Reviews (173)

"A planet where apes evolved from men...?"
Grade "A" sci-fi movie. This was Charlton Heston in his prime - before "Midway", "Earthquake", and "Gray Lady Down"... and after the great ones "Ben Hur", "Touch Of Evil", and "Ten Commandments". An Oscar winner for John Chambers' monkey make-up. Along with Heston (Col. George Talyor), Roddy McDowall (Cornelius), Kim Hunter (Zira), Maurice Evans (Zaius), and the mute love interest Linda Harrison (Nova) all give outstanding supporting roles. Released in February 1968, this movie was way ahead of it's time. A great idea with apes ruling the planet that man once ruled... how clever to take an idea so simple and turn it upside down. The final scene (filmed at Zuma Beach, CA) is defined as "classic"... and even tho there is no big bang or special effects extravaganza, the last 5 minutes of this movie will leave you with your mouth agape. With all the hub-bub over the new (2001) Tim Burton "reimagination" of this film (which in my opinion was a huge let down)... I would have thought this particular DVD would've had more to offer in the way of extra goodies... not so. This DVD will give you the 112 minute film in necessary widescreen format, a photo gallery, & trailer(s). No interviews, deleted scenes or behind the scenes simian stuff at all. Too bad. This is a great movie and essential in most any library of classic films.

Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!
When Franklin J. Schaffner's brilliant science-fiction masterpiece was released to audiences in 1968, the world was still in a sense of uncertainty at just what the future would hold in store. With Cold War paranoia still running high in the United States, PLANET OF THE APES ingeniously incorporated the fears of society with the popular concept of space exploration to come up with a film that's still relevant now more than ever. Politics aside, the original PLANET OF THE APES also makes for very entertaining viewing and its timeless appeal is just as enjoyable and fun now as it was over thirty years ago!

The movie starts off with a rather somber and understated prologue with four astronauts going into deep hibernation. Their spaceship crash-lands on a planet some two thousand years into the future, where apes have evolved into the dominant species and the humans are regarded as the animals. To reveal any more about the plot would be unfair, but it's important to note that the intelligent screenplay (co-written by none other than Twilight Zone host/writer Ron Serling) raises some very provocative issues about society, religion, science and law. The absolutely brilliant ending has since become the stuff of legends, and remains one of the instantly-recognizable images in popular culture.

Charlton Heston gives a magnificent and absolutely convincing performance as astronaut George Taylor, and would go on to become a mainstay in post-apocalyptic movies, such as BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, THE OMEGA MAN, and SOYLENT GREEN. Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter give excellent performances as apes Cornelius and Zira, and Maurice Evans plays his ape protagonist, Dr. Zaius, with just the right amount of contempt to make it work wonderfully! The acting is top notch, the direction is marvelous, and the special effects on the apes are fantastic!

The Digitally Mastered DVD from Twentieth Century Fox is a thing of beauty, and an absolute joy for fans of this film. The film is presented is an absolutely gorgeous 2.35:1 Widescreen format (which is its original aspect ratio). Bonus features include an excellent photo gallery and a series of theatrical trailers for every single one of the films in the series (a nice touch). Essential!

ape
in this one some astronauts are in suspended animation.they come out and go down to some strange planet.charelston heston is in it.whos he?guess that was before my time.the kids will think the apes are funny.i cant tell if its low budget because all those old movies look low budget.it is the best of the set which has many many sequels.it is also better than the tim burton version.the very last scene is very well acted and one of my favorite scenes ever.thee are some chicks about but its hard to tell that they are as sexy as they are through all the grime and dirt from the forest world they live in.its an excellent film.

a brilliant classic
With its excellent performances and tight, smart script written by Rod Serling and Michael Wilson (based on the book by Pierre Boulle), this is a film that stays fresh and interesting even with repeated viewings. Released the same year as "2001: A Space Odyssey", both films are at the top of my "super sci-fi" list, and stack up against the best of what has been released in recent years, which relies more than ever on special effects to tell the story; the effects in "Planet of the Apes" are minimal, and it's the latex make-up that is the marvel, and garnered John Chambers a Special Award at the Oscars for his work, which allows the ape characters full freedom of facial expressions. Oscar nominations went for costume design, and the marvelous score by Jerry Goldsmith.
The cinematography by Leon Shamroy is also fantastic, and I love the aerial descent that starts the film.

