It’s hard to know what to think about the new The Day the Earth Stood Still remake. Sure, there have been some fantastic Science Fiction remakes over the years, such as the first two redo’s of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and John Carpenter’s The Thing, just to name a few examples, but then again, it’s hard to escape the fact that for every good remake there’s a Godzilla or The Invasion in the wings. Case in point, Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes. Sure it looked great, but between the awful script and Mark Wahlberg’s “deer in headlights” acting approach, the movie ended up a complete mess, and an empty experience even up against any of the initial film’s four sequels.
This is driven home further when going back and re-watching the original Franklin J. Schaffner directed movie. With its social commentary from Pierre Boulle’s original novel still intact and twists added by Screenwriters Michael Wilson and Twilight Zone Creator Rod Serling, the original film is a searing Science Fiction parable mixing discussions about racism with that of religious zealotry versus science, all wrapped up in an exciting Space Opera adventure with Charlton Heston at the zenith of his hammy greatness. With all style and no substance, Burton’s film simply pales in comparison, only scratching the surface of the issues faced down in the original.
Of course, the original film is a product of its time. In the new frontier of the 1960s; social change and space exploration were both concepts of extraordinary importance, but Hollywood was extremely cautious when it came to depicting either on screen during that era. Science Fiction was not as viable a genre as it is today, and Planet of the Apes’ themes hit so close to home that it could have been deemed too controversial to produce. Thankfully, the project was a rousing success both commercially and critically, creating a bit of a phenomenon that in the end produced five more movies (including the remake) and two TV series.
A lot of the reason why the film is so watchable is because Charlton Heston himself, who infuses his marooned Astronaut, Colonel Taylor, with the same epic bravado that he did with all of his roles. Heston’s name is so synonymous with this film and with other Sci-Fi pictures of the era, such as The Omega Man and Soylent Green, that it’s odd to think of a time when he just made Historical Epics and Westerns, but it seems like Heston looked at Science Fiction with the same sort of reverence, even if the studios really didn’t during that period. Taylor seems like the guy you’d want to try and represent humanity, because he’s so tenacious and indestructible. Even with the enormous odds he’s facing, you just have faith that he’s going to pull through, and it’s that faith that makes the end of the film such a gut punch.
The rest of the cast is also really extraordinary, even faced with the extensive makeup work that had to be done. Roddy McDowall ended up appearing in all five of the original Apes movies (at least in footage) and Kim Hunter brings real feeling to Zira, the chimpanzee scientist that discovers Taylor’s talents. Within these two characters is where the real struggle takes place in the film, as they must decide whether to abandon all that they have known in order to discover what Taylor thinks is the real truth of their planet. It’s easy to follow Taylor, but it’s difficult to relate to him at times because he’s more of the epic hero archetype. Cornelius and Zira are about as everyman as you get in this picture, and this is where the film makers had to concentrate their “science vs. religion” theme, which was to the movie’s benefit.
Then again, none of this would really work if it weren’t for Maurice Evans’ awesome Dr. Zaius, whose’ “Chief Defender of the Faith and Minister of Science” title shows how the Ape society works as a whole. Next to Taylor, Zaius is probably the most iconic character of the picture, making a formidable foe for our hero, despite not being able to match him physically. An orangutan who is able to use his influence to try and quiet this troublesome human who could upset the balance in his civilization, Zaius will stop at nothing to keep the status quo. The amazing thing is, is that Evans is so convincing as the character that he manages to still make Zaius a bit of a tragic character, despite his zealotry, giving him a depth that another actor may not have been able to achieve.
By taking itself seriously and presenting a new and exciting Science Fiction universe, Planet of the Apes started one of the most enduring legacies the genre has ever seen. From its iconic performances and groundbreaking makeup, to its themes and discussions which are still relevant to this day, the film has managed to stand the test of time, and deservedly so. Carving its own niche in a genre crowded by the worlds of George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry, Apes manages to have a legacy that is all its own, and one that will continue to endure for many years to come.
While the clarity of the print on this Blu-ray doesn’t match up with the recent presentations by the James Bond discs like From Russia with Love or Dr. No, this disc does present the movie looking better than it ever has on home video. The amount of detail in a lot scenes is just amazing, from the epic desert sequences to the minute aspects of the ape costumes, all come in with a clarity that just hasn’t been seen at least since the movie was originally released in theaters.
