matter that SF creators often missed the mark in their predictions. What’s more important is that they inspired scientific advancements through their visions.

But what about Shakespeare? The screenplay for Fred M. Wilcox’s film, dealing with interplanetary travel, is based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.  The screenwriter, Cyril Hume, placed the film’s action in the 23rd century. A deserted island was replaced by the planet Altair IV, where Earth’s emissaries, led by Commander J.J. Adams (interestingly, in the original script, the action took place on Mercury in 1976), arrive to investigate the fate of a scientific expedition sent twenty years earlier to establish a colony. On-site, they meet Dr. Morbius (an equivalent of Shakespeare’s Prospero), who, along with his daughter Altaira (an equivalent of Shakespeare’s Miranda), and the intelligent robot named Robby (an equivalent of Shakespeare’s Caliban), turns out to be the only inhabitants of the planet who survived a mysterious catastrophe… This corresponds to the original title idea, which was Fatal Planet.

Before I unravel the plot mystery, let me demonstrate that Forbidden Planet is a unique and groundbreaking film, even apart from its defining screenplay. And it won’t be a difficult task, to say the least. Let’s start with the fact that in the film, in the lead role of Commander J.J. Adams, we see a young Leslie Nielsen, an actor we came to love for his comedic performances in Naked Gun. In this 1956 SF film, we witness how he handles a dramatic role, marking his cinematic debut – prior to this, he only appeared in TV series. Let’s go further. The film’s soundtrack was the first to use innovative electronic music, a characteristic sound that later became a common element in SF films.

Going even further, Forbidden Planet is the first film whose action takes place entirely outside Earth. It became an invaluable inspiration for many creators – Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, admitted that the famous series wouldn’t exist without Forbidden Planet. To bring this highly visual vision to life, a much larger budget than usual had to be gathered. Thus, Fred M. Wilcox’s film, accumulating around two million dollars in budget, became the first high-budget film from MGM studio. As you can imagine, its success paved the way for the creation of future large-scale SF spectacles. So, did the creators realize the breakthrough they were making? In an interview, actress Anne Francis admitted that the reason the film pleased both critics and audiences was that from the beginning, actors were told to take the project seriously.

However, the film’s distinctive feature is Robby the Robot. Designed by Robert Kinoshito, an outstanding designer, he was one of the first cinematic presentations of artificial intelligence. MGM didn’t want to part with him, so they kept the robot and used it in other subsequent films and productions – for example, you can also see him in The Invisible Boy from 1957. In Forbidden Planet, Robby is a symbol of higher civilization development, somewhat its pride. Strangely, thanks to this friendly character, the film in no way suggests that the future face of robotics might pose a threat to humanity (although Isaac Asimov had already formulated his laws by then, infused with the fear of robots getting out of human control). Forbidden Planet reflects a different kind of fear.

And here we get to the crux. I warn those who haven’t seen the film – the rest of the text reveals key plot elements. According to Morbius’s story, the planet Altair VI was once dominated by the Krell race, who created a more perfect form of civilization. They left behind complex machinery hidden in the planet’s underground. They also left behind a threat that the film’s characters face. They are attacked by an invisible, mysterious monster (MGM insisted on its “visual representation”). It turns out that the Krell created technology that materializes human thoughts – even those pushed into the subconscious (a motif also known from Stanislaw Lem’s Solaris). In this way, they self-destructed, as the embodiments of the most brutal instincts took control of the planet. The monster attacking the characters is, therefore, a product of Morbius’s thoughts, jealous of his daughter who fell in love with an Earthling.

The moral of this tale has a psychoanalytic character, adhering at the same time to Christian morality. The technology created by the Krell points to the negative consequences of trusting and releasing the dark depths of the subconscious – including fears and anxieties. And as we know, the measure of humanity is to be able to keep our instincts in check thanks to our conscience. And let it stay that way.

Looking at the visual aspect, the film obviously shows its age, but its content has clearly resisted the effects of aging. In the nineties, there was even consideration of remaking Forbidden Planet, with Anthony Hopkins playing Dr. Morbius. However, the idea fell through. What a shame. I wouldn’t mind if today’s trend of refreshing old films also embraced Fred M. Wilcox’s film. The original wouldn’t suffer from it, and the universal theme could come alive in a new, more credible aesthetic.