Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Director:

Ted Post

Writers:

Pierre Boulle (characters)
Paul Dehn (story) ...

Release Date:

26 May 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The bizarre world you met in 'Planet of the Apes' was only the beginning... What lies beneath may be the end!

Plot:

The sole survivor of an interplanetary rescue mission searches for the only survivor of the previous expedition. He discovers a planet ruled by apes and an underground city run by telekinetic humans.

Plot Keywords:

Ape | Astronaut | Planet Of The Apes | Survivor | Sequel

Cast

James Franciscus	...	Brent
Kim Hunter	...	Zira
Maurice Evans	...	Dr. Zaius
Linda Harrison	...	Nova
Paul Richards	...	Mendez
Victor Buono	...	Fat Man
James Gregory	...	Ursus
Jeff Corey	...	Caspay
Natalie Trundy	...	Albina
Thomas Gomez	...	Minister
David Watson	...	Cornelius
Don Pedro Colley	...	Negro
Tod Andrews	...	Skipper
Gregory Sierra	...	Verger
Eldon Burke	...	Gorilla Sergeant

Also Known As:

Planet of the Apes Revisited (USA) (working title)
Planet of the Men (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Australia:M | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Norway:16 (1970) | Singapore:PG | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | USA:G | West Germany:16 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA

Company:

APJAC Productions

Trivia:

Orson Welles was offered the role of General Ursus, which he turned down. Burt Reynolds was considered for the lead role of John Brent before James Franciscus was cast due to his resemblance to Charlton Heston. Don Medford agreed to direct the movie, but walked out after the budget was halved.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Brent and Nova enter the underground cave to escape the pursuing gorillas, they happen upon the ruins of a tiled subway station bearing the name "Queensboro Plaza". Queensboro Plaza is a station on an elevated line of the New York City Transit Authority on the east end of the Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge and is not a subterranean station. In reality, the Queensboro Station would not be located in a tunnel, as depicted in the movie. Furthermore, elevated stations on the NYCTA do not have tiled walls.

Quotes:

John Brent: That thing out there, an atomic bomb... is your god?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tex Murphy: Overseer (1998) (VG)

Far Beneath the original Apes Film

This first sequel to the '68 science fiction hit has all the markings of something rushed into production. There was no time to craft a story which explores the truly interesting possibilities of astronaut Taylor's continuing odyssey on a future world turned upside down. The story could have and should have concentrated on the evolving struggle between the ruling class of apes and the backward humans. Instead, the filmmakers created a new threat for this film, a secret society of human mutants living underground. They show up in the 2nd half of this feature and, in prolonged scenes, show off their telepathic powers in torturing the heroes. The heroes, in this case, are another astronaut (Franciscus) who followed Taylor's trajectory to this other planet and Taylor himself (Heston, reprising his role briefly). Wow, what an original concept - another astronaut, who, in an accelerated version of the first film's events, also finds Ape City, encounters two sympathetic chimps, gets captured and escapes. Are we watching some kind of a repeat?

The quick pace of this picture is probably its best aspect; this stresses action. However, the pace is so fast that some crucial points in geography are sacrificed: getting to the Forbidden Zone from Ape City is just a short walk in a tunnel for some, while others have to trudge for days overhead. In a slight nod to the satirical aspects of the original film, we do get to see religion being mocked (the original satirized the social & political anchors of a community). But, it's not a very subtle jab. The mutants profess to be more intelligent than either the heroes or the apes, which they seem to prove with their advanced mind powers, but they spend most of their time worshiping a nuclear bomb, chanting silly songs - they really picked a strange form of idolatry, but maybe they're simply crazed. This movie throws together a lot of science fiction concepts but the resulting brew is rather bland. It's a decent action piece, not much more.

Franciscus shows he is no Heston; he overacts in most of his scenes, as if he had no clue on how to depict a man realizing where he's actually landed, but then again, he wasn't the skipper on this 2nd ship (the lead officer dies soon after they crash-land); we're not watching a leader but a follower try to carry the picture. I was struck by how Heston towered over him in their brutal fight scene. McDowall is also missing; his role of Cornelius is played by actor Watson. Evans & Gregory are pretty good as the ape leaders but whoever stuck them in ape suits for the sauna scene should have thought about it a few more minutes. This movie ends everything on a grotesquely conclusive note, but they managed to find a way to continue the story in "Escape From the Planet of the Apes."