Planet of the Apes

Planet of the Apes
by Franklin J. Schaffner

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DVD details

Actor: Charlton Heston, James Whitmore, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, Roddy McDowall
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Brand: Twentieth Century Fox
Cinematographer: Leon Shamroy
Editor: Hugh S. Fowler
Producer: Arthur P. Jacobs
Producer: Mort Abrahams
Writer: Michael Wilson
Writer: Pierre Boulle
Writer: Rod Serling
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 112 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-03-28
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: 20th Century Fox

DVD Reviews of Planet of the Apes

DVD Review: Planet of the Apes
Summary: 4 Stars

This movie is simple yet engrossing. I've seen this movie two or three times now and still marvel at the complexities even though it pales in comparison to modern moviemaking. Hopefully this will never be remade into an updated version because I don't see how any other version could compete with the charm of the original.

There were sequels to this movie, but none measured up to the original. The cast, the concept, the production all make this a truly one of a kind movie to be enjoyed by all. It has no bad language, no sex, no grossness about it. It is a good family science fiction movie.

DVD Review: Planet of the Apes - Charlton Heston
Summary: 4 Stars

This is a classic must see. You must have this under your movie belt for total appreciation of film. You can see why Mr. Heston was so adored and with great one liners - this movie is by far more superior then the remake with Mark Wahlberg.

DVD Review: A MASTERPIECE of the Sci-Fi genre!
Summary: 5 Stars

If a person were to assemble a list of the "10 Greatest Sci-Fi Films" This is one of them. What more needs to be said about this CLASSIC? I don't know where to begin when reviewing a movie that has so MANY CLASSIC elements about it.

I guess by pointing out the fact that movie fans back in 1968 had NEVER seen such things like there are in "Planet of the Apes". It must have been AWESOME to see this during the original theatrical run. Charlton Heston, Roddy Mcdowall (one of the most UNDERRATED actors ever) and Kim Hunter all give INCREDIBLE performances.

But my favorite performance in the film has got to be Maurice Evans as Dr. Zaius. All the BEST lines of the movie go to him. His first scene has CLASSIC dialogue and so does his last, and all in between.

There are times when a CLASSIC movie will contain MANY memorable lines. That is certainly the case here. Here are just a few of my favorites:

"I can't help thinking somewhere in the universe there has to be something better than man. Has to be."

"The sooner man is exterminated, the better."

"Dr. Zaius, would an ape make a human doll THAT TALKS!"

Here is the COOLEST and most significant aspect of the movie. "Planet of the Apes" contains what I believe to be the GREATEST movie ending EVER! Colonel Taylor discovering the Statue of Liberty on the beach! CLASSIC! This ending came from the GENIUS mind of Rod Serling and was not in the Pierre Boulle novel.

Of course I'm biased when it comes to the LEGENDARY Rod Serling because my all-time favorite television show is "The Twilight Zone". But one has to remember that all those GREAT Twilight Zone twist endings came from this GENIUS mind.

I don't think I need to say anything else except, I HIGHLY recommend the documentary "Behind the Planet of the Apes" hosted by the GREAT Roddy McDowall. This is the BEST movie documentary I've ever seen.

"What will he find out there Dr. Zaius?"

"His Destiny"

DVD Review: Doctor Zaius, Doctor Zaius!
Summary: 5 Stars

Oh my god, I was wrong! It was Earth all along! Guess you've finally made a monkey out of me!!!

DVD Review: Enthralling and Amazing !
Summary: 5 Stars

If you're going to see this 1968 movie for the first time, as I did only a few weeks ago, you're in for a treat. I can see why it has, despite its occassional camp and references to '60s youth radicalism, withstood the test of time. It has all the elements of a great movie: astonishing performances that shine through the ape masks and costumes; superb cinematography that makes effective use of the widescreen (if you can, watch it on a large projector screen); thought-provoking screenplay which deals with man's place in the great scheme of things; and an ending that inspires awe with its visual beauty and apocalyptic portentousness. This ending has seared itself into my memory, and is the most startling conclusion I've ever encountered on film (even including The Sixth Sense and Don't Look Now).

Description of Planet of the Apes

Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall star in this legendary science fiction masterpiece. Astronaut Taylor (Heston) crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist (McDowall).

Many early science fiction films are now, quite inadvertently (and in most cases undeservedly), objects of camp attention: we laugh at the silly makeup, tin-can special effects, and the naive "high-tech" dialogue. Planet of the Apes is no such film. Its intelligent script, frightening costuming, and savagely effective conclusion (which needs no big-budget special effects to augment its impact) remain both potent and relevant. When Colonel George Taylor (the fabulous Charlton Heston) crash lands his spacecraft on what seems to be an unfamiliar planet, he is captured and held prisoner by a dominant race of hyperrational, articulate apes. However, the ape community is riven with internal dissention, centered in no small part on its policy toward humans, who, on this planet, are treated as mindless animals. Befriended and ultimately assisted by the more liberal simians, Taylor escapes--only to find a more terrifying obstacle confronting his return home. Heavy-handed object lessons abound--the ubiquity of generational warfare, the inflexibility of dogma, the cruelty of prejudice--and the didactic fingerprints of Rod Serling are very much in evidence here. But director Franklin Schaffner has a dark, pop-apocalyptic sci-fi vision all his own, and time has not dulled the monumental emotional impact of the film's climactic payoff shot. If you don't know what I'm talking about here, you owe it to yourself to check out this stone classic, and even if you do, see it with fresh eyes; and don't be surprised if you get the chills all over again... and again... and again. --Miles Bethany

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