16/09/2014
Shakespeare goes sci-fi
A MONSTER that eats aliens, a young and very dashing astronaut (aka Leslie Nielsen), a robot called
Robbie, a touch of Freudian mind control, budding romance – seriously, what’s not to love about the
movie Forbidden Planet?
This 1956 science-fiction film was ground-breaking in many regards, and can still bring nostalgia onto
the faces of those who saw it when first released.
“I remember watching this as a boy,” Associate Professor in the School of Arts and Communication
and resident Shakespeare expert Laurie Johnson said.
“It was so different than anything else that was on, and it was so far advanced for its time.
“I loved it then, and I still think it’s impressive – it has held up well to the test of time.”
Unlike many early sci-fi movies, Forbidden Planet was not a spoof or a comedy.
In fact, it holds considerable interest for many on an intellectual level because of its parallels to the
tragic Shakespeare play The Tempest – which is why it has been chosen to screen during the USQ
Shakespeare in the Park Festival on October 5.
“I don’t know if it was based on The Tempest when it was written or if that was something that
developed later, but nearly all of the analogues are in Forbidden Planet,” Associate Professor
Johnson said.
“Instead of a shipwreck, you’ve got astronauts landing on Altaire IV in response to a distress signal,
you’ve got a obsessively possessive father, a daughter who falls in love with the handsome new
arrival, and the malevolent spirit or monster.
“And Robbie the Robot – well he represents Caliban, the native slave from the play.
“I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare, and I enjoy these analogues. But I would also still love this movie
even if it had nothing to do with The Tempest. For me it’s just a bonus that they are linked.”
Forbidden Planet served up to audiences some of the best special effects of the time, which
Associate Professor Johnson said would still be terrifying to young children of today.
In fact, some team members from the movie also worked on the television series Lost in Space – and
Robbie the Robot extended his career by making several guest appearances on the small screen hit.
But it was some of the other cinematic developments used in Forbidden Planet that impress
Associate Professor Johnson most.
“There’s a myth that this movie popularised the instrument the Theremin,” he said.
“But Alfred Hitchcock had already used the Theremin in Spellbound (1945) to create a sense of
mystery, and the makers of Forbidden Planet didn’t want to have that same sense at the heart of
their film.
“So they built what may have been the world’s first synthesiser to create the noises which would
produce a futuristic sense to the film.
“That’s incredible – they invented new things in order to ensure their vision was met.”
Forbidden Planet starred Walter Pidgeon and Anne Francis, and was directed by Fred M Wilcox.
It was well received by audiences at the time, and was awarded an Academy Award for special
effects.
Associate Professor Johnson hopes local audiences will take advantage of the opportunity to see it
on the big screen at USQ.
“Some people will come and watch it for nostalgic reasons, but I hope others will come and see it for
the landmark film that it is,” he said.
“It took a Shakespeare play based on magic and changed it to suit the 20th century idea that physics
and psychology are the keys to unlocking the universe – it is a film about the magic of technology
and human thought.
“And Shakespeare fans should come and see it because they will be able to appreciate a remarkably
clever adaptation of a remarkably clever play.”
Forbidden Planet will be screened at the USQ Allison Dickson Theatre on Sunday October 5 at 2pm
as part of the Artsworx Shakespeare Festival activities in Toowoomba. The movie is rated G, and
runs for one hour and 38 minutes. Tickets cost $10, and further information is available from the
Artsworx box office on 07 4631 1111 or online artsworx.com.au
Media contact: Willow Hart, email willow.hart@usq.ude.au, phone 07 4631 2412.
This event is proudly sponsored by: