Week 4 Scene analysis

 

Film title; Forbidden Planet

Director; Fred McLeod Wilcox

Year; 1956

1. Characters; The characters in this scene are all main characters throughout the movie. Morbius – played by Walter Pidgeon was the commander of a previous landing and that landing is the reason that Commander Adams – Leslie Nielsen – and his crew have landed on the planet, to discover what happened to the previous ship and its crew. Altaira is Morbius’ daughter who was born and raised on the planet by her father. All the other people on their ship died shortly after landing which meant she had no contact with other humans until Adams’ ship arrived. ‘Robby’ the robot was built by Morbius shortly after landing on the planet, to provide, protect and serve. His only flaw is his pre-programmed inability to harm humans. The invisible monster is created by Morbius’ alter ego or inner demon, through some sort of telepathic energy.

This monster had killed all the original ships crew, apart from Altaira’s mother – who died of natural causes – and has begun killing the crew of Adams ship. Adams has figured this out and is trying to convince Morbius  of this before it kills them too.

Adams has the higher status in this scene by making it clear to Morbius that he is the cause if the danger, and also by declaring that he will take his daughter away from him and back to earth.

With regard to the casting, Morbius looks quite similar to ‘Ming the merciless’ from the Flash Gordon series whether that was intentional or not is debatable, but he certainly looks like a suspicious character. Nielsen as Commander Adams is a good choice as he has a natural ‘Alpha male’ characteristic suitable to such roles.

2. Setting; The scenes in this movie run sequentially to the timeline and so this scene is suitably set where it is. It is important to the story and helps in bringing it to its conclusion. It also heightens the tension and drama as Morbius is forced to face the reality of his ‘monster’.

3. Mise-en-scene; Most notable at the start of this scene is that Robby the robot and Altaira stay in the background as Adams is confronting Morbius. The lighting is also centred on Morbius and Adams, with Robby and Altaira both in shadow. When they become involved in the scene they each move out from the shadows and into the light. When Morbius, Altaira and Adams are hiding they are in shadow, which is an instinctive thing to do as you’re harder to see. This is a typical way to portray characters ‘hiding’, without having to show their pursuer. It also highlights their fear and impending danger.

4. Camera work; The scene starts with a close-up of Adams as he’s talking to Murbius, panning down slowly with his movement. It then cuts back a little to include Morbius in the shot, though not too far back ensuring that they remain the focus of the shot. When Adams moves off-centre to the left of the shot, Robby enters the shot from the right – giving a balance of movement to both sides. The camera remains still until Morbius stands and takes a few steps, as the camera pans slowly Altaira enters the shot in the background. The group are now centred in the shot but with the speaking pair in the foreground and the silent paor in the background. Although we don’t see the ‘monsters’ approach his presence in the form of falling trees etc. is focused in the centre of the shot. There is a slight blur of focus, and a little shake, as the three run back from the window and into the shadows. The shot of the monster trying to break through the shutter is focused on the centre of the shot with the action framed by the green ornament. There is a group close-up of the three while their in hiding which then cuts to a ¾ angle view that includes Robby when his assistance is required. It then cuts to a close-up of Robby – centre frame – as he tries to defend them. The camera then cuts back to the ¾ view as the three run out of shot – to escape – and the monster breaking through the shutter remains in shot. The three then make their way down a series of corridors which are wide-angle single-point perspective shots that pan slightly as they move off-centre.

The close-up shots when the characters speak, centres our focus on the dialogue. Whereas the wide angle shots, while they might include dialogue, are used mainly when the action included is important to the story. There are no unusual shots/angles in this scene but this might be more to do with the date it was made.

5. Sounds and Music; The background music starts after about a minute into the scene – in time with when Morbius and Adams’ conversation is interrupted by Robby. Typical of sci-fi movies from that era it consists of reverberating synthesised noises similar to the sounds made when tuning in to a station on a transistor radio. The noise made by Robby’s defence system is also typical of an electronic crackling sound but for the time I imagine it was suitable.

What did I appreciate about this scene? I think I was most interested in the visual effects. The impression of the invisible monsters approach, created by the moving shrubs and falling trees. The steel shutters slamming closed at lightning speed and the way that the steel - of the shutter the monster broke through - was seemingly peeled open by this invisible creature.

What I didn’t like about the scene was the background audio. Personally it was a bit like Chinese water torture. Obviously that sort of ‘space ship’ sound effect is necessary but to me it was just annoying and distracting.

I would definitely keep the visuals of the monster approaching through the undergrowth. I know they’re laughable by today’s standards but for that time (50’s) they demonstrate the creativity and inventiveness of the effects team when you consider the limited resources available to them.

I would have to change the background audio. While it is suitable I think it might work better at a lower level. It seems to reverberate at a certain high pitch that wouldn’t be as distracting if toned down.

Comments; I think this film still has a certain amount of charm, even by today’s standards. It has all the ingredients for a successful story and while the acting, sets and props might not be the best, they seem to combine well and complement each other.