Considered one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s, Forbidden Planet proved a precursor of what was to come for the science fiction film genre in the decades that followed. When Captain Adams (a young Leslie Neilsen) and his crew are sent on on mission to a mysterious planet called Altair-4, they discover all but two of its inhabitants have died. What’s more, Dr. Morbius and his daughter, Altaira, the lone survivors have somehow survived despite the hideous monster which roams the planet. Unknown to Adams, Morbius has made a discovery, and has no intention of sharing it (or his daughter!) with anyone... But it is the innovative score, from Louis and Bebe Barron – credited with being the first completely electronic score and preceding the invention of the Moog synthesizer by eight years- on show here in all is glory that is truly out of this world.

Matt explains: “It's considered the finest science fiction film of the 1950s. The plot of ‘Forbidden Planet’ was compared to Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ and also contains references to Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious. Heady stuff for its time! But its groundbreaking use of an entirely electronic score by the husband and wife team of Louis and Bebe Barron - two American pioneers in the field of electronic music- is why it’s recognised today. Barron’s said at the time "We were delighted to hear people tell us that the tonalities in ‘Forbidden Planet’ remind them of what their dreams sound like.”

Gerard and Matt Johnson will be in conversation with our cinema curator Mark Cosgrove on Sun 8 March, discussing their work, their influences and their recent collaboration on Hyena, which opens on Fri 6 March.

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