PLANET OF THE APES (1968)

 It seems our guest writer Phil Congleton wants to monkey around this month with the original Planet of the Apes series. He also draws some interesting parallels between that series and the Star Wars prequels. As the designated Digging Star Wars editor, I added a few notes about spaceships, too. Enjoy...

Art by Phil Congleton

My film choice for October was inspired by one of the symbols of our great country and the fact that this film utilizes that symbol with an iconic film moment. It was on October 28th, 1886 that the Statue of Liberty was dedicated by Grover Cleveland and the torch she holds was lit for the first time. As everyone knows, the Statue of Liberty makes an iconic film appearance in the Planet of the Apes (1968). Even if you have never seen this film, you know the importance of Lady Liberty to the overall story. It is that iconic. Another huge reason to celebrate this film in October, comes from Taylor himself. The star of this film, Charlton Heston (b. John Charles Carter), was born on October 4th, 1923 in Wilmette, Illinois. That is not all. Also from the cast, talented, veteran actor, James Whitmore, in the role of Ape City's, President of the Assembly, was born on October 1st, 1921. Actor James Daly, who plays Doctor Honorious, was born on October 23rd, 1918. Birthdays everywhere abound in this film. It all culminates at the end of the month with the Statue of Liberty opening, so enjoy, study and take in the concepts and philosophical messages that this huge film gives to you. This film will take you on a wild ride in a madhouse.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Based on the French novel "La Planète des Singes", published in 1963 by Pierre Boulle, this would be the first ever film adaptation, released just a mere five years after the book was published. The idea behind the Planet of the Apes takes a lot of its inspiration from concepts like, space travel, time travel, evolution of the human species, as well as, the simian species. It parallels a lot of the social, economic and cultural issues affecting society in the 1960s, such as war, racism and political feelings of the day. The cast is led by one of the biggest stars of the day, Charlton Heston as Taylor. It is such a good film that you don't even notice the make-up effects, even today. The film is over 50 years old now and probably wouldn't be as good as it is if it hadn't been produced in 1968. It fits in with its 1968 background beautifully. The make-up effects are state of the art at this point in film history. There was no CGI. There weren’t even computers yet really. It all had to be done with physical effects and hand-made prosthetics. It is that physicality that gives Planet of the Apes (1968) its fantastic charm. I bet it was a very exciting experience for a movie-goer to see this film on the big screen in 1968. It probably blew their mind.

The film creates many interesting, philosophical ideas and entertains the viewer all the way through. Director Franklin J. Schaffner, crafts a clean, well-constructed masterpiece, which just happens to contain many iconic moments. The charm of the make-up prosthetics comes from the chimpanzee scientists, who also exhume compassion towards their captive human pets. They are portrayed by Roddy McDowall as Cornelius and Kim Hunter as Zira. It is their presence that helps bring some sanity into Taylor's situation. They allow us to take a breath in between the chaos that the apes bring to the plotline. Also on tap is Maurice Evans as Dr. Zaius. It is his character that bridges the gap between the angry apes and the compassionate chimpanzees. He has to be like an anti-hero in the film. He has no real care for the humans, but allows his scientists to do their work, so long as they don't untap too many hidden secrets. You can't fault him for that, because he is just protecting his people, but his methods make him look like a jerk, especially from a human's viewpoint.

Amidst all the chaos going on throughout the film, mixed with the action, is a very cerebral storyline. It always keeps you thinking about what is unfolding from the plot. Right off the bat, during the opening crash-landing sequence, our mind is racing with Taylor's, as he tries to escape the ship, while noticing on a digital clock how many years they have been away from planet Earth. For the next couple of scenes you are trying to grasp the situation, that these guys are really in. Before things start to really get rough for Taylor, he explains things to us and to his two fellow, stranded astronauts, what they have really left behind on Earth. It is a lonely concept. Why would someone take on a mission like this? As the film moves onto Ape City, for the rest of the movie, you are trying to figure out how a planet has apes, who evolved from humans. It is a completely backwards idea from what we are used to. For those of the few, who don't know how the film ends, you will be shocked. I have seen this movie over 20 times and the story still thrills me.

