Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Director:

Ted Post

Writers:

Paul Dehn (story) and
Mort Abrahams (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 May 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | 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 | Mutant

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	...	Ongaro
Tod Andrews	...	Skipper
Gregory Sierra	...	Verger
Eldon Burke	...	Gorilla Sgt.
Lou Wagner	...	Lucius
Charlton Heston	...	Taylor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Army Archerd	...	Gorilla (uncredited)
Edward Bach	...	Picket (uncredited)
James Bacon	...	Ape (uncredited)
Stan Barrett	...	Gorilla (uncredited)
Angelina Bauer	...	Chimp Protestor (uncredited)
Erlynn Mary Botelho	...	Ape (uncredited)
Dick Bullock	...	Gorilla (uncredited)
Bruce Fleischer	...	Gorilla (uncredited)
Paul Frees	...	Ending Voiceover (voice) (uncredited)
Roddy McDowall	...	Cornelius (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hank Robinson	...	Bomb Worshipper (uncredited)

Directed by
Ted Post

Writing credits
Paul Dehn		(story) and
Mort Abrahams		(story)
Pierre Boulle		(characters created by)
Paul Dehn		(screenplay)

Produced by
Mort Abrahams	....	associate producer
Arthur P. Jacobs	....	producer

Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman

Cinematography by
Milton R. Krasner		(director of photography) (as Milton Krasner)

Film Editing by
Marion Rothman

Art Direction by
William J. Creber		(as William Creber)
Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by
Walter M. Scott
Sven Wickman

Costume Design by
Morton Haack		(costumes designed by)

Makeup Department
John Chambers	....	creative makeup designer
Edith Lindon	....	hair styling
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup supervisor (as Dan Striepeke)
Peter R.J. Deyell	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Verne Langdon	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Sharleen Rassi	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Jan Van Uchelen	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Joseph C. Behm	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chuck Roberson	....	second unit director
Fred R. Simpson	....	assistant director (as Fred Simpson)
Murray Schwartz	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Milton Trager	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Fred Harpman	....	art illustrator
Pat O'Connor	....	prop master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Stephen Bass	....	sound
David Dockendorf	....	sound
Orrick Barrett	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Johnny Borgese	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Art Cruickshank	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Denny Arnold	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stan Barrett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Bullock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eldon Burke	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
William H. Burton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hank Calia	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tap Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nick Dimitri	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tony Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alan Gibbs	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)
Orwin C. Harvey	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kent Hays	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Hice	....	stunts (uncredited)
Clyde Hudkins Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Whitey Hughes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Loren Janes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hubie Kerns	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gene LeBell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Leonard	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary McLarty	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Sawaya	....	stunts (uncredited)
Walter Scott	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Stader	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Arthur Gerstle	....	camera assistant (uncredited)
Fred Hall	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Richard Lane	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Ralph Ferraro	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Joan Eremin	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Dominic Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)
Ruth Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)
Bill Venegas	....	location manager (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)
• APJAC Productions (as APJAC PRODUCTIONS, INC.)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1970) (USA) (theatrical) (released by) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation)
• 20th Century Fox (1970) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1973) (USA) (TV) (pan/scan)
• Magnetic Video (1977) (USA) (VHS)
• Magnetic Video (1977) (USA) (video) (Betamax)
• Playhouse Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Japan (2001) (Japan) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Fox Films (1970) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• FS Film Oy (2001) (2007) (Finland) (DVD) (both 6-disc editions)
• Nelonen (1997) (1999) (Finland) (TV)
• R-Video (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1991) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Norway:16 (1970) | Singapore:PG | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) (2003) | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | USA:G | West Germany:16 | Iceland:L | Brazil:Livre | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (tv rating)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Originally, there was going to be a scene featuring a half-human/half-ape child. However, the producers were afraid that not only would the scene be too confusing, but that they would also lose their "G" rating.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During Ursus' speech to the Ape Council, James Gregory is very animated. He is so animated, in fact, that near the end of the speech he turns and lifts his head, revealing his throat and Adam's apple.

Quotes:

Taylor:[as Nova slowly dies, gunned down by a gorilla] Well, that tears it. Maybe we should just let the world blow up. The gorillas, every damned... what it comes to.
[with a dry little man-sob of despair]
John Brent:[Intense, full of fury] Taylor, come on. Come on!
Taylor:Yeah.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Nightmare Theatre's Late Night Chill-o-Rama Horror Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V)

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."