Charlton Heston as the astronaut who lands in an "upside down world", and Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall as free thinking scientists are superb, and in smaller roles, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore and James Daly terrific as authority figures in the ape colony.
This film had four sequels, a TV series and a cartoon series, as well as a multitude of merchandise from plastic figurines to bubble gum cards, but the original stays pristine and untarnished by its often silly spin-offs, and is a one-of-a-kind classic.
What this film has, that one can appreciate even when one knows what it is, is that rare thing...a great ending. Very few films leave one with a satisfied feeling at their close, but this one is unique, brilliantly filmed, and like a perfect dessert after a good meal.
Total running time is 112 minutes.

A fundamental sci fi movie
In the authority chain, you may distinguish the clear diference between the apes too.
One spacial navy suddenly falls in a hole time and it's carried hundred years after. The landing in a unknown planet, carries to these man and it shows them a world ruled by apes who dictate its own rules and have established the official story.
The man is under them in the evolutive chain. The men have lost his speaking capacity and they only make gutural sounds. Their state is something less than pitiful.

George Taylor is wounded in his throat and that's why he can not articulate even a single word.
The dramatic sequences in the same point he pronounces the first word,(Do you remember the miracle worker and the wild child?) creates a true revolution among the ape scientist. This behavior are against the rules. The law is the law.(The island of Dr. Moreau)
And so, Taylor is involved in a constant fight for surviving. His friends can not help him anymore , one is dead and the other suffered a lobotomy.
The dramatic ideas exchange between Taylor and the master science of the ape comunity include hilarious bits and obviously undeniable conflicts between the science and the faith. Forget all you learned about Darwin and please watch the mirror image. All the concepts are reverted and so the anguish and the poor human condition is less than zero.
Finally our hero ¿wins? and he can carry Nova his only possibilitie for sow the next human seed generational, but he will find out the astonishing revelation.
Since its release, this film involved just once more the fever for new concepts and ideas. Fahrenheit 451 (1967) and 2001 was released the same year and the world was in a decisive turning point. The man conquers the moon and the screen must be part of this decisive event.
So the people turns back over Asimov, Bradbury, Boulle, Stanoslav Lem and will read over and will find out new universes, bitter nightmares spacials. In a very close state the fifties had a coommon behavior. The ancient films of sci fi were released, and others were remade.We had to expect four years for Solaris directed by Tarkovski in 1972.
In this sense, you can not forget the political behavior in many countries in that age. There were many dictators all around the world , and the figure of the ape was a clear methapor of them.
Undoubtly, you may be find the film , thirty years after, a little bit aged, but the dramatic implications that a nuclear conflict involves, still feed the imagination of many people.
Charlton Heston was a true icon of rthe anti hero in the fifties (with his religious films) and in the sixties (with historical roles), then he would make another war films but keeping always that undeniable majesty for make prevailing the truth, no matter what's the prize you pay.
Sensational direction of Franklin Schaffner and arresting sequences, like the human chase and the scape from the jail (or the concentration camps) .
Another cult movie and the best of its following entries. ... Read more

Reviews (173)

"A planet where apes evolved from men...?"
Grade "A" sci-fi movie. This was Charlton Heston in his prime - before "Midway", "Earthquake", and "Gray Lady Down"... and after the great ones "Ben Hur", "Touch Of Evil", and "Ten Commandments". An Oscar winner for John Chambers' monkey make-up. Along with Heston (Col. George Talyor), Roddy McDowall (Cornelius), Kim Hunter (Zira), Maurice Evans (Zaius), and the mute love interest Linda Harrison (Nova) all give outstanding supporting roles. Released in February 1968, this movie was way ahead of it's time. A great idea with apes ruling the planet that man once ruled... how clever to take an idea so simple and turn it upside down. The final scene (filmed at Zuma Beach, CA) is defined as "classic"... and even tho there is no big bang or special effects extravaganza, the last 5 minutes of this movie will leave you with your mouth agape. With all the hub-bub over the new (2001) Tim Burton "reimagination" of this film (which in my opinion was a huge let down)... I would have thought this particular DVD would've had more to offer in the way of extra goodies... not so. This DVD will give you the 112 minute film in necessary widescreen format, a photo gallery, & trailer(s). No interviews, deleted scenes or behind the scenes simian stuff at all. Too bad. This is a great movie and essential in most any library of classic films.

Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!
When Franklin J. Schaffner's brilliant science-fiction masterpiece was released to audiences in 1968, the world was still in a sense of uncertainty at just what the future would hold in store. With Cold War paranoia still running high in the United States, PLANET OF THE APES ingeniously incorporated the fears of society with the popular concept of space exploration to come up with a film that's still relevant now more than ever. Politics aside, the original PLANET OF THE APES also makes for very entertaining viewing and its timeless appeal is just as enjoyable and fun now as it was over thirty years ago!

The movie starts off with a rather somber and understated prologue with four astronauts going into deep hibernation. Their spaceship crash-lands on a planet some two thousand years into the future, where apes have evolved into the dominant species and the humans are regarded as the animals. To reveal any more about the plot would be unfair, but it's important to note that the intelligent screenplay (co-written by none other than Twilight Zone host/writer Ron Serling) raises some very provocative issues about society, religion, science and law. The absolutely brilliant ending has since become the stuff of legends, and remains one of the instantly-recognizable images in popular culture.

Charlton Heston gives a magnificent and absolutely convincing performance as astronaut George Taylor, and would go on to become a mainstay in post-apocalyptic movies, such as BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, THE OMEGA MAN, and SOYLENT GREEN. Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter give excellent performances as apes Cornelius and Zira, and Maurice Evans plays his ape protagonist, Dr. Zaius, with just the right amount of contempt to make it work wonderfully! The acting is top notch, the direction is marvelous, and the special effects on the apes are fantastic!

The Digitally Mastered DVD from Twentieth Century Fox is a thing of beauty, and an absolute joy for fans of this film. The film is presented is an absolutely gorgeous 2.35:1 Widescreen format (which is its original aspect ratio). Bonus features include an excellent photo gallery and a series of theatrical trailers for every single one of the films in the series (a nice touch). Essential!

ape
in this one some astronauts are in suspended animation.they come out and go down to some strange planet.charelston heston is in it.whos he?guess that was before my time.the kids will think the apes are funny.i cant tell if its low budget because all those old movies look low budget.it is the best of the set which has many many sequels.it is also better than the tim burton version.the very last scene is very well acted and one of my favorite scenes ever.thee are some chicks about but its hard to tell that they are as sexy as they are through all the grime and dirt from the forest world they live in.its an excellent film.

a brilliant classic
With its excellent performances and tight, smart script written by Rod Serling and Michael Wilson (based on the book by Pierre Boulle), this is a film that stays fresh and interesting even with repeated viewings. Released the same year as "2001: A Space Odyssey", both films are at the top of my "super sci-fi" list, and stack up against the best of what has been released in recent years, which relies more than ever on special effects to tell the story; the effects in "Planet of the Apes" are minimal, and it's the latex make-up that is the marvel, and garnered John Chambers a Special Award at the Oscars for his work, which allows the ape characters full freedom of facial expressions. Oscar nominations went for costume design, and the marvelous score by Jerry Goldsmith.
The cinematography by Leon Shamroy is also fantastic, and I love the aerial descent that starts the film.

Charlton Heston as the astronaut who lands in an "upside down world", and Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall as free thinking scientists are superb, and in smaller roles, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore and James Daly terrific as authority figures in the ape colony.
This film had four sequels, a TV series and a cartoon series, as well as a multitude of merchandise from plastic figurines to bubble gum cards, but the original stays pristine and untarnished by its often silly spin-offs, and is a one-of-a-kind classic.
What this film has, that one can appreciate even when one knows what it is, is that rare thing...a great ending. Very few films leave one with a satisfied feeling at their close, but this one is unique, brilliantly filmed, and like a perfect dessert after a good meal.
Total running time is 112 minutes.

