Ben Jonson once wrote of his dear friend and friendly rival William Shakespeare that “he was not of an age, but for all time!” Jonson’s tribute has been frequently proven in the hundreds of years since Will’s final bow. Stage a production of Hamlet in Swahili to a crowd with no knowledge of Danish or English history and they follow every step. This is less due to the historical figure himself than the very way Shakespeare told the story. In fact, virtually none of Shakespeare’s stories were original, many being histories, adaptations and borrowed tales, yet his plays are the versions that are remembered.
Clearly Jonson was correct, but even he could not have predicted something like Forbidden Planet (1956). How could he? What the hell could a movie about Robby the Robot, Krell’s Great Machine, flying saucers, invisible energy Id Monsters and a very serious Leslie Nielsen have anything to do with Shakespeare? In fact, Forbidden Planet is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s most original play, The Tempest.
There are more accurate adaptations of Shakespeare. A production of Hamlet could take place in the far future and not a single line of dialogue need be changed. Yet The Tempest (based by Shakespeare on no single predecessor) and its boilerplate-making fantasy tropes lends itself beautifully to science fiction. Forbidden Planet is a beautiful film with exceptional special effects and an exciting, engaging story with quality acting (again, dig that all-too-serious Leslie Nielsen).
Writer Cyril Hume not only understood science fiction but also understood Shakespeare, The Tempest and the psychological interpretations that came later. As many have pointed out, Hamlet’s interpretation of cloud formations in the play that bears his name was an ingenious predictor of the Rorschach test. Similarly, The Tempest was interpreted by scholars like Sigmund Freud as a representation of the Id, the Ego and the Superego. Indeed the clearest representation of its source’s title in Forbidden Planet is a near-invisible monster detected only by his animated energy signal known as “The Id Monster.”
Indeed there is some debate or confusion as to what this Id Monster might be. Many say that it is the storm itself. Many believe it is the representation of Morpheus’ Id alone, which is pointed out in the film. Many believe that the Id Monster is a representation of The Tempest’s Caliban. Another prime candidate for Caliban is Robby the Robot himself, created specifically for the film by Frankie Darro (in a $125,000 tuxedo) with the voice of Marvin Miller. Many scholars believe that Robby is more accurately represented as Ariel as opposed to the vicious and demonic Caliban.
Other Shakespearean elements are here as well. The Island becomes the planet Altair IV. Prospero is Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) who, like his source has captured the powers of nature and tamed them for his own purposes. Miranda becomes Altaria (Anne Francis) while Sycorax is the ancient, fallen race of The Krell.
Pedigree aside, Forbidden Planet is an entertaining and groundbreaking movie in its own right. Let’s take a look at its legacy. Both subtly and overtly, you can see this movie all over Star Trek, from aspects of the ship design to the type of mission the Enterprise so commonly embarked on to even the famous Transporter Pads. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry acknowledged this film as a direct influence on the long running franchise. And look at the premise that sets up the Tempest-inspired plot. The United Planets star cruiser C-57D has been dispatched to the remote planet Altair IV to investigate the disappearance of the crew of the science vessel Bellerophon twenty years prior. Its year long voyage is led by the intrepid Commander J. J. Adams (a dashing, thirty year old Leslie Nielsen) along with his closest advisor and chief medical officer Lieutenant “Doc” Austria M.D. (Warren Stevens). The only thing missing from the crew is a Vulcan science officer.
Other borrowed elements are easy to see in everything from Lost in Space (whose “Robot B-9” is a cousin of Robby, who indeed guest starred) to Lost. In truth, there aren’t many science fiction franchises that didn’t take at least a little inspiration from it. You’ll find its mark on everything from The Twilight Zone to Planet of the Vampires to Babylon 5 to Amazon Women on the Moon.
Serious science fiction didn’t start with Forbidden Planet, and it didn’t end with it. However, it was among the first and most noteworthy sci-fi films to combine a large budget, lavish set design, amazing breakout characters and state-of-the-art special effects. And this great film came along 12 years before 2001: A Space Odyssey and over 20 years before Star Wars and Alien.
Great credit is due not only to Hume and director Fred McLeod Wilcox, but also to effects technicians like Disney animator Joshua Meador who brought the fearful, surreal and terrifying Id Monster to life. The sets by Arthur Lonergan and Cedric Gibbons range from the practical (if post-modern) to the scientifically familiar (if prescient) to some that pushed the boundaries of speculative fiction. In many cases these futuristic sets are at their best when they make no sense, as the most brilliant of Earth scientists can barely make a dent in figuring them out. Chief Effects man A. Arnold Gillespie also led a hell of a crew including Arthur Lonergan, Jack Gaylord, Robert Kinoshita and the illustrator responsible for finalizing the Robby design, Mentor Huebner.
While it’s arguable that without Forbidden Planet there could be no Star Trek or Lost in Space, without William Shakespeare there could be no Forbidden Planet. It rises well above its few slow moments and now obvious trick photography to become a truly timeless classic, both a sign of its times and a valid look toward the future of science fiction. To this day, most of the special effects remain as astounding as they were decades ago, and the obviously borrowed elements in later, greater sagas is enough to make one shake the old head-bone in surprised appreciation.
It may be a stretch to suggest that “Forbidden Planet is not of an age but for all time.” However, as a post-modern take on Shakespeare’s swan song, the film helps prove the long-asserted maxim that Shakespeare was and still is, “not of an age, but for all time!”