FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) 

• Director: Fred M. Wilcox
• Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Robby The Robot
• Film: 98mins | USA | Subtitles + Intermission
• Doors: 6pm | Intro + Film: 6:30pm – 9:30pm [18+]

Cult film night BAR TRASH continues at Beer Merchants Tap with CELLULOID JAM!, an unofficial celebration of 50 years of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975).

“AMAZING!”

A starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet’s colony, only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilisation.

Referenced in ROCKY HORROR’s opening number, ‘Science Fiction / Double Feature’, FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) — “The granddaddy of tomorrow” — is a no-expense spared and strikingly ambitious film, featuring stunning sets and costumes, mind-blowing practical and optical effects, and the first all-electronic musical soundscape in film history.

The film also gave us Robby The Robot (rebooted for TV’s LOST IN SPACE), a young Leslie Nielsen before comedy became his shtick, and a massively successful jukebox musical (Return to the Forbidden Planet). With prominent subtexts about incest, sexuality, the id vs the ego and superego, and the dangers of overreaching science, there’s really nothing quite like it!

“In every important way FORBIDDEN PLANET is one of the most mature and sophisticated science fiction films ever made. It is one of the best American SF films of the 1950s… still among the top ten of all time.”

Bill Warren, Keep Watching the Skies!

Polite notice: We are showing FORBIDDEN PLANET with subtitles from the best available digital source.

// Part of BAR TRASH: CELLULOID JAM, a fan-powered celebration of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. Hosted by queer film fanatic Token Homo (creator of BAR TRASH and QUEER HORROR NIGHTS), all films screen with an introduction, intermission, and subtitles/captions (where possible!). Tickets £6. Adults 18+ only. Follow @tokenhomo on Instagram for news and updates. //