A fundamental sci fi movie
In the authority chain, you may distinguish the clear diference between the apes too.
One spacial navy suddenly falls in a hole time and it's carried hundred years after. The landing in a unknown planet, carries to these man and it shows them a world ruled by apes who dictate its own rules and have established the official story.
The man is under them in the evolutive chain. The men have lost his speaking capacity and they only make gutural sounds. Their state is something less than pitiful.

George Taylor is wounded in his throat and that's why he can not articulate even a single word.
The dramatic sequences in the same point he pronounces the first word,(Do you remember the miracle worker and the wild child?) creates a true revolution among the ape scientist. This behavior are against the rules. The law is the law.(The island of Dr. Moreau)
And so, Taylor is involved in a constant fight for surviving. His friends can not help him anymore , one is dead and the other suffered a lobotomy.
The dramatic ideas exchange between Taylor and the master science of the ape comunity include hilarious bits and obviously undeniable conflicts between the science and the faith. Forget all you learned about Darwin and please watch the mirror image. All the concepts are reverted and so the anguish and the poor human condition is less than zero.
Finally our hero ¿wins? and he can carry Nova his only possibilitie for sow the next human seed generational, but he will find out the astonishing revelation.
Since its release, this film involved just once more the fever for new concepts and ideas. Fahrenheit 451 (1967) and 2001 was released the same year and the world was in a decisive turning point. The man conquers the moon and the screen must be part of this decisive event.
So the people turns back over Asimov, Bradbury, Boulle, Stanoslav Lem and will read over and will find out new universes, bitter nightmares spacials. In a very close state the fifties had a coommon behavior. The ancient films of sci fi were released, and others were remade.We had to expect four years for Solaris directed by Tarkovski in 1972.
In this sense, you can not forget the political behavior in many countries in that age. There were many dictators all around the world , and the figure of the ape was a clear methapor of them.
Undoubtly, you may be find the film , thirty years after, a little bit aged, but the dramatic implications that a nuclear conflict involves, still feed the imagination of many people.
Charlton Heston was a true icon of rthe anti hero in the fifties (with his religious films) and in the sixties (with historical roles), then he would make another war films but keeping always that undeniable majesty for make prevailing the truth, no matter what's the prize you pay.
Sensational direction of Franklin Schaffner and arresting sequences, like the human chase and the scape from the jail (or the concentration camps) .
Another cult movie and the best of its following entries. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Ladies and gentlemen: another disaster from Artisan!
The back of the box says Full Screen Format! What? This is a CinemaScope picture? So I put it in my player just to check it out. And what do I see? Some kind of letterbox image (about 1:2) far from the correct aspect ratio, but better than full screen. Alas, it is not enhanced for anamorphic playback, and the colors are washed out and fuzzy! So is the focus, and there is some kind of "net" pattern so obvious and distracting most of the time, that I finally decide to rate this DVD as unwatchable! Sad, indeed! Yet another disaster from Artisan, one of many DVD distributors that you cannot rely on. Sure, they have given us some pretty nice transfers, but most are far below acceptable standards. When will these people learn that quality means happy consumers, and happy consumers means better sales?

Flies High, But Not Supersonic...
"The Court Matrial of Billy Mitchell" is a gem, albeit not a precious one.

Gary Cooper is in fine form given the constraints of the material he has to work with. Charles Bickford is perfect as General Guthrie, Ralph Bellamy steals his scenes, and Rod Steiger rules his eight to ten minutes of screen time. Here we also have three future stars of television, who round out the supporting cast; Jack Lord, Elizabeth Montgomery, and a cameo for Peter Graves.

The story of the almost prescient Mitchell, who forsaw the then-fanciful advancements in air power, perfectly captures the views of the Army and Navy at the time; that airplanes were nothing more than unreliable toys.

Mitchell, always a crusader for air power, is muzzled and ignored by the military establishment. Only when the Navy airship Shennedoah is lost due to shortsighted Navy orders does Mitchell break with the Army and make public statements accusing the Army and Navy command of negligence. Inviting his own courtmartial in order to finally have his say, Mitchell is given the opportunity to martyr himself in the name of military airmen everywhere.

