A strange prehistoric beast lurks in the depths of the Amazonian jungle. A group of scientists try to capture the animal and bring it back to civilization for study.
Director:
Jack Arnold
Stars:
Richard Carlson,
Julie Adams,
Richard Denning
In a future where all flora is extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's botany, kept in a greenhouse aboard a spacecraft.
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.Written by
Rob Hartill
An August 20, 1954 Los Angeles Times article states that director Fred M. Wilcox had planned to do extensive research at several university libraries to use current scientific thought and experimentation to shape his portrait of the future. See more »
Goofs
If the size of the input headset of the "plastic educator" along with the shape and size of the doorways/archways suggests the size of the Krell as being considerably larger than the average human, there would be no way that even one Krell technician could fit in the cramped cabin of the shuttle that Dr. Morpheus uses to show the captain and the doctor the inner workings of the subterranean power station beneath the planet's surface. See more »
Quotes
Dr. Morbius:
Guilty! Guilty! My evil self is at that door, and I have no power to stop it!
See more »
Alternate Versions
For the 1959 cinema re-release of MGM's Forbidden Planet (1956) to obtain the classification rating of (A) SUITABLE ONLY FOR ADULTS - CHILDREN UNDER 16 NOT ADMITTED the Australia Film Censorship Board ordered the elimination of "all shots of alleged nuclear monster" i.e. Australia Film Censorship Board insisted that the Id Monster is never seen, but you could see the footprints and the bending of the steps on the spaceship. The animated sequence of Forbidden Planet, showing the attack by the red colored "Id Monster", were created by the veteran animator Joshua Meador, who was lent out to MGM by Walt Disney Pictures. During the attack on the spaceship, the now visible Id monster (only the outline of the Id Monster is seen, colored red) as it tries to go through the electronic fence on the perimeter (the force field), and also because the Id Monster has been caught in the crewman's high-energy blaster beams. See more »
While not re-treading the comments or plot summaries of other IMDB users, I thought I'd say that this particular film does get better as it gets older. While ground-breaking on it's release in 1956, the visual "look" of this film has grown over the 46 years since it first arrived.
True to the pulp sci-fi of its day, the art direction has mellowed into an archetype that has not been bettered to this date. MGM put a surprising amount of money into the production values (similar to, but better than Universal's "This Island Earth"). This is a living "cover art". The indelible images of the saucer passing through space, landing on Altair-4, Robby, and the disintegrating tiger linger long in collective memory.
This must be seen on the big screen if possible, and in the original Cinemascope format. I've been lucky enough to see it (it was re-released in the 70's on a double bill with George Pal's "The Time Machine"), and the power it carries in scenes such as the Krell machines and the attack of the Id Monster are truly impressive. Watching it on a television just doesn't come close, although the "letterboxed" version is better than nothing. I am a poster collector, and even the advertising material for this film is exceptional. I see the one-sheet for it every day in my living room, and have never grown tired of it. "AMAZING!" is what is says, and for once they got it right. A true classic of it's type.
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While not re-treading the comments or plot summaries of other IMDB users, I thought I'd say that this particular film does get better as it gets older. While ground-breaking on it's release in 1956, the visual "look" of this film has grown over the 46 years since it first arrived.
True to the pulp sci-fi of its day, the art direction has mellowed into an archetype that has not been bettered to this date. MGM put a surprising amount of money into the production values (similar to, but better than Universal's "This Island Earth"). This is a living "cover art". The indelible images of the saucer passing through space, landing on Altair-4, Robby, and the disintegrating tiger linger long in collective memory.
This must be seen on the big screen if possible, and in the original Cinemascope format. I've been lucky enough to see it (it was re-released in the 70's on a double bill with George Pal's "The Time Machine"), and the power it carries in scenes such as the Krell machines and the attack of the Id Monster are truly impressive. Watching it on a television just doesn't come close, although the "letterboxed" version is better than nothing. I am a poster collector, and even the advertising material for this film is exceptional. I see the one-sheet for it every day in my living room, and have never grown tired of it. "AMAZING!" is what is says, and for once they got it right. A true classic of it's type.