9.4 (A MyGrade) = 9 IMDB, 4 1/2 Stars Letterboxd

Let’s take the liberty of talking about Star Wars…

20th Century Fox distributed the Star Wars films and the Planet of the Apes films back in the 20th century, before Disney shook things up ten years ago, so the films all open up with that familiar 20th Century Fox opening, that has been seen since the 1950s. When you see an old Fox film, sometimes you didn't get the grand Fox opening, but got at least a big "20th Century Fox presents" at the beginning of the credits. In either case, when watching the old Fox films, you always knew it was a Fox film, because you could always feel that grand presence of 20th Century Fox in the background mood of the film. You knew you were seeing a highly polished, professionally produced film-experience, which is what Planet of the Apes (1968) and Star Wars (1977), were. This may have ended up being one of the most over-looked similarities between these two franchises, or at the very least, the very first similarity that occurred between these two franchises. It is rooted in the background essence of these films. There are many other similarities between Star Wars and Planet of the Apes (1968). The assembled members of the Ape's political structure, trying to find a commonality between the apes, chimpanzees and baboons of Ape City, all feel like a system of government, that has the same problems as the Trade Federation, the Rebels and the Empire.   

So, let's start off with another look at the Star Wars prequels. Early on In Phantom Menace (1999), we are introduced to the Trade Federation, that our young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), get tied up with, in an attempt to rescue the Naboo's leader, Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman). I'm trying not to be too specific, as to not give anything away to those who haven't seen the films yet. What I really want to mention is the escape they make from Naboo. The spaceship that Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Amidala take has a striking resemblance to Taylor's spaceship, that he (Charlton Heston) and his crew crash-land on the Planet of the Apes (1968). [EDITOR’S NOTE: Phil is referring to Queen Amidala’s J-type 327 Nubian Royal Starship…for your Star Wars techies out there!] Many have noticed the barren rocky sands of Tatooine in the Star Wars films and how the real-life country of Tunisia, as well as, parts of Death Valley, California, totally resemble other films including the barren wasteland of the Forbidden Zone in Planet of the Apes (1968), which actually was shot in northern Arizona. It is the backdrop of that setting, contrasted with the ship design, that really brings the comparison out. 

Speaking of the sequels, in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), the huge follow-up to the original film, the humans and the apes discover a settlement of mutant humans living under the ruins of a once great city. These mutant humans have developed a form of telekinesis over the last 2000 years, due to the radiation levels of the city and can use their minds as weapons. It is an interesting comparison to some of the powers that the Jedi warriors and the Sith Lords have in the Star Wars films. Darth Vader, was always known for having strangled a guy or two using his powers of the dark Force. Well, in the Apes sequel, our hero this time, Brent (James Franciscus), following in Taylor's footsteps has his mind split in half by Don Pedro Colley and Victor Buono's mutant human mind tricks. It is always a frightening thought of evil beings getting the power of mind control and telekinesis. It is a hard power to fight against. Either it is radiation poisoning or the Force, it is always a power that evil antagonists exploit and abuse. The presence of these mutant-humans is actually felt in the original film, Planet of the Apes (1968), when Taylor and his men witness the day-lightning event, with no rain happening, while walking through the Forbidden Zone. It's a scary proposition, that probably wouldn't have been exploited if a second film was never scheduled to happen. It's a cool moment in the original film because it foreshadows the coming of these mutants in the second film.

Getting back to the design of Taylor's ship, we move further into Phantom Menace (1999). When Qui-Gon Jinn secures the freedom of Anakin Skywalker and they prepare to leave Tatooine, this is the moment in the film when you see the ship the best. There are other splashes of moments that our hero’s ship (Editor’s Note: again, Nubian) appears throughout the movie, but this is the best scene for it. As the tip of the ship swings into view, its front triangular shape mimics that of Taylor's ship sticking out of the waters of the Forbidden Zone, before its fateful dive into the deep darkness under the surface of the sea. Its 2000 year journey has come to an end. In the sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), there is no ship. The crash site is obliterated and there is a fiery mess. However, in the third film, Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), the apes, this time, return to our past (or is it our future?) and at their crash site we get to see Taylor's old ship again lying on the beaches of California in 1970 America. But, the best view of another Padme-owned Nubian spaceship [Editor’s Note again: this time it’s the H-Type Nubian Yacht] comes in the sequel, Attack of the Clones (2002), as Anakin Skywalker returns to Tatooine to rescue his mother, we see a perfect shot of the ship as it lands safely at Mos Esley space port. The triangular, sleek look of the ship is almost translucent. It makes sense why Anakin is using it. It is a cool design similar to the one in the Planet of the Apes (1968). It's intriguing to see this unfold on the screen. 

One interesting, final comparison that I noticed was at the last minute. Zira and Cornelius arrive in 1970 California on Taylor's old ship from the first film. You sometimes forget that the first film has a huge connection to the third film. I also find it interesting that we forget sometimes that Darth Vader created C-3PO. The first film has a connection to the third film.

About the Author

Phil Congleton is a lifelong, but retired, film buff, who worked in television for 30 years and produced some small independent films in the 1990s. He just loves the art of film. You can read more of Phil's film reviews on Letterboxd.