OtherWorld SciFi Movies: Planet of the Apes

DVD
VHS

Planet of the Apes (1968):
IMDB Listing

Franklin Schaffner
Pierre Boulle (novel)
Michael Wilson
Rod Serling
Jerry Goldsmith

Charlton Heston
Roddy McDowell
Kim Hunter
Maurice Evans
Linda Harrison

... Director
... Writer
... Writer
... Writer
... Original Music By

... George Taylor
... Dr. Cornelius
... Dr. Zira
... Dr. Zaius
... Nova

On its deepest level Planet of the Apes is an allegory on the social class structure and racism, but it has plenty of the standard Hollywood fare. Charlton Heston as George Taylor runs around mostly naked fighting mean talking apes with good old machismo. Along the way, he picks up a beautiful girl who can't speak (a fantasy that every man has at least once in his life).

Taylor finds a couple of sympathetic apes who can look beyond his humanity and see his intelligence (there's that allegory popping up). The world of the apes is well constructed and logical and aids the story. Even after winning his freedom, Taylor is numbed by a startling revelation that ends the movie. Planet of the Apes was the first big movie merchandising franchise, spawning several sequels, a television series and now a remake.