Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

The world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a U.S. spacecraft. They become the toast of society, but one man believes them to be a threat to the human race.

Director:

Don Taylor

Writers:

Paul Dehn, Pierre Boulle (based upon characters created by)

Stars:

Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roddy McDowall	...	Cornelius
Kim Hunter	...	Zira
Bradford Dillman	...	Dr. Lewis Dixon
Natalie Trundy	...	Dr. Stephanie Branton
Eric Braeden	...	Dr. Otto Hasslein
William Windom	...	The President
Sal Mineo	...	Milo
Albert Salmi	...	E-1
Jason Evers	...	E-2
John Randolph	...	Chairman
Harry Lauter	...	General Winthrop
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Aide
Roy Glenn	...	Lawyer (as Roy E. Glenn Sr.)
Peter Forster	...	Cardinal
Norman Burton	...	Army Officer

Storyline

Following the events in "Beneath the Planet of the Apes", Cornelius and Zira flee back through time to 20th Century Los Angeles, where they face fear and persecution similar to what Taylor and Brent suffered in the future, and discover the origins of the stream of events that will shape their world.

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Plot Keywords:

ape | planet of the apes | future | fear | spaceship | 

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Taglines:

A New Generation Of Incredible Apes In The Most Exciting Suspense Film Of Them All

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Roddy McDowall and Natalie Trundy are the only cast members to appear in 4 of the 5 original "Planet of the Apes" movies. McDowall appeared in all, except the first sequel, "Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)." Natalie Trundy did not appear in the original "Planet of the Apes (1968)" movie, but appeared in all 4 sequels (although technically, through archive footage, Roddy was in all five movies: the beginning of "Beneath" shows him from the original film).

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Goofs

As the Ape-onauts exit the beached capsule, the hatch opens on the left side (SCREEN right) of the craft which completely distorts the interior of the capsule that was established in Planet of the Apes. By all accounts the escape hatch opens right in the middle of the space where Dodge & Landon's hibernation chamber were located which is impossible.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Helicopter pilot: Red Baron Control. Red Baron Five. Orbiting southeast corner of sector Alpha Charlie. We've spotted what appears to be a spacecraft just outside the surf line. Alert rescue. Advise we can remain on station for 45 minutes and we'll squawk 7700 for a radar fix.

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Crazy Credits

The 20th Century Fox logo does not appear on this film.

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Connections

Featured in TJ and the All Night Theatre: Escape from the Planet of the Apes + the Man Without a Body (1979)

User Reviews

A new tone for the series

No, this film is not as awe-inspiring as the original but it still maintains the viewer's interest despite the scaled down approach which was due to budget constraints. For much of the film the there is a humorous tone. Good performances were turned in by familiar faces (Braeden, Montalban, Mineo). The story, despite some holes, was quite riveting. I'm looking forward to the fourth installment. The sense of adventure and exploration (this time by the apes) and the continued presentation of parallels between this fictional world and our world still make for worthwhile viewing. 7/10.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 July 1971 (UK)

Also Known As:

Secret of the Planet of the Apes

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$12,348,905

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,348,905

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, APJAC Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1