Planet of the Apes (1968)

Director:

Franklin J. Schaffner

Writers:

Michael Wilson (screenplay) and
Rod Serling (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 April 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Somewhere in the universe there must be something better than man. In a matter of time, an astronaut will wing through the centuries and find the answer. He may find the most terrifying one of all on the planet where apes are the rulers and man the beast.

Plot:

An astronaut crew crash lands on a planet in the distant future where intelligent talking apes are the dominant species, and humans are the oppressed and enslaved.

Plot Keywords:

Ape | Planet | Astronaut | Escape | Trial

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	George Taylor
Roddy McDowall	...	Cornelius
Kim Hunter	...	Zira
Maurice Evans	...	Dr. Zaius
James Whitmore	...	President of the Assembly
James Daly	...	Honorious
Linda Harrison	...	Nova
Robert Gunner	...	Landon
Lou Wagner	...	Lucius
Woodrow Parfrey	...	Maximus
Jeff Burton	...	Dodge
Buck Kartalian	...	Julius
Norman Burton	...	Hunt Leader
Wright King	...	Dr. Galen
Paul Lambert	...	Minister

Also Known As:

Monkey Planet

Runtime:

112 min | Argentina:115 min | Spain:107 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Brazil:12 | UK:PG (video rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | Norway:16 (1968) | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

APJAC Productions

Trivia:

Director Franklin J. Schaffner deliberately used odd, skewed angles and hand-held cameras to create a disorientating effect, much like what Charlton Heston's character experiences in this brave new world.

Goofs:

Continuity: The strap on Taylor's rifle while pointing it at Dr. Zaius while outside the cave in the forbidden zone.

Quotes:

[first lines]
George Taylor: And that completes my final report until we reach touchdown. We're now on full automatic, in the hands of the computers. I have tucked my crew in for the long sleep and I'll be joining them soon. In less than an hour, we'll finish our sixth month out of Cape Kennedy...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Alec Baldwin/Tina Turner (#22.14)" (1997)

Great Film

Unlike the recent Tim Burton remake this can be called a great film . Franklin J Schaffner does a good job of bringing an otherworldliness ( And just how ironic is that ?) to the film , and the ending is rightly regarded as a classic moment of cinema . This is how SF should be made , with little FX and with much intelligence .

No doubt a reviewer can be critical and point out that a lot of the subtext of the original novel has been culled and there`s a serious lapse in logic in that both apes and humans speak the exact same language without either stopping to point this out , but I like this film and it`s too good to pick holes at