The author of this review has rarely greeted a film with higher expectation than in the case of the original Planet of the Apes. I had been hearing great things about the film for decades before being able to see it for the first time. My expectations were not diminished by the fact that I had already seen the important final scene, nor by my utter disappointment in the form of the 1970s TV series. When I finally watched the film for the first time, I was nevertheless forced to admit that Planet of the Apes fell far below my expectations. Afterwards, when I had the opportunity to watch the film for a second or third time, or had the misfortune to watch some of the four sequels, my opinion of the film improved, although not by much.
The plot of the film is based on the novel by French author Pierre Boulle, who had been fortunate enough to have his previous work, The Bridge on the River Kwai, turned into one of the greatest films of all time. In 1968 it seemed that this had happened for the second time – Planet of the Apes was the first science fiction film to transcend the usual fan base and become an interesting cultural phenomenon of its time. Genre aficionados later never failed to mention this film as one of the milestones in the history of science fiction cinema. For them, Planet of the Apes is the film that made an important leap from the realms of the genre ghetto into the world of mainstream cinema, mostly by employing the previously escapist genre to talk about important issues of its time, thus paving the way for the intelligent and socially conscious brand of science fiction cinema that would dominate Hollywood until the arrival of Spielberg and Lucas.
Genre credentials were given to the film by Rod Serling, the famous creator of The Twilight Zone, who paired up with Michael Wilson, a screenwriter previously targeted by the anti-leftist witch-hunts of the 1950s, who contributed a plot inspired by his own experiences. The film begins in a US spaceship that is about to spend thousands of years travelling through space until it finds a new solar system. The crew, led by Colonel George Taylor (played by Charlton Heston), is going to spend much of this time in hypersleep before it awakes and begins a new human civilisation on the new planet. The plan, however, does not go as it should – the only female member of the crew has died during the journey, the spaceship crashes into a lake, and Taylor, as well as two of his companions – Landon (played by Robert Gunner) and Dodge (played by Jeff Burton) – now must fight for survival on an alien and presumably hostile planet. The crew soon finds that the planet is populated by a race of humans who appear to be mute and not very intelligent. It soon emerges that the humans are not the dominant species on the planet – the real masters are the intelligent apes who hunt and imprison them. Taylor is the only survivor of the raid, yet he is shot in the throat and unable to speak when he is imprisoned. He is nevertheless peculiar enough to arouse interest in the chimpanzee scientist Zira (played by Kim Hunter), as well as her fiancé, the archaeologist Dr Cornelius (played by Roddy McDowall). Their interest is rewarded when Taylor finally manages to communicate. But for the authorities, embodied by the powerful orangutan Dr Zaius (played by Maurice Evans), Taylor represents a threat to the established order of the apes’ world and therefore must be eliminated.
The original Planet of the Apes might be criticised for many things, but hardly for not being an entertaining and thought-provoking science fiction film. From a strictly technical standpoint, the film is more than adequate – the action scenes are intense, while the architecture, clothes and artefacts of the ape society still manage to create a sense of wonder despite having recognisably human origins. The apes are among the most convincing aliens in the history of science fiction cinema and the “Oscar” for the make-up is well deserved. Finally, Schaffner manages to establish the pace of the movie, keeping it short yet giving it an epic scope, thus providing the Planet of the Apes with the feel of a “larger than life” film.
However, the most important element of Planet of the Apes lies in the context that is likely to be missed by a contemporary audience. This film is undoubtedly a product of its time. Created in 1968, one of the most turbulent years of American history, Planet of the Apes was heavily influenced by the conflicts that threatened to tear American society apart and end Western civilisation – the never-ending nightmare of the Vietnam War, the radicalisation of race issues in the era of civil rights, and, finally, the escalating struggle between the new progressive ideas of the young and the conservative order embodied by the older generation. All of these themes – racism, bigotry, and, more than anything else, humanity’s ability to destroy the world – are present in this film. The script goes even further than the most radical filmmakers in an era when radicalism used to be the norm, and the sight of a protagonist laughing at the US flag was not the unforgivable atrocity it is today (even before the WTC massacre, which gave a whole new dimension to the ideals of patriotism). For the filmmakers, mankind is not only the victim, but also the cause of the evils in this world. The screenplay cleverly brings this thesis to the fore in the powerful finale, in which the tables are turned. The protagonist, for whom we were supposed to root, suffers terrible humiliation at the hands of the racist and bigoted apes who are supposed to represent all that is worst in humanity. When he is finally free and unconstrained, he shows his true nature by using violence to achieve his ends, thus justifying his ape oppressors, who saw him as a dangerous freak. In light of this, even the powerful final scene, which was supposed to make this point clear, is not as powerful as it should be, and it could have been left on the cutting-room floor without damaging the film.
Because of this radical departure from the dominant anthropocentric point of view, Planet of the Apes was often seen as one of the most important films in the history of the science fiction genre. However, because it approached the issues seriously, it also required more scrutiny, and this is exactly the reason why it fails to reach the criteria necessary to be viewed as a truly great film. While some corners might be cut in a light-hearted fantasy such as Star Wars, the “science” in the whole concept of “science fiction” prevents us from having the proper suspension of disbelief necessary to truly enjoy this film. There is simply too much implausibility for that, ranging from the fact that three Adams and one Eve would be sent to start a new Eden to the obvious fact that the apes speak perfect English and understand the Latin alphabet, yet our hero still believes that he is not on Earth. Because of this, what was supposed to be one of the defining films of the 20th century can be seen as trash. This impression is enhanced by the presence of Linda Harrison, whose character does not utter a word during the whole film and whose acting ability is proportional to the amount of clothing she wears. Her presence in the film, although at times pleasing to the eyes of a male audience, is almost insulting when in the same company as talented actors like Heston, Kim Hunter, James Whitmore and especially Roddy McDowall, whose role as Cornelius would afterwards be one of the few things worth watching in the sequels and subsequent TV series.
The first incarnation of Planet of the Apes is, regardless of its apparent flaws, a very good film that could be enjoyed and appreciated even by those who might not see it as worthy of its cult status.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on September 17th 2001)
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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/871-planet-of-the-apes?language=en-US Critic: AA
