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KultureFlash Issue no. 85
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
"Ape shall not kill Ape!" that's the first rule of
Ape City, if not the entire
Ape Planet.
Imagine going into space, crash
landing
on a planet where the monkeys have taken over, and humans
are dumb. Then discovering that it's just your future that you've crashed into (3978 AD).
Charlton Heston sure had
it tough, but then he did play Moses and Ben-Hur. Based on
Pierre Boulle's 1963
novel La Planete des Singes,
instead of his high-tech Ape world, 20th Century Fox
opted
for a more earthy look to keep costs down. The
1968 classic, four
sequels,
a TV series,
cartoons,
comic books, toys,
cult,
Simpsons' cameos,
fashion,
music
and most recently a Tim Burton
re-imaging
with Marky Mark and
Kris Kristofferson
no less! More importantly it made a
star of
Roddy McDowell.
POTA (to its fans) was the early sci-fi classic that made serious political and social statements
(war is bad, watch out for them nuclear weapons, treat everyone civilly,
do not treat your pets badly,
etc. etc.). In the spirit of the The Twilight Zone
-- Rod Serling
wrote the first draft of the POTA
screenplay -- the Ape movies nonetheless raised the quality level through their effects and topical thinking.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
(1972), for example, was inspired by the 1965 Watts riots in LA. That said, and with the events transpiring
in the Middle East today perhaps Taylor's last words are still potent reminders of humanity's lack of progress:
"You maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!"
© 2004 KultureFlash
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