Why Planet of the Apes (1968) Is More Than a Movie About Talking Monkeys

*I will shorten the title of Planet of the Apes to PotA. I will also talk about the plot. But don't worry about spoilers. I won't mention the T-Rex. Joking, there isn't a T-Rex in the movie.

Leon Shamroy, the cinematographer, is a master at visual storytelling and at hiding and revealing plot details. It really seems like him, the director and editor had the same fluid vision and sensibility about the way the story should unfold. Because it’s a movie set in the future and filmed in the 60s, it also has a certain realism to it. It’s rough, grainy and tactile, like a documentary. 

The Ape city looks both familiar to human culture and slightly surreal. But never clear on what historical point the apes have reached. It’s both medieval and modern, with ape psychologists.

The apes can’t conceive humans as having a soul or an identity. Even their ancient writings mention this. There is a scene where the apes harshly dismiss the protagonist’s intelligence – and ignore the fact that he can talk, calling it a trick – because the human cannot recite their ancient scripture. Same as if we would dismiss a talking chimp for not knowing the national anthem.

This is the sociological and more profound layer of the movie that may just be one of the reasons it stood the test of time. It challenges how we judge intelligence and identity. I never considered – until watching a making-of documentary for this movie – how one of the main production concerns was to make the apes look… not funny. What a great idea from the production team to anticipate it! Because we do expect apes to be silly and eat bananas.

The Tim Burton 2001 remake leaned more into “monkey” humor. But in PotA they are solemn humanoid species. They look like a separate species, different from humans and from apes. The rigid mouth movements may be the single detail that lowers the credibility. And the fact that apes enjoy kissing brings even more attention to that. But it’s also part of the charm.

 

Here we are, 50 years after PotA was released and we still can’t get enough talking apes. PotA has an endless stream of sequels, remakes, and reimaginings. The newest one will be released in 2024. Maybe it strikes a chord because it’s an ancient tale retold, from when we were living in caves – the fear of apes taking over. Sure, there were movies before 1968 with similar ideas but PotA made itself the chef’s kiss of the genre.

 

 

I recommend this movie to everyone who enjoys classical movies or wants to learn more about storytelling. This movie has a solid story told with masterful pacing. And, most importantly, Planet of the Apes challenges our familiarity to what we know as true, as all great movies do.

By the way

The movie is based on a book by Pierre Boulle named “La Planète des Singes”. The French author also wrote a screenplay for the sequel, which the studios declined. If you enjoyed the movie and were disappointed by the 1970 sequel, read the unproduced screenplay. It may just be more fitting.

 

Credit goes to www.pota.goatley.com for providing the photos used in this article.