If anything holds the film back, it would have to be the combination of the script and the oddly detached direction of Otto Preminger. Neither serves the material well, but the film is compelling anyway. The film bogs down a bit as it transmutes from historical action bio into a courtroom drama, but the legend of Mitchell is enough to carry the film over the rough spots, and keep the viewer watching.

The packaging of the DVD says that the film is in standard (or pan n' scan) format, but the disc is actually (and thankfully), in widescreen. The widescreen framing is not perfect, but close enough for satisfaction. The color is a bit "washed out", and the sets are clearly painted in a color scheme meant for black and white film. This combination makes the colors a bit garish at times, but for the age of the film, it looks pretty good overall barring a full-on restoration.

Of special note is the final set piece, the warehouse that served as location for Mitchell's trial. The set is surprisingly true to the photos taken of the actual location during the real life trial.

Billy's Universal Choice: Obedience or Integrity
The events of December 7, 1941 may have come as a total surprise to nearly all Americans, but not to Billy Mitchell, who years earlier had predicted with astonishing accuracy the details of an attack that would cripple United States naval powers for more than two years. In THE COURT MARTIAL OF BILLY MITCHELL, director Otto Preminger dramatizes the dilemma of Billy Mitchell, who had to struggle with his sense of duty that ran counter to a conscience that refused to let his fellow airmen die in preventable air crashes. Gary Cooper as Billy Mitchell was 54 when he made this film and his true life weariness and evident age did not detract from a performance that did not differ materially from the laid back roles he had earlier showed as Lou Gehrig and Alvin York. As disgraced Colonel Billy Mitchell, Cooper uses his stone face and immense dignity that allows him to maintain his purpose while others lose theirs in the heat of the moment. Colonel Mitchell has seen too many trusted comrades die when he and they knew that their deaths were caused by the criminal negligence of his military superiors. Mitchell does the unthinkable. He goes public with his accusations and is court martialed.

The first half sets up this courtroom drama with sterling performances by Jack Lord, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Darren McGavin. As his friends die, you can sense that Mitchell's iron-bound duty not to break the chain of command is beginning to rust. The dramatic center of the first half is internal, as Cooper portrays a man who knows what he wants to do but is forbidden to do. The second half is the trial itself. Although Cooper has to share center stage with Charles Bickford as the presiding judge and a young and arrogant Rod Steiger as the prosecuting attorney, Cooper manages a rare balancing act. He successfully keeps the military jury's and the audience's attention on the need for aviation reform while not allowing the film to sink into a 'message' movie, that might otherwise have been literally true but less interesting. One of the reasons that enabled Cooper to be the megastar that he was was his ability to say commonsense things in a straightforward way that never let the audience forget that a fully-fleshed character truly believed in the veracity of his words. No matter how hard Steiger tries to make Cooper look foolish on the witness stand, it is Steiger--and by implication the army--that was foolish for not heeding Colonel Mitchell's many warnings about the need to upgrade the American air force. The movie ends rather abruptly with no hint that Mitchell's foresight would one day be vindicated. And if the audience is denied the pleasure of seeing Colonel Mitchell vindicated, then, by contrast, the integrity of a man who had only his gut feelings to guide him stamps him as the rarest of men: one who has strong convictions and is unafraid to place his job and character on the line to express them.

The man who predicted the Pearl Harbor attack!
I am reviewing the movie "The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell", and not the VHS copy of it. Gen. Billy Mitchell was the Army/Air Force General who in the 1920's; said, and showed, that aircraft bombers could sink battleships. He also said,(under oath), in the 1920's that the Japanese could launch a Sunday morning aircraft carrier attack on Pearl Harbor, and devestate the USA Army and Navy units stationed there. ENDING SPOILER-Gen. Mitchell was court martialed and forced to resign his commission more for the way he said what he did, than for what he had to say. Seeing this film with it's great cast, especially Gary Cooper in the title role, makes me think about what might have been IF Gen. Mitchell been a little more tactful, or had his higher ranking officers been a little more willing to listen to him. Citizen Billy Mitchell died in the 1930's, so he was not alive in 1941. This is an outstanding film about the only person a US military aircraft was named for; the B-25 Mitchell, and I think it should be shown every Dec. 7th, along with "Tora, Tora, Tora".

