TimeWarp - Forbidden Planet


Page updated Saturday, March 17th, 2007

The movies of Science Fiction Double Feature Forbidden Planet
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Forbidden Planet Directed by Fred McLeod Wilcox (1956)

Currently only available as a US (region 1) import DVD, this is one of my favourite science fiction movies of all time.

We have heard news of a special 50th anniversary release on region 2 (UK) on 30th May 2006 we'll add more news when we get it.

This disc features a full screen as well as a wide screen anamorphic version of the movie, both of which look great.

For those of you who have not seen this movie, it is basically Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in space. Doctor Morbius, his daughter Altaira and their robot servant Robby live alone on the Planet Altair 4, the only remnants of a colony of space settlers and scientists.

A ship arrives to investigate and the crew find that there is a monster loose on the planet, threatening them all. What or who is the monster?

This movie is the inspiration for several other classic sci-fi movies as well as the wonderful Return to the Forbidden Planet musical, much loved by Rocky Horror fans it seems.

The disc also includes an eight page brochure listing some of the interesting facts about this classic movie, such as Robby the Robot was so popular he returned in The Invisible Boy and made appearances on both The Twilight Zone and of course Lost in Space on television.

Shirley, you can't be serious! It's also noteworthy that the movie stars a young Leslie Nielsen, playing it straight here unlike in his later Airplane and Naked Gun roles.

Starring: Anne Francis, George Wallace, Jack Kelly, Leslie Nielsen, Walter Pidgeon & Warren Stevens

Rating: unrated Region 1 Aspect Ration: 16:9 Anamorphic ; Fullscreen ; 2.35:1 Sound: 2.0 mono 98 Minutes

Special Features: 8-Page Booklet Featuring Trivia, Production Notes And A Revealing Look At The Making Of The Film - Original Theatrical Trailer

Languages on disc: English, French & Spanish (Subtitles English, Spanish & French)

Cover notes:

A startling science fiction story conceived on a positively intellectual level" (Los Angeles Times), Forbidden Plane! is innovative, intriguing and one of the most celebrated - and imitated - films of its kind. Featuring riveting performances, astonishing Oscar'-nominated* special effects and the first ever all-electronic musical score, Forbidden Planet is "the best of the science fiction interstellar productions of the 50s" (Pauline Kael) and a landmark science-fiction masterpiece! In the year 2257, a spaceship ventures to the planet Altair-IV, where an Earth colony had mysteriously vanished years earlier. There, Commander Adams (Leslie Nielsen) and his crew discover colony survivors Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), his daughter Altaira (Anne Francis) and their mechanized servant, Robby the Robot. But, to their horror, they also discover an invisible but massively destructive force which savagely attacks their ship...and threatens to destroy their lives!

All in all, recommended.