FORBIDDEN PLANET THE GOTHIC AS

STARRING Walter Pidgeon as Dr. Morbius Leslie Nielson as Commander Adams Anne Francis as Altaira Morbius Warren Stevens as Lt. “Doc” Ostrow Directed by Fred M c Leod Wilcox Made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

GOTHIC THEMES Science is not the be-all and end-all Science in the wrong hands leads to destruction Even the most advanced societies have corrupt morals –The Monster from the Id Christian messages through religious imagery –References to Genesis

DR. MORBIUS Linked to Prospero from The Tempest (Shakespeare) Always dressed in black robes Morbius is a scientist (philologist; devotes his time on Altair-4 to studying the Krel) Believes himself to be superior to other human beings

THE MONSTER FROM THE ID The monster represents Morbius’ subconscious desire to harm those who oppose him and his science The monster is invisible, like the subconscious

THE OTHER DR. MORBIUS Morbius initially refused to believed that the monster was a part of him –“Morbius was too close to the problem” – Lt. Ostrow –“Your mind refuses to face a conclusion” – Commander Adams

THE COLD WAR The bomb –“In the wrong hands, mightn’t such a tool become a deadly weapon?” – Lt. Ostrow, talking about Robby Dr. Morbius warning –Forbidden Planet challenges the idea that the superpowers of the world have the right to invade other countries

THE SPACE RACE Setting on Altair-4 Gothic element of the unknown

THE GOTHIC: SCIENCE No matter how scientifically advanced a society is, it is still fundamentally flawed by its own conscience –“The mindless primitive…even the Krel must have evolved from that beginning” – Dr. Morbius Science is unable to kill the Monster from the Id Morbius cannot see his own problems Science in the wrong hands leads to destruction

THE GOTHIC: RELIGION Bellerophon – Greek hero and tragic Morbius = Morpheas The Garden of Eden The new creation Sin –The tiger attacking Alta

THE GOTHIC: PSYCHOANALASIS The monster comes from the Id – the part of the subconscious responsible for aggressive thought Dr. Morbius has no ability to see his own Id, and refuses to accept when other people reveal it to him Morbius has no control over his Id The Monster from the Id kills its creator –Christian connotations? Morbius has repressed feelings of resentment to create the Monster from the Id –“It started again” – Dr. Morbius

THE GOTHIC: MELODRAMA Commander Adam’s mission is to search for survivors – the mission is doomed before it begins Dr. Morbius thought that there was nothing wrong

SUMMARY Forbidden Planet is appropriated from The Tempest with Gothic Themes and Cold War context Challenges the Cold War ideas of: –The US and Russia dominating smaller countries –Space exploration into the unknown –The bomb –Potentially dangerous uses of science

SUMMARY – THE GOTHIC Challenges science – –Not the be-all and end-all – even the most scientifically advanced societies are flawed –Can be dangerous in the wrong hands –Cannot see its problems Bellerophon and Morpheas Challenges Christianity – –Alludes to the Garden of Eden and Eve –Will the New Creation have the same core issues? Psychoanalysis –People are essentially (subconsciously) bad