An Air Force History Lesson
Gary Cooper stars as a General advocating the need for developing the Air Force following WWI, at a time when the Army and Navy did not believe it would be useful. His insistence on its usefulness leads to a demotion when he goes against orders, and later on, when he makes accusatory statements about the military, he is brought to trial for court martial. The fact that this is a true story certainly lends interest to it, but the slowness of the pacing offsets that. Cooper has a few good moments as the stubborn, heroic general who puts his career on the line to speak the truth and try to make changes, but to be honest, I did not find his performance to be a complete success. He's inconsistent and his laid back style doesn't always work. The supporting cast does better, with Rod Steiger as one of the prosecutors adding a lot of spark, and Ralph Bellamy relishing his role as Cooper's defender. It's fun to watch a number of up-and-coming young stars such as Elizabeth Montgomery (in a critical role), Jack Lord, Darren MacGavin, and Peter Graves. As a history lesson I learned a few things, and as a courtroom drama, it does come to life at times. But director Otto Preminger keeps things moving pretty slowly, and I wish the film had been tightened up a bit. ... Read more

Reviews (173)

"A planet where apes evolved from men...?"
Grade "A" sci-fi movie. This was Charlton Heston in his prime - before "Midway", "Earthquake", and "Gray Lady Down"... and after the great ones "Ben Hur", "Touch Of Evil", and "Ten Commandments". An Oscar winner for John Chambers' monkey make-up. Along with Heston (Col. George Talyor), Roddy McDowall (Cornelius), Kim Hunter (Zira), Maurice Evans (Zaius), and the mute love interest Linda Harrison (Nova) all give outstanding supporting roles. Released in February 1968, this movie was way ahead of it's time. A great idea with apes ruling the planet that man once ruled... how clever to take an idea so simple and turn it upside down. The final scene (filmed at Zuma Beach, CA) is defined as "classic"... and even tho there is no big bang or special effects extravaganza, the last 5 minutes of this movie will leave you with your mouth agape. With all the hub-bub over the new (2001) Tim Burton "reimagination" of this film (which in my opinion was a huge let down)... I would have thought this particular DVD would've had more to offer in the way of extra goodies... not so. This DVD will give you the 112 minute film in necessary widescreen format, a photo gallery, & trailer(s). No interviews, deleted scenes or behind the scenes simian stuff at all. Too bad. This is a great movie and essential in most any library of classic films.

Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!
When Franklin J. Schaffner's brilliant science-fiction masterpiece was released to audiences in 1968, the world was still in a sense of uncertainty at just what the future would hold in store. With Cold War paranoia still running high in the United States, PLANET OF THE APES ingeniously incorporated the fears of society with the popular concept of space exploration to come up with a film that's still relevant now more than ever. Politics aside, the original PLANET OF THE APES also makes for very entertaining viewing and its timeless appeal is just as enjoyable and fun now as it was over thirty years ago!

The movie starts off with a rather somber and understated prologue with four astronauts going into deep hibernation. Their spaceship crash-lands on a planet some two thousand years into the future, where apes have evolved into the dominant species and the humans are regarded as the animals. To reveal any more about the plot would be unfair, but it's important to note that the intelligent screenplay (co-written by none other than Twilight Zone host/writer Ron Serling) raises some very provocative issues about society, religion, science and law. The absolutely brilliant ending has since become the stuff of legends, and remains one of the instantly-recognizable images in popular culture.

Charlton Heston gives a magnificent and absolutely convincing performance as astronaut George Taylor, and would go on to become a mainstay in post-apocalyptic movies, such as BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, THE OMEGA MAN, and SOYLENT GREEN. Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter give excellent performances as apes Cornelius and Zira, and Maurice Evans plays his ape protagonist, Dr. Zaius, with just the right amount of contempt to make it work wonderfully! The acting is top notch, the direction is marvelous, and the special effects on the apes are fantastic!