Jerry Goldsmith’s original score also gets a boost here, as the audio on this disc is pretty amazing, letting all the drumbeats of this moody and atmospheric music ring out in full clarity.
Science of The Apes Bonusview – This is a really neat extra that gives you a picture-in-picture feature while the movie is playing. We get different interviews with people such as Bruce Betts, the Director of Projects at the Planetary Society, David Barnhart, the Director of the Space Engineering Research Center at the University of Southern California, and others, all of whom talk about different aspects of space travel and what the primary goals of astronauts have been. Some also talk about Space Travel in relation to the film itself and which facts from the movie are actually accurate.
Public Service Announcement From ANSA – A fake PSA from representatives from ANSA, the organization responsible for sending Taylor on his mission. This gives you some background on ANSA and what exactly the mission was for Taylor and his crewmates.
Evolution Of The Apes – This is a terrific look at the Apes series, starting with the original novel all the way to the 2003 remake. This Featurette is really solid, with tons of info and great interviews, and the whole thing is presented in HD. A long time is spent talking about Michael Wilson, and how his experiences helped shape his work on the screenplay, from surviving the Communist witch hunts of McCarthyism to being blacklisted by Hollywood, and not getting credit for amazing works, such as his screenplay for Bridge on the River Kwai. Evolution goes about 23 minutes or so, but it really flies by with all the information that they throw at you. This is apparently the first part of a multi-part documentary spread out amongst the rest of the movies.
Impact Of The Apes – The Featurette takes a look at how Apes became a pop culture phenomenon, and how the merchandising for the film exploded after the movie’s premiere. You even get to look at some vintage commercials for the toys that came out for the films in the 1970s.
Behind The Planet Of The Apes Documentary – If you’re looking for an exhaustive documentary about the original series from beginning to end, this is definitely the one. Behind is a feature length documentary about this entire series and gives you nearly everything you could ever want in a documentary about this franchise. Going film by film, the documentary covers every inch of every production, looking at each with a fine microscope, from budgetary constraints to themes within the different movies. Produced by Kevin Burns, the man behind the Empire of Dreams documentary about the Star Wars Trilogy and Up, Up and Away documentary about Superman, and hosted by Roddy McDowall, this Blu-ray edition even gives you an option to read an odd interactive account of the different timelines of this universe while watching the documentary. The only drawback is that this is not in HD.
Commentaries – You get two Audio Commentaries and a Text Commentary on this disc, the first of which is a track with Actors Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, and Natalie Trundy, and Makeup Artist John Chambers. The track is kind of spotty with long silences, but still has a lot of good info and tidbits. The better of the two audio commentaries comes from Composer Jerry Goldsmith, who has some terrific insights about the film itself and what it was like to create such an experimental score for the picture. The best commentary of all though is the Text Commentary by Apes Historian Eric Greene, author of “Planet of the Apes as American Myth.” You get a bounty of info about not only this film, but of Science Fiction in general, and how Planet of the Apes fits into the genre.
Original Makeup Test – Over nine minutes long, this is the original makeup test that showed just how good the ape makeup could look on screen. Accompanied by the awesome artwork that was being developed to get a feel for how the film would look, you get test footage of Heston with Edward G. Robinson and James Brolin in experimental ape prosthetics.
Roddy McDowall On Set – This is 20 minutes of Roddy McDowall’s home movies on the set of the film. This is a cool look at the set, with actors in ape makeup smoking and sitting around. Also there is a lot of footage of the actor’s makeup regiment each day.
Dailies & Outtakes – This is almost 20 minutes of behind the scenes footage. Unfortunately, there is no sound.
NATO Presentation – This vintage footage was for exhibitors. Today, this would be shown at a Comicon, as its cut together like a long trailer.
Vintage 1968 Featurette – This is less than five minute long, but its still pretty neat, incorporating more of the amazing conceptual artwork for the movie.
Theatrical Trailers
Photo and Art Galleries
Beyond the Forbidden Zone Game
While it hasn’t aged as well as Star Wars or 2001, Planet of the Apes is one of the most important Science Fiction movies of all time, and gets the presentation it deserves here on this disc. In addition, the supplements for this movie are absolutely astounding, with hours and hours of material here; enough satisfy any Apes fan. Get your stinking paws on this Blu-ray disc fast!
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20th Century Fox presents Planet of the Apes. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. Starring Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, and Linda Harrison. Written by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling. Running time: 112 minutes. Rated G. Released on Blu-ray: Nov 4, 2008. Available at Amazon.
