Planet of the Apes

Rating:
Summary: A classic film
Review: This film has been awarded entry to the NFR(National Film Registry). That is quite an honor, as only classic films are given this treatment. Unlike the 2001 re-make, this film is a political film. It's about human ideas and how people fear those who differ from them. A series of films followed, but this is the one that should be listed with the greatest films ever made.

Rating:
Summary: Dystopic Heston flick
Review: Others above having encompassed all other aspects of the movie, I'd like to keep mine narrow: Charleton Heston Dystopias comprise a genre-within-a-genre worth exploring if only to analyze their effect on a narrow band of impressionable baby-boomer tail-enders, like myself. Along with POTA, he starred in Omega Man and Soylent Green. These movies all depict a scarred and disappointing future, and it's always mankind's fault. Nuclear war, environmental destruction, germ warfare, it all sucks and its all your [read: white Christian male phallo-centric technology-wielding and utterly blind] fault. If I am any example, these movies provided the seed of a radical environmentalism and disgust, if not outright hatred, of my own species, race, and religion, an outlook it took me decades after to escape from, and one that many on the reactionary Left are still mired in. In fact, the escape was so difficult there was an elastic, or pendular effect, in which one tends to perhaps go too far in the opposite direction before coming to equilibrium. Other movies that contributed to this directly were Silent Running, Bless the Beasts and the Children, Soldier Blue. They had an effect, and put the lie to those who insist that movies and music have no effect on impressionable young minds. These Heston Dystopias are entertaining historical curiosities now, but in many ways they live with us still, and I still love to watch them.

Rating:
Summary: nuff said
Review: Yes, a classic. Rod Serling collaborated on this screenplay, adapting the novel into something that works on the screen. Much has been said here in praise, but much focus is given to the premise and final scene. The compelling part of the story is that the astronaut Taylor (Heston) left Earth because he is basically a cynical misanthropist and figures there's got to be someplace out there better than Earth - "HAS to be!". When he meets up with the apes, his whole superiority complex is put to the test by the self-righteous apes. All the while we sense that Dr Zaeus knows more than he lets on. Taylor asks Zaeus "what are you afraid of" when he refuses to let Taylor go. It is the ultimate answer to this question that is granted in the final scene. Was Taylor right in his cynical hatred of man? What did he sacrifice to find the truth? Did he achieve his aim to find something better? If you are watching this movie for the 2nd 3rd or 4th time, pay close attention to the banter between Taylor and his fellow astronauts when they are wandering through the desert. This sets up the basic conflict in Taylor's character, in that he hates the society which made him. This conflict is wound tighter like a spring, as amidst massive prejudice he is put in a position where he has to prove he is at least equal to his ape captors, at first by words (humans are mute in this reality), then by violence (fulfilling apes central view of "the beast man"), and the tension is not released until the final scene. The film works on many levels, which makes it endure many viewings. A quick note on the sequels: The first sequel "Beneath" is a worthy conclusion to the story, and features Taylor's adventures after the revelation of the final scene in the first movie. This entertaining story features the main characters stumbling upon the descendents of those who destroyed Earth in the first place - the last surviving "intelligent" humans, living underground, who now have the power of illusion, and one other weapon of terrifying power. James Franciscus gives a very good performance as Brett, the astronaut sent to rescue Taylor, and Linda Harrison as the lovely Nova and Chuck are along for the ride. The other films are good to ok, but recommended for true fans only, as they tend to be somewhat exploitive. Perhaps "Escape" is an exception, though it was a tad vioent and melodramatic.

Rating:
Summary: "It's a mad house! A mad house!"
Review: "Planet of the Apes" is a film whose strength comes from its premise. That's not to say that the film's performances, production design, and make-up don't add up to anything, but all of these components are overshadowed by its premise. And what a premise it is!

Charlton Heston is Col. George Taylor, the commander of a space mission that has gone bad. He and his crew were supposed to be away from Earth for only a few years but a malfunction in their ship places them on an alien world in the far future. To his surprise, Taylor soon is taken prisoner by apes on horseback. Not being able to speak because of an injury, he observes his surroundings with disbelief and horror. Upon regaining his voice, Taylor tells his captors what he really thinks of these damned dirty apes and then the fun begins.

