FORBIDDEN PLANET (DVD Review) - 12/11/06

What can you say about this glorious film? I have waited about 10 years for them to eventually release a decent edition on DVD and at last it is here - The 50th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition. (Strangely enough I still have a large list of films waiting for a decent DVD release!!) This is probably the ultimate of all the sci-fi films from the 1950's and this Special Edition is jam packed with some excellent unseen Deleted Scenes & Lost Footage. One of the films I'd seen as a child that was genuinely unlike anything I had ever seen before and really inspired me in so many ways with a love of science fiction and fantasy and it work's on so many levels. The thin thread of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" clearly shines through but the alien views and the MGM backgrounds looking like something from "The Wizard Of Oz" and the breathtaking scale and size of the matte paintings and landscapes is phenomenal. This version at last has a new digital transfer from restored picture and audio elements with a soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1. and boy what a soundtrack! On the second disc we get another classic from the 50's with a Robby The Robot feature film called "The Invisible Boy" a true slice of that period in black & white and paranoia. We also get a further follow-up vehicle with Robby The Robot in the TV Series "The Thin Man" with an episode entitled Robot Client. We also get three documentaries with the revealing TCM Original "Watch The Skies!: Science Fiction, The 1950s And Us" which has a host of very well known film directors (Spielberg, Lucas, etc) speaking about all those aspects from the period plus the new "Amazing! Exploring The Far Reaches Of Forbidden Planet" and "Robby The Robot: Engineering A Sci-Fi Icon". We also get Walter Pidgeon in excerpts from "The MGM Parade" TV Series with him on set (at the time of shooting) and clips from the film which make interesting viewing. We also get a nice selection of Theatrical Trailers from the period with greats like "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" "Them!" and "The Black Scorpion" as well as "Forbidden Planet" "The Invisible Boy" and "The Time Machine". Also released is a nice Collectors Tin Edition which differs from the 2-Disc in that is has a collectable figure of Robby The Robot, Reproduction Lobby Cards & Film Posters and has a fold-out clip in cardboard slipcase within the tin. MGM have really done a good job on these releases and I'm proud to be able to at last add it to my collection. Languages: English 5.1. Dolby Digital & French Mono. Subtitles: (Feature Film Only) English, French & Spanish. Widescreen Version. CC - Bonus Material Not Rated Or Close-Captioned. Region 1 (NTSC) Rating G. Running Time: Forbidden Planet - Colour 98 Mins / The Invisible Boy - B&W 89 Mins. 66912/ISBN # 0790792141.