Planet of the Apes

1968  G  SCIENCE FICTION  1h 52min

CAST— Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly, Linda Harrison

MUSIC— Jerry Goldsmith  DIRECTOR— Franklin J. Schaffner  BASED ON— Planet of the Apes (novel), by Pierre Boulle

     Classic science-fictionalized morality tale on man’s inner barbarism. Space explorer Charlton Heston crash lands on a mysterious planet ruled by apes. But not just any apes; these suckers are as close to man as you can get. They speak, they have organized civilizations; but most disturbing of all is the fact that they use humans as slaves. Heston is captured by the apes, but catches a break when he is held under observation by a sympathetic scientist and her fiancée. But when a defender of ape law catches wind of their dealings with this human he begins a campaign to remove all traces of advanced human culture. A fascinating glimpse into the lives of a well developed fictitious culture, complete with laws and religion. The final shot makes the subliminal message clear: is man fit to rule the planet? All seriousness aside the film can be fun escapism, as well. We’ll even forgive Heston for his overacting. But just this once. A note to parents: though given a G-rating the film contains nudity and coarse language. Later developed into two television series. Winner of an honorary Oscar for Outstanding Makeup Achievement. Deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry.

OUR RATING— ***

FOLLOWED BY— Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

REMADE AS— Planet of the Apes (2001)