Now most people would be hard pressed to remember most of the story points of this film. That's because the apes are so convincing and the premise of the film so intriguing that the story points of the film seem rather trivial in comparison. The implications of evolution gone awry is a great mental nugget to dwell on and the final famous image that closes the film makes one wonder if man has truly evolved beyond his primitive and savage origins. These issues are not really explored in depth and is the one shortcoming that keeps "Planet of the Apes" from being considered a major science fiction classic. Still, the film is still watchable after all these years and the ape make-up truly was way ahead of its time. If you have a choice between viewing this film or its recent "re-imagining", do yourself a favor and pick up this one.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie... little resemblance to the book
Review: "Planet of the Apes" is a classic movie and one of my all-time favorites.
However, it bears little resemblance to the book by Pierre Boulle it was based on. In the book, French journalist Ulysse Merou and two colleagues set out in the year 2500 in a spaceship for the star Betelgeuse. The mission is apparently a private one, sponsored by no government. The journey takes two years in space time, but 350 years in Earth time. They arrive safely, orbit a planet and take a "launch" to the surface. Landing in a fertile area, they soon discover a swimming hole, strip and jump in. Then they meet the planet's humans, who live and act like wild animals. After their first encounter, the astronauts return to their spaceship. But when they visit the planet again the next day, the humans surround them and rip off their clothes. Other humans trash the launch, so there's no returning to the spaceship in orbit.
Captured by the humans, the astronauts are taken to a lair, where they sleep on the ground. Merou sleeps with the girl he has named Nova, who has taken a liking to him. In the morning the apes go hunting. One astronaut is killed, two captured. But Merou is separated from his remaining companion, who is a professor and leader of the expedition.
Merou is kept in a cage back in the ape city, but it takes him 3-4 months to convince his captors, principally Doctor Kira, that he is intelligent. Kira teaches Merou the ape language, introduces him to her scientist fiance Cornelius, and they hatch a plot. Merou pretends that he is merely a bit more adept than the native humans so Doctor Zeius, a plodding orangutan, will attempt to gain points in the scientific community by presenting Merou to a crowd of scientists at a conference. Merou grabs the microphone while there and makes a speech that sways public opinion in his favor, so the apes like Zeius must release him.
This gives Merou the leverage he needs to get the professor out of the ape zoo, where he has been on exhibit with other humans. However, the professor has inexplicably regressed intellectually and now exhibits no sign of intelligence.
Marou accompanies Cornelius on an archeological expedition to which they fly in an ape plane. There it is discovered that intelligent humans preceded intelligent apes on the planet. When Marou returns to the city he discovers that Nova, with whom he was caged, is pregnant. Once Sirius is born and begins to cry instead of howl, everyone knows that he will talk eventually. Public opinion turns against Merou and Sirius because apes fear a takeover by intelligent humans.
While the situation with Nova progresses, Cornelius shows Merou the place where scientific experiments are conducted on humans. In a super-secret project, two humans have been made to talk. One of them inexplicably possesses an atavistic memory, and from her we hear the story of how the apes took over hundreds of years ago and drove the humans into the wilderness.
Fearing the reimprisonment of Merou, Kira and Cornelius conspire to have Merou, Nova and Sirius surreptitiously replace three humans who were about to be shot into orbit as part of the ape space program. (I'm not making this up!)
Once in orbit, Merou regains his spaceship, and the little family sets off for Earth. Two years pass for Merou, Nova and Sirius in transit, but 350 years have passed on Earth. Upon his return, Merou is 4-5 years older than when he left, but Earth has aged 700 years. He lands at Orly Airport outside Paris, but finds the Earth now ruled by apes. So he leaves again in his spaceship in search of a friendlier planet.
In the movie nearly everything was changed. To begin with, the four astronauts were Americans on an official government expedition. While they were in suspended animation, the ship went out of control and crashed in an inhospitable region of an unknown planet. The three surviving men trek across the desert to the fertile region and find a swimming hole. While they swim, the wild humans steal their clothes and equipment. Then the ape hunters come. One man dies. Two are captured. It becomes apparent that the apes' technology is equivalent to Earth circa 1880. The protagonist, George Taylor, is wounded and can't speak. Nevertheless, he convinces Kira and Cornelius of his intelligence. Eventually Taylor gets his voice back, but there's no need to learn the ape language. They speak English. Zira and Cornelius become fugitives when they accompany Taylor and Nova to the archeological dig in the "forbidden zone." There they discover proof that intelligent humans preceded intelligent apes on the planet. Taylor has a confrontation with Doctor Zeius and rides off down the coast on horseback with Nova. Then he discovers the wreckage of the Statue of Liberty and realizes that he's on Earth, which was probably ruined by a nuclear war.
I don't believe I've encountered a book and a movie based on it that are more different than these two. Ironically, I read Boulle's "Planet of the Apes" because, after seeing the movie for the fourth time I discerned a curious cynicism on Taylor's part that I presumed came from the book, but was so compressed as to be nearly invisible. However, the cynicism is all in the movie. Merou is nothing like Taylor. I wonder what Boulle thought when he saw what they did with his story...

