Forbidden Planet (1956)

Director:

Fred M. Wilcox

Writers:

Cyril Hume (screenplay)
Irving Block (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 March 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

IT'S OUT OF THIS WORLD! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

A starship crew goes to investigate the silence of a planet's colony only to find two survivors and a deadly secret that one of them has.

Plot Keywords:

Planet | Monster | Philologist | Space | Genius

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Walter Pidgeon	...	Dr. Edward Morbius
Anne Francis	...	Altaira 'Alta' Morbius
Leslie Nielsen	...	Commander J. J. Adams
Warren Stevens	...	Lt. 'Doc' Ostrow M.D.
Jack Kelly	...	Lt. Jerry Farman
Richard Anderson	...	Chief Quinn
Earl Holliman	...	Cook
Robby the Robot	...	Himself
George Wallace	...	Bosun
Robert Dix	...	Crewman Grey (as Bob Dix)
Jimmy Thompson	...	Crewman Youngerford
James Drury	...	Crewman Strong
Harry Harvey Jr.	...	Crewman Randall
Roger McGee	...	Crewman Lindstrom
Peter Miller	...	Crewman Moran
Morgan Jones	...	Crewman Nichols
Richard Grant	...	Crewman Silvers
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Best	...	Crewman (uncredited)
William Boyett	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Frankie Darro	...	Robby the Robot (uncredited)
Marvin Miller	...	Robby the Robot (voice) (uncredited)
Les Tremayne	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Fred M. Wilcox		(as Fred McLeod Wilcox)

Writing credits
Cyril Hume		(screenplay)
Irving Block		(story) and
Allen Adler		(story)
William Shakespeare		(play "The Tempest") uncredited

Produced by
Nicholas Nayfack	....	producer

Cinematography by
George J. Folsey

Film Editing by
Ferris Webster

Production Design by
Irving Block		(uncredited)
Mentor Huebner		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Arthur Lonergan

Set Decoration by
Hugh Hunt
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Walter Plunkett		(costumes: men)

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Rhein	....	assistant director

Art Department
A.D. Flowers	....	set dresser: trees (uncredited)
Mentor Huebner	....	production illustrator and storyboards (uncredited)
Arthur Lonergan	....	designer: Morbius house and Krell lab (uncredited)
Glen Robinson	....	special prop designer and builder: ray guns, accessories (uncredited)

Sound Department
Wesley C. Miller	....	recording supervisor (as Dr. Wesley C. Miller)

Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special effects
Joshua Meador	....	special effects
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects
Irving G. Ries	....	special effects
Doug Hubbard	....	special effects (uncredited)
Robert Kinoshita	....	robot builder (uncredited)
Glen Robinson	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Franklyn Soldo	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Bob Abrams	....	animation effects (uncredited)
Joe Alves	....	assistant effects illustrator (uncredited)
Max Fabian	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)
Howard Fisher	....	matte painter (uncredited)
Henri Hillinck	....	matte painter (uncredited)
Bob Trochim	....	animator (uncredited)
Matthew Yuricich	....	matte painting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Helen Rose	....	costumes: Anne Francis

Editorial Department
Charles K. Hagedon	....	color consultant

Music Department
Bebe Barron	....	composer: electronic tonalities
Louis Barron	....	composer: electronic tonalities

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1978) (USA) (TV) (network premiere) (pan/scan)
• Criterion Collection, The (1989) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Turner Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print Panavision)

Other Companies

• Walt Disney Productions  Joshua Meador through courtesy of
• GNP Crescendo Records  soundtrack (1995)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor) (as Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:Approved (certificate #17605) | USA:G (re-rating) (1972) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | UK:U | Argentina:Atp | West Germany:12

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

MGM insisted on changes to Cyril Hume's script by adding comic relief scenes with the ship's cook (played in the final film by Earl Holliman). Among these scenes was one in which Robby the Robot responds to the cook's complaint about the lack of female companionship by bringing him a female chimp. The scene was reportedly not filmed.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As Morbius shows the Commander and Doctor around the Krell underground complex, sometimes they cast shadows on the ground and sometimes they do not. Also at one point their reflections can be seen in puddles of (rain)water lying on the surface on which they are walking.

Quotes:

Commander John J. Adams: Nice climate you have here. High oxygen content.
Robby the Robot: I seldom use it myself, sir. It promotes rust.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Guy X (2005)

Yes, this IS the best sci-fi film ever made.

Well, of course, "Star Wars" defined the genre, and "Alien" and "Blade Runner" perfected it; but "Forbidden Planet" created it. Argue, if you must, that movies like "The Day the Earth Stood Still", "Them" and "Five Million Years to Earth" are the cerebral grand-fathers of the film genre (and I won't disagree with you), but for "science-fiction-as-plot-driven-action-epic," this is it. This is the one.

It's so unerringly on target, in fact, that it still plays very well even today. The modern audience has to overcome the "Leslie Nielsen Factor" (and it is difficult to watch him in a totally straight role), but once you do, the movie is pure enjoyment. Forget about dated plots and special effect. Robbie the Robot is a guy in a suit, yes, but he is thoroughly believable. He even adheres nicely to Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, a trick that the digital robots in this summer's "I, Robot" had a great deal of difficulty with.

And the monster! I defy anyone to avoid getting the willies when the monster first shorts the security fence. Great special effect, then and now!

Finally, the universal theme of man's (and Krell's) individual flaws inserting themselves into an otherwise perfect system and TOTALLY gumming up the works is as relevant today as it was then. More so.