Planet of the Apes (1968 movie) |
Planet of the Apes is a 1968 science fiction film in which an astronaut finds
himself 2,000+ years in the future stranded on what he believes to be another planet, in which humans are enslaved by apes.
The humans cannot talk and are made to work by the apes. This is similar to the relation of yahoos and Houyhnhnms in Gulliver's Travels. The apes are divided: the warriors are gorilla-like, the politicians orangutan-like and the scientists
chimpanzee-like.
Cast
Plot details
Warning: Plot details
follow.
Taylor, Landon and a third astronaut are in deep hibernation when their ship crash lands in a lake on a planet in 3978 A.D.
They awaken to find a fourth astronaut has died in space and their ship has started to sink. They manage to escape in an
inflatable boat and reach shore. After wandering around in mountainous terrain, they descend to a valley where they stumble
across a group of people being chased by gorillas on horseback. One of the astronauts is shot and killed during the chase while
Taylor and Landon are captured; Taylor is snared by a bull whip around his neck, leaving him with a throat injury which prevents
him from initially talking to the apes. The captives are taken back to an ape city where Taylor is thrown into a cage with
another captive, the beautiful Nova. Taylor discovers that the apes, who can talk, are in control and use humans, who cannot
talk, as slaves or for scientific experimentation. This latter fact is illustrated when Taylor eventually finds Landon, who has
been lobotomized after revealing his talking ability.
Cornelius and Zira are scientists who take an interest in Taylor after he makes a drawing in the dirt. Taylor's voice
eventually heals sufficiently that he can talk to Cornelius and Zira, who take a liking to him. Eventually, the political leader,
Dr. Zaius, discovers Taylor's ability to talk and puts him on trial. Taylor manages to finally escape with the aid of Cornelius
and Zira. They flee to the "Forbidden Zone", where they discover a cave with artifacts of human technology. Zaius and a band of
gorillas manage to find them and after a brief battle, Taylor and Nova escape on horseback. Zaius lets them go without further
confrontation as he thinks it best for everyone if Taylor just disappears. Eventually Taylor discovers the Statue of Liberty half buried in the sand by the ocean and the
realization that he's really back on Earth and that mankind finally decimated civilization with a nuclear war.
Credits and Awards
The movie was adapted by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling from the novel
La Plančte des singes by Pierre Boulle. It was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner.
It won an honorary Academy Award for John Chambers for his outstanding
make-up achievement. It was nominated for Best Costume Design (Morton Haack) and Best Music, Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical).
In 2001 the United States Library of Congress deemed the original film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation
in the National Film Registry.
Sequels
Planet of the Apes was followed by four sequels:
and two television series:
- Planet of the Apes (1974)
- Return to the Planet of the Apes (animated) (1975)
The movie was remade in 2001 - see
Planet of the Apes.
Famous quote
- "Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"
External link
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