Rating:
Summary: The original, and STILL the best!!!
Review: I have very fond memories of watching Planet of the Apes when it was originally released in the cinema back in Dear Old Blighty, and watching the "Original and Best" again, I couldn't help but make comparisons with the latest "reimagining" from Tim Burton.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Burton's, and wasn't expecting much of POTA 2001, but even so, I was desperately disappointed. Whereas in the original we had Charlton Heston's magnificent chigar-chomping, square-jawed nihilism, in the remake we were given "Marky Mark's" bland cardboard cutout 'hero', eager to kick some Simian butt. And did anyone else think that Helena Bonham Carter's makeup looked like some bizarre Simian morphing of Oprah and Michael Jackson?!?!?! Creepy. POTA 2001 is 5 Star eye-candy to be sure - makeup, effects blah blah blah - but in my humble opinion, it's a bloated, gutted, and soulless "reimagining" of the original source material.

Oh well, at least we have the original, and watching it on DVD was almost like watching it again for the first time, indeed it was the first time I'd seen it in widescreen since it's original theatrical release. For it's time the makeup effects were groundbreaking, indeed, the source novel by Pierre Boulle, "La Planète des Singes," - "Monkey Planet" - was considered unfilmable because of the makeup that would be required to make the characters believable on the big screen.

But it takes more than makeup, special effects, and squillions of $'s spent on CGI goodies, to make a cinema classic - something Hollywood seems to have forgotten these days! - you need a story, with some depth, with something to say, characters you can believe in, and, to a degree, identify with. With the original Planet of the Apes they got the fundamentals bang to rights, throw in a cast pitch-perfect for their roles, the aforementioned makeup to make it at least believable, and you have a classic in the making.

Although I've been an avid reader of Sci Fi all my life, I'd never read Pierre Boulle's novel 'til after I'd seen POTA 2001, and I have to admit I was surprised at the liberties the original film took with the book. I can't read French, so read the English translation of the book, and I have to say it was a pretty stodgy tale... maybe something was lost in the translation?

But - yes, there's always a "but" - to borrow that awful word, the film "reimagined" the book in breathtaking fashion! It became an allegorical tale of America, and to an extent, the rest of the World, caught up in the social revolution of the late 60's; racial discord, the battle of the sexes, politics against religion against science, and three guys from our World who find themselves on a one-way-trip into the unknown... the Planet of the Apes.

The world of POTA is superbly created in the film, everything works; the faintly "primitive" musical soundtrack, the architecture, the costumes, the makeup of course, the hierarchy of Ape society, Orangutans, Chimpanzee's, and Gorillas, representing, broadly speaking, Religion/Government, the Sciences, and the Military. But the most daring representation in the film is in the Humans of this strange World; mute and brutish, something that the short-lived TV series, and the 2001 version shied away from.

