Planet of the Apes (1968)

Before “Star Wars”, the most popular science fiction films were “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Planet of the Apes” (both released in 1968). My first “Apes” movie was the Tim Burton remake and after seeing that movie, I was curious and rented the original film. I was very impressed by the anxiety I felt as I watched. It truly was a backwards world full of irony. The film has many noteworthy elements and reflects very well the decade it was made in.

The film’s story originates from the author of and the screenwriter who adapted “Bridge Over the River Kwai”. Rod Serling of TV’s “The Twilight Zone” wrote the initial script and his twist ending was retained, becoming of one the most famous endings in movie history. "Planet of the Apes" is one of those movies I would love to go back in time and hear a naive audience's reaction. The film story itself is engaging because our protagonist finds himself in bad circumstances with little hope. The story also has many metaphors and allegories of 1960’s culture and turmoil. The apes are in a caste system of society for example. Also Taylor’s mistreatment represents racism and prejudice. The character of Taylor is pessimistic about his own kind but once among the apes, he ironically wants humans back in charge. The ending of the film is where Taylor realizes the irony of this. The apes turn out to be “something better than man”. When you consider however the society of the apes, they themselves have problems too and so the film exudes negativity. Due to the fictional nature of “Planet of the Apes” and the irony in the movie, we still are entertained nonetheless. The film also includes themes of faith vs. science and evolution. The opening scene and opening title sequence really sell the idea that the ship crashes on another planet in another solar system. The discussion of the astronauts after the crash also leads us to believe this. Because of coincidences and certain mishaps, Taylor is mistaken for a primitive man living on the planet. This movie contains one of the most memorable lines in movies according to the American Film Institute (#66 on their list). As with most memorable lines in cinema history, it is the context that makes it what it is. Taylor has been recaptured and is surrounded by the common apes in Ape City when he shouts: “Take your stinking paws off me, you…dirty ape.” Their reactions as well as Zira’s, accompanied by Jerry Goldsmith’s score, make the line quite powerful. I enjoy the character of Dr. Zaius. When he erases the writing that Taylor wrote, we know for a fact that he has a secret concerning man. He knows man is capable of domestication and covers that fact up but why? The twist ending reveals the answer. Dr. Zaius’ desire to keep the truth about humans a secret ends up making sense. He does not want to stop the progress of society but does so to preserve it. Because he knows what man did to his kind, he does not want the same thing to happen to the apes. During the hearing, I love the reference to "The Three Wise Monkeys".

Those behind the camera of “Planet of the Apes” did some very important things. I like the uniqueness of the music by Jerry Goldsmith and he deserved his Oscar nomination. The score really sounds otherworldly, which is important for the sake of the ending. He even used pots and pans as percussion instruments. According to AFI, the music is #18 of the best musical scores. A unique choice in terms of cinematography was handheld shots and quick, static zooms. This also creates that important eerie atmosphere. The cast of actors was good. Charlton Heston is usually the hero that always wins in movies and so his struggle in “Planet of the Apes” really gives off that necessary sense of hopelessness. The talents of Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter were obvious but my favorite performance goes to Maurice Evans. I really enjoy Shakespearean actors and this quality was needed for the character of Dr. Zaius. Finally and most significantly, we come to the makeup. Today it may look simple and maybe a tad silly but this was state of the art makeup 50 years ago. Probably the reason why it looks impractical today is because of how the makeup restricts the facial acting of the performers. We must ignore that however and acknowledge the acting that can be seen, which is very good in my opinion considering all that makeup. John Chambers won a special achievement Oscar for his makeup because it wasn’t until 1981 that the academy created a category for makeup.

The film depicts quite well what would happen if an ape talked in our world. There is irony and also allegory that only science fiction could portray at the time. This is currently my favorite film from 1968. AFI also has “Planet of the Apes” as #59 on its list of thrilling movies and I agree with that. I did get to see this movie on the big screen in its 50th anniversary year and I am happy I got that checked off my list. The original film spawned four sequels and I have seen the second one in its entirety. I have also seen parts of the other movies and I believe they got carried away with the political messages and allegories contained in them. The metaphors became the focus of the sequels while genuine storytelling was given a back seat. After a few films, this kind of storytelling became cliche. I was born after the original franchise was released and I was one of the few who enjoyed the Tim Burton remake because I had not grown up with the original film. I also think the 2011 reboot franchise is noteworthy. The “Apes” franchise of the 60’s and 70’s also reflects the type of science fiction and action movies of the time. There were anti-heroes and pessimistic endings. There were apocalyptic stories too. Because society was in chaos, Hollywood reflected it. It was in the late 70’s when optimism was returned to the silver screen with world changing results.

4 Stars out of 5