Charlton Heston Week: Planet of the Apes

Well I have hinted and eluded to the film for the last two days so you knew it was inevitable.  The 1967 sci-fi classic depiction of Pierre Boulle’s Monkey Planet with a substantial cast, brilliant cinematography, a wonderful soundtrack and the dawning era of prosthetic FX make-up for the 20^th century.   So stock up on bananas, grab the lore keeper’s copy of the sacred scrolls and don’t forget to wash your throwing hand.   This is Planet of the Apes.

 

Time for your tick bath, Bright Eyes.

You know the saying, Spoilers see, Spoilers do.

From the creative treatment of Michael Wilson (A Place in the Sun, 5 Fingers, Lawrence of Arabia and The Sandpiper) and Rod Serling (Playhouse 90, Armchair Theatre, Twilight Zone, The Loner, The Man and Rod Serling’s Night Gallery) and director Franklin J. Schaffner (The Defenders, The Stripper, The DuPont Show of the Week, Patton, Papillon and The Boys from Brazil) sought out to create a standing of this civilization compromised of apes.

You will feel confident with your new hair.

Commander George Taylor (Charlton Heston of Will Penny, The Hawaiians, Skyjacked, The Call of the Wild, The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, Earthquake, Midway and The Awaking) a cynical poet and astronaut is pondering the imponderables of the nature of the universe and the absurdity of the cosmos while making his final journal entry as he is scheduled to a deep cryogenic slumber as his space journey comes to an end.   His vessel crash lands on re-entry as his crew members Landon (Robert Gunner of Frontier Circus, Our Man Flint, The Green Hornet, Caprice and The Jackals) and Dodge (Jeff Burton of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, The Manhunter, The Mad Bomber, Coffy and Street Sisters) as they explore this wasteland of a planet being more than 2000 years into their future.  This will be where they must stay until they can call for help.

   

After exploring for 3 days they encounter a lush cornfield full of primitive humans who panic and flee from apes on horseback?   A planet of buffalo bills with fur??   Our astronauts flee for their lives and get separated during this insane dash through the fields and Taylor is shot and wounded.  He awakes in a camp with other humans but they display less intelligence or thinking process beyond instinctual.  You can manage debates were a bit difficult but not impossible.  The city, society, religion and economics are constructed solely by apes which makes you wonder if they have it right after all.

 

Think I have some rabbit in my teeth. Check for me?

And now, I would like to make a few comments and facts about the movie if you don’t mind.  Edward G Robinson (The Last Gangster, Confession of a Nazi Spy, Double Indemnity, Key Largo, The Stranger, The Ten Commandments and Soylent Green) was intended to play Dr. Zaius instead of Maurice Evans but the prosthetics made Robinson claustrophobic and disturbed his heart so he had to bow out of the project.  The primary locations for said movie were Malibu Creek State Park in Calabasas California with Vasquez Rock as well as Glen Canyon in Utah.    This film was shot entirely in Panavision via helicopter aerial shots, tight zooms, dolly and hand held.  It is dark, brilliant and offers some amusing concepts as well as a different view of humanity as a whole.