Into this crazy upside-down world is pitched astronaut George Taylor - a stunning portrayal by Charlton Heston - after his two colleagues are killed in the initial contact with the Apes... out huntin' 'n' shootin' the human vermin, no doubt on a sunny Sunday afternoon! Taylor is driven, cynical, and introspective, sickened by the excesses of his own kind, he looks for meaning in exploring the stars, and finds himself struggling to convince his Ape captors of his intelligence, and his worth as a Human Being. "Adopted" by two 'liberal' Chimpanzee's - again, definitive performances by Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter - Taylor is smuggled out of "Ape City," along with a female companion, Nova, and heads into the "Forbidden Zone," where he hopes he might find answers to how this society evolved, and to live out his life in some kind of peace and quiet with Nova.

What he finds is the "truth" about evolution on the planet - something suspected by his kindly Chimpanzee protectors, and known but kept secret by the ruling Orangutan elite - that in ages past, Man was the dominant species on the planet... but a larger truth is presented as one of the most stunning climaxes in cinema history.

I still remember the sledgehammer-in-the-gut force of this scene. This was in the days when you went to the cinema without knowing the end of a film, unless someone actually told you, no endless theatrical trailers showing you the whole damn film, and "Making Of" features that would air on TV before you got to the cinema, or critics who would give the end away just for the hell of it!

Taylor and Nova riding along a beach, the camera looking at them from on high, passing behind something "artificial," Taylor looks up in stunned disbelief, falls from his horse into the surf, howling out his despair at his own kind, "... damn them all to HELL!!!" Nova's look of uncomprehending fear and confusion, and finally we are allowed to see what they see, the Statue Of Liberty, blasted and broken, reaching up from an alien beach; after travelling so far, Taylor had finally come home.

This ending alone makes Planet of the Apes one of the greatest Science Fiction films of all time, up there with Kubrick's 2001! Of all the sequels, only "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" is worth watching, and finishes off the story in spectacular fashion.

Rating:
Summary: A Sci-Fi Film Classic
Review: The Story: An astronaut, played by Charlton Heston, crash-lands his ship on a planet run by intelligent, articulate gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans. Humans are there, but are slaves and treated as contemptible, untrustworthy, stupid animals -- by most. Some of the apes think this is wrong, and that is only one point of dissension amongst the apes. There is also dogmatic repression of certain ideas, jealousy and conflict between the simian species, and generational conflict.

Commentary: This is not fine art, and I think some nostalgic hyperbole and exaggeration have seeped into some of the reviews here. What Planet of the Apes is, is fine, though-provoking entertainment, plain old fun to watch, and occasionally stunning. Charlton Heston plays his part perfectly, and is the ultimate thorn in the simian side.

Points of interest: Planet of the Apes gave us two entries into Filmdom's Hall of Fame: a contender for most memorable line is Charlton Houston's first words to the apes -- "Get your stinking hands off me, you damn dirty ape!" Also in the Hall of Fame is the story-wrenching, thought-provoking ending, which I will not give away.

Rating:
Summary: Apes must be remembered, Charlie
Review: "Planet of the Apes" is a very entertaining movie, and you'd better go see it quickly, before your friends take the edge off it by telling you all about it. They will, because it has the ingenious kind of plotting people love to talk about. If it were a great picture, it wouldn't need this kind of protection; it's just good enough to be worth the price of the DVD.

