ne of the prime attributes of science fiction is that, at its best, the genre offers fans truly inspired and imaginative story elements. The motion picture Forbidden Planet is an outstanding example of that phenomenon, as it presents not only an engaging plot and amazing visual components, but also one of the most ingenious and memorable musical scores in cinematic history.
Comprised primarily of clicks, pops, plinks, whistles, roars and bellows, the 23 selections on this CD were all artificially generated. Concocted by the husband-and-wife team of Louis and Bebe Barron, the cues, which in essence served as both soundtrack and sound effects for the film, feature allusive titles like "Once Around Altair," "Krell Shuttle Ride and Power Station," "Giant Footprints in the Sand" and "The Homecoming." The majority of the cuts are between 40 seconds and two minutes in length, but a few, such as "Love at the Swimming Hole," "Battle with Invisible Monster" and "The Monster Pursues - Morbius is Overcome," last significantly longer.
The liner notes include a synopsis of the movie's plot, along with a few generic comments concerning the historical importance of the project. Some enlightening remarks from the composers regarding their cybernetic approach to the music are also featured, and the text is augmented by nearly a dozen stills from the film.
Unsettling and effective
Nowadays it's hard to imagine a time when nearly every film score was exclusively orchestral, yet in 1956, when Forbidden Planet debuted, other than the occasional wail of the theremin (that eerie "whoooo" sound heard in flicks like The Day the Earth Stood Still), synthesized noises were rarely incorporated into popular movie music. Hearing these compositions for the first time was thus a truly out-of-this-world experience for most people.
In some minor respects the clamor is surprisingly traditional, with sounds like Robby the Robot's percolating plopping noises appearing in cues such as "Robby, Make Me a Gown" and "Robby, The Cook, and 60 Gallons of Booze." However, the work is also remarkably innovative, as conventional harmonic structures are virtually nonexistent.
That's because the Barrons, who had previously scored only a few short experimental flicks, designed a specialized series of instruments modeled after the human nervous system. These machines were supposed to be able to "react" in an emotional manner, and this movie, with its futuristic setting and psychoanalytic elements, was viewed as an ideal forum for the couple to exhibit their compositional skills. The perception was correct, and more than 40 years after they were first heard, the unearthly strains of the Forbidden Planet soundtrack remain startlingly unsettling and effective.
