Join this week’s guest Tom Swift author of the eponymous Tom Swift Substack and I on the ninth episode of In Kino Veritās — a podcast where the guest picks a film, we both watch, and discuss.
We don’t simply review films but dive deep into their themes, characters and cultural context. In this episode we explore the 1956 film Forbidden Planet. A seminal Sci-Fi film of the Space Age. Forbidden Planet captures the fears, hopes, and dreams of the Western World at this time and now remains for posterity as a marker of the 50s hardware focused age of exploration.
Where you can stream Forbidden Planet
(Use your local library to get a physical copy for free)
Main Points
* Forbidden Planet and its Themes
* Parallels to The Tempest
* Utopia and Human Nature
* The Krell Civilization and the Id Monster
* Alaria's Innocence and its Implications
* Acquired vs. Innate Innocence
* Forbidden Planet vs. Star Trek
* Space Age Culture and Societal Decline
* Atavistic Impulse and Foreign Influence
* Threat Salience and Later Generations
* Utopian Pursuits and Human Nature
* Masculinity, Marshall Culture, and Science Fiction
* Hardware vs. Software Focus
* Promoting a Positive Vision
* Tom Swift's Substack and Vision
* Interpretation of Forbidden Planet
* Robbie the Robot as an Archetype