Adapted from a novel by Pierre Boulle, 'Planet of the Apes' most closely resembles George Pal's 1960 version of H.G. Wells' 1895 novel "The Time Machine." It's also a little like "Forbidden Planet," the 1956 science-fiction adaptation of "The Tempest," though it's perhaps more cleverly sustained than either of those movies. At times, it has the primitive force of old "King Kong." It isn't a difficult or subtle movie; you can just sit back and enjoy it. That should place the genre closely enough, without spoiling the theme or the plot. The writing, by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling, though occasionally bright, is often fancy-ironic in the old school of poetic disillusion. Even more often, it is crude. But the construction is really extraordinary. What seem to be weaknesses or holes in the idea turn out to be perfectly consistent, and sequences that work only at a simple level of parody while you're watching them turn out to be really funny when the total structure is revealed. You're too busy for much disbelief anyway; the timing of each action or revelation is right on the button. The audience is rushed along with the hero, who keeps going as fact as possible to avoid being castrated or lobotomized. The picture is an enormous, many-layered black joke on the hero and the audience, and part of the joke is the use of Charlton Heston as the hero. I don't think the movie could have been so forceful or so funny with anyone else. Physically, Heston, with his perfect, lean-hipped, powerful body, is a god-like hero; built for strength, he's an archetype of what makes Americans win. He doesn't play a nice guy; he's harsh and hostile, self-centered and hot-tempered. Yet we don't hate him, because he's so magnetically strong; he represents American power -- the physical attraction and admiration one feels toward the beauty of strength as well as the moral revulsion one feels toward the ugliness of violence. And he has the profile of an eagle. Franklin J. Schaffner, who directed "Planet of the Apes," uses the Heston of the preposterous but enjoyable "The Naked Jungle" -- the man who is so absurdly a movie-star myth. He is the perfect American Adam to work off some American guilt feelings or self-hatred on, and this is part of what makes this new violent fantasy so successful as comedy.

"Planet of the Apes" is one of the best science-fiction fantasies ever to come out of Hollywood. That doesn't mean it's art. It is not conceived in terms of vision or mystery or beauty. Science-fiction fantasy is a peculiar genre; it doesn't seem to result in much literary art, either. This movie is efficient and craftsmanlike; it's conceived and carried out for maximum popular appeal, though with a cautionary message, and with some attempts to score little points against various forms of establishment thinking. These swifties are not Swift, and the movie's posture of superiority is somewhat embarrassing. Brechtian pedagogy doesn't work in Brecht, and it doesn't work here, either. At best, this is a slick commercial picture, with it's elements carefully engineered -- pretty girl (who unfortunately doesn't seem to have had acting training), comic reliefs, thrills, chases -- but when expensive Hollywood engineering works, as it rarely does anymore, the results can be impressive. Schaffner has thought out the action in terms of the wide screen, and he uses space and distance dramatically. Leon Shamroy's excellent color photography helps to make the vast exteriors (shot in Utah and Arizona) an integral part of the meaning. The editing, though, is somewhat distracting; several times there is a cut and then a view of what we have already seen from a different angle or from much higher up. The effect is both static (we don't seem to be getting anywhere) and overemphatic (we are conscious of being told to look at the same thing another way).

The makeup (there is said to be a million dollars' worth) and the costuming of the actors playing the apes are rather witty, and the apes have a wonderful nervous, hoping walk. The best little hopper is Kim Hunter, as an ape lady doctor; she somehow manages to give a better performance in this makeup than she has ever given on the screen before. Roddy McDowall and Maurice Evans are also great fun in their simian guises.

The Fox DVD presents a very good transfer of the original Panavision presentation, although not enhanced for 16X9. Fox will have to revisit this title for a 5 Star Edition because the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack lacks the stereo separations it should have, and the disc is sorely lacking in extras.

Rating:
Summary: Apes must be remembered, Charlie
Review: 1968s "Planet of the Apes" is a very entertaining movie, and if you've never seen it you'd better go see it quickly, before your friends take the edge off it by telling you all about it. They will if you ask them about it, because it has the ingenious kind of plotting people love to talk about. If it were a great picture, it wouldn't need this kind of protection; it's just good enough to be worth the rush. (And skip the dreadful 2001 remake.)

