FORBIDDEN PLANET
Forbidden Planet is a 1956 American science fiction film from MGM, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, directed by Fred M. Wilcox and starring Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly, and Robby the Robot. The characters and isolated setting have been compared to those in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The special effects were nominated for an Academy Award, as was the groundbreaking use of an entirely electronic musical score by Louis and Bebe Barron. The film was entered into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2013, being deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. (More from Wikipedia)
Electronic music was also encountered in 1950’s science fiction movies like The Day the Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet.
(March 2012)
* * *
The depth of my obsession with Shocking Blue is reflected in the name of my bichon frisé (who just passed away a couple of months ago – his 16th birthday would have been in a few days): Robby van Leeuwen, a combination of Robby the Robot from one of my all-time favorite movies, Forbidden Planet with the name of the bandleader of Shocking Blue, Robbie van Leeuwen.
(August 2012)
