The original Planet of the Apes is that rarity of the genre: a science fiction film that has dated not one bit: its intelligent script, frightening costuming, and savagely effective conclusion (which needs no big-budget special effects to augment its impact) remain both potent and relevant. When Colonel George Taylor (the fabulous Charlton Heston) crash lands his spacecraft on what seems to be an unfamiliar planet, he is captured and held prisoner by a dominant race of rational, articulate apes. However, the ape community is riven with internal dissension, centred... in no small part on its policy toward humans, who, on this planet, are treated as mindless animals. Befriended and ultimately assisted by the more liberal simians, Taylor escapes--only to find a more terrifying obstacle confronting his return home. Heavy-handed object lessons abound--the ubiquity of generational warfare, the inflexibility of dogma, the cruelty of prejudice--and the didactic finger prints of The Twilight Zone's Rod Serling are very much in evidence here. But director Franklin Schaffner has a dark, pop-apocalyptic sci-fi vision all of his own, helped along by Jerry Goldsmith's terrifyingly avant-garde score. And time has not dulled the monumental emotional imp act of the film's climactic payoff shot. --Miles Bethany, Amazon.com [show more]
In 1963, Pierre Boulle wrote a dystopian commentary on the world as he saw it - The Planet of the Apes. Five years later, with the emergence of the US civil rights movement, the ongoing war in Vietnam, and a growing state of tension between the USA and USSR brought into sharp relief through incidents such as the cuban missile crisis - the book became a film.
It was not without changes - as the vast majority of adaptations from novels will testify. Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell took leading roles in a modestly budgeted science fiction film which was to impress almost all critics.
The story begins in space - during the return journey to Earth, on a craft piloted by a cynical, keenly observant Heston. For reasons unknown, the ship is forced to land upon an unfamiliar planet and with no hope of rescue, the crew find themselves exploring the barren wastes of their new home. Soon, they find themselves drawn into the native, mute, primitive human population - in a world where (other) primates have evolved to become a collective of dominant species. What follows is an exercise in social commentary, born of intelligent use of imagery and thinly veiled representations of our own world during the 1960's. The apes' certain knowledge of their own undeniable right to dominance, Heston's show-trial and the conflict between ape-species over matters of faith, belief and the proper role of science are delivered in thoughtful, intelligent writing. One wonders how closely the screenplay draws upon Boulle's writing in this respect.
Everyone knows of the closing scene, if not directly - then most of us will have knowingly or otherwise seen a homage or mock reference to it. As Heston spends his time on this new world asserting the rights of humans in an attempt to prove the ultimate superiority of man over his ape brethren, the iconic, closing image shows a half-buried Statue of Liberty, standing proud on an unfamiliar shoreline. Heston realises, perhaps a little later than we, that this unfamiliar planet is Earth of the future. It could be argued that we assume this at the outset, and that the protagonist's only function is to serve as an exponent of human virtues before acknowledging the ultimate folly of man.
In a time where blockbusters spend millions to computer-generate awe-inspiring images of destruction and inspire feelings of dread, we are able to look back on this gem from 1968. It reminds us that our stranglehold upon this world is a fragile thing, and that in the future, our civilisation, whilst perhaps not being surpassed by (other) apes, could so easily be half-buried in sand.
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall star in this legendary science fiction masterpiece. Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist. Winner of an Honorary Academy Award for Outstanding Make-up Achievement and nominated for two Oscars, (1968 Best Costume Design and Best Original Score) Planet of the Apes is grand entertainment from its visually arresting beginning to the chilling last moment. Actors Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly, Linda Harrison, Robert Gunner, Lou Wagner & Woodrow Parfrey Director Franklin J. Schaffner Certificate PG Year 1968 Screen Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic Languages English - Dolby Digital (5.1) Duration 1 hour and 48 minutes (approx)
A group of astronauts, led by George Taylor (Charlton Heston), crash land on a strange planet where mute humans are treated as slaves by intelligent apes. Taylor is hunted down and captured by horse-riding gorillas, and then taken for experimentation by sympathetic chimpanzee Dr Zira (Kim Hunter). When Zira discovers Taylor's intelligence, she and her fiancé Cornelius (Roddy McDowall) appeal to the governing council on his behalf, but the appeal fails, leaving the astronaut no choice but to go on the run. Fleeing for his freedom, Taylor soon makes a shocking discovery about the provenance of this strange planet.
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