Adapted from a novel by Pierre Boulle, "Planet of the Apes" most closely resembles George Pal's 1960 version of H.G. Wells' 1895 novel "The Time Machine." It's also a little like "Forbidden
Planet," the 1956 science-fiction adaptation of "The Tempest," though it's perhaps more cleverly sustained than either of those movies. At times, it has the primitive force of old "King Kong." It isn't a difficult or subtle movie; you can just sit back and enjoy it. That should place the genre closely enough, without spoiling the theme or the plot. The writing, by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling, though occasionally bright, is often fancy-ironic in the old school of poetic disillusion. Even more often, it is crude. But the construction is really extraordinary. What seem to be weaknesses or holes in the idea turn out to be perfectly consistent, and sequences that work only at a simple level of parody while you're watching them turn out to be really funny when the total structure is revealed. You're too busy for much disbelief anyway; the timing of each action or revelation is right on the button. The audience is rushed along with the hero, who keeps going ...P>The picture is an enormous, many-layered black joke on the hero and the audience, and part of the joke is the use of Charlton Heston as the hero. I don't think the movie could have been so forceful or so funny with anyone else. Physically, Heston, with his perfect, lean-hipped, powerful body, is a god-like hero; built for strength, he's an archetype of what makes Americans win. He doesn't play a nice guy; he's harsh and hostile, self-centered and hot-tempered. Yet we don't hate him, because he's so magnetically strong; he represents American power -- the physical attraction and admiration one feels toward the beauty of strength as well as the moral revulsion one feels toward the ugliness of violence. And he has the profile of an eagle. Franklin J. Schaffner, who directed "Planet of the Apes," uses the Heston of the preposterous but enjoyable "The Naked Jungle" -- the man who is so absurdly a movie-star myth. He is the perfect American Adam to work off some American guilt feelings or self-hatred on, and this is part of what makes this new violent fantasy so successful as comedy.

"Planet of the Apes" is one of the best science-fiction fantasies ever to come out of Hollywood. That doesn't mean it's art. It is not conceived in terms of vision or mystery or beauty. Science-fiction fantasy is a peculiar genre; it doesn't seem to result in much literary art, either. This movie is efficient and craftsmanlike; it's conceived and carried out for maximum popular appeal, though with a cautionary message, and with some attempts to score little points against various forms of establishment thinking. These swifties are not Swift, and the movie's posture of superiority is somewhat embarrassing. Brechtian pedagogy doesn't work in Brecht, and it doesn't work here, either. At best, this is a slick commercial picture, with it's elements carefully engineered -- pretty girl (who unfortunately doesn't seem to have had acting training), comic reliefs, thrills, chases -- but when expensive Hollywood engineering works, as it rarely does anymore, the results can be impressive. Schaffner has thought out the action in terms of the wide screen, and he uses space and distance dramatically. Leon Shamroy's excellent color photography helps to make the vast exteriors (shot in Utah and Arizona) an integral part of the meaning. The editing, though, is somewhat distracting; several times there is a cut and then a view of what we have already seen from a different angle or from much higher up. The effect is both static (we don't seem to be getting anywhere) and overemphatic (we are conscious of being told to look at the same thing another way).

The makeup (there is said to be a million dollars' worth) and the costuming of the actors playing the apes are rather witty, and the apes have a wonderful nervous, hoping walk. The best little hopper is Kim Hunter, as an ape lady doctor; she somehow manages to give a better performance in this makeup than she has ever given on the screen before. Roddy McDowall and Maurice Evans are also great fun to watch in their simian guises.

Special mention should also be given to the avant-garde score by Jerry Goldsmith. It rather cleverly evokes an eerie mood that makes the entire film that much more memorable.

The DVD for this film offers a stunningly restored 35mm print that's letterboxed to display the original Panavision presentation, but sadly not enhanced for 16X9 display. Also, the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is feebly stereophonic. 20th Century Fox will have to go back and remaster and remix this classic for yet another DVD release, but until then the current version will do.

Rating:
Summary: Marky Mark Should have watched this first.
Review: This original 1968 version is infinitely better than that corny version that we were hit with in 2001. The ONLY criticism I really have for it is that noone seems puzzled at how the talking apes somehow learned to speak English. I wasn't aware of any British mandates oustide of the Solar System. But I guess I would have to extend that to every other sci-fi flick. This film looks so incredible on DVD! (as long as you have the proper component video connection on your tv) I can't wait to see the other films in this series on DVD. Charleton Heston does a great job as the hero astronaut- even with the occasional William Shatner overacting and cavalier attitude in the begining. You really miss him after the second installment in the series. I'm not a big fan of the NRA but you can't have a wimp like Mark Wahlberg in the role- it doesn't work. I remember freaking out at the sight of the dead female astronaut as a child. Nice to be able to freeze-frame something that sent me into therapy years later.