Forbidden Planet (1956)

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.

Director:

Fred M. Wilcox

Writers:

Cyril Hume (screen play), Irving Block (based on a story by),

Stars:

Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

When Adams and his crew are sent to investigate the silence from a planet inhabited by scientists, he finds all but two have died. Dr. Morbius and his daughter Altaira have somehow survived a hideous monster which roams the planet. Unknown to Adams, Morbius has made a discovery, and has no intention of sharing it (or his daughter!) with anyone.

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Plot Keywords:

planet | monster | spaceship | robot | loss of father | 

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Taglines:

Amazing!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Planète interdite

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,900,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$3,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (as Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The reaction from the preview audience to this film was so positive that it was released as it was, with no further changes to the movie. The result is that there are several rapid takes toward the story's end.

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Goofs

Robby the Robot shows up carrying lead shielding, which he says is "isotope 217", and he implies it is lighter than ordinary lead. The purported isotope lead-217 does not exist, and if it did, it would be 4% heavier than the most common (and heaviest) isotope of lead (number 208), not lighter.

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Quotes

Altaira: [swimming in a pool] Come on in.
Commander John J. Adams: I didn't bring my bathing suit.
Altaira: What's a bathing suit?
Commander John J. Adams: [quickly turning his back] Oh, murder!

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Connections

Referenced in Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961)

User Reviews

Brilliant: Undiluted Pulp Science Fiction on the big screen

This is the Roman Empire of Science Fiction films. All films before lead into it, and all films since flow out of it. It captures the romance, the spirit, and the nifty look of 1950's pulp science fiction. This is one science fiction movie with a theme, not just eye candy. No matter how high humanity climbs on the evolutionary scale, no matter how advanced our technology becomes, we must never forget the primal instincts of our darker nature.

This film is a masterpiece.