The Digitally Mastered DVD from Twentieth Century Fox is a thing of beauty, and an absolute joy for fans of this film. The film is presented is an absolutely gorgeous 2.35:1 Widescreen format (which is its original aspect ratio). Bonus features include an excellent photo gallery and a series of theatrical trailers for every single one of the films in the series (a nice touch). Essential!

ape
in this one some astronauts are in suspended animation.they come out and go down to some strange planet.charelston heston is in it.whos he?guess that was before my time.the kids will think the apes are funny.i cant tell if its low budget because all those old movies look low budget.it is the best of the set which has many many sequels.it is also better than the tim burton version.the very last scene is very well acted and one of my favorite scenes ever.thee are some chicks about but its hard to tell that they are as sexy as they are through all the grime and dirt from the forest world they live in.its an excellent film.

a brilliant classic
With its excellent performances and tight, smart script written by Rod Serling and Michael Wilson (based on the book by Pierre Boulle), this is a film that stays fresh and interesting even with repeated viewings. Released the same year as "2001: A Space Odyssey", both films are at the top of my "super sci-fi" list, and stack up against the best of what has been released in recent years, which relies more than ever on special effects to tell the story; the effects in "Planet of the Apes" are minimal, and it's the latex make-up that is the marvel, and garnered John Chambers a Special Award at the Oscars for his work, which allows the ape characters full freedom of facial expressions. Oscar nominations went for costume design, and the marvelous score by Jerry Goldsmith.
The cinematography by Leon Shamroy is also fantastic, and I love the aerial descent that starts the film.

Charlton Heston as the astronaut who lands in an "upside down world", and Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall as free thinking scientists are superb, and in smaller roles, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore and James Daly terrific as authority figures in the ape colony.
This film had four sequels, a TV series and a cartoon series, as well as a multitude of merchandise from plastic figurines to bubble gum cards, but the original stays pristine and untarnished by its often silly spin-offs, and is a one-of-a-kind classic.
What this film has, that one can appreciate even when one knows what it is, is that rare thing...a great ending. Very few films leave one with a satisfied feeling at their close, but this one is unique, brilliantly filmed, and like a perfect dessert after a good meal.
Total running time is 112 minutes.

A fundamental sci fi movie
In the authority chain, you may distinguish the clear diference between the apes too.
One spacial navy suddenly falls in a hole time and it's carried hundred years after. The landing in a unknown planet, carries to these man and it shows them a world ruled by apes who dictate its own rules and have established the official story.
The man is under them in the evolutive chain. The men have lost his speaking capacity and they only make gutural sounds. Their state is something less than pitiful.

George Taylor is wounded in his throat and that's why he can not articulate even a single word.
The dramatic sequences in the same point he pronounces the first word,(Do you remember the miracle worker and the wild child?) creates a true revolution among the ape scientist. This behavior are against the rules. The law is the law.(The island of Dr. Moreau)
And so, Taylor is involved in a constant fight for surviving. His friends can not help him anymore , one is dead and the other suffered a lobotomy.
The dramatic ideas exchange between Taylor and the master science of the ape comunity include hilarious bits and obviously undeniable conflicts between the science and the faith. Forget all you learned about Darwin and please watch the mirror image. All the concepts are reverted and so the anguish and the poor human condition is less than zero.
Finally our hero ¿wins? and he can carry Nova his only possibilitie for sow the next human seed generational, but he will find out the astonishing revelation.
Since its release, this film involved just once more the fever for new concepts and ideas. Fahrenheit 451 (1967) and 2001 was released the same year and the world was in a decisive turning point. The man conquers the moon and the screen must be part of this decisive event.
So the people turns back over Asimov, Bradbury, Boulle, Stanoslav Lem and will read over and will find out new universes, bitter nightmares spacials. In a very close state the fifties had a coommon behavior. The ancient films of sci fi were released, and others were remade.We had to expect four years for Solaris directed by Tarkovski in 1972.
In this sense, you can not forget the political behavior in many countries in that age. There were many dictators all around the world , and the figure of the ape was a clear methapor of them.
Undoubtly, you may be find the film , thirty years after, a little bit aged, but the dramatic implications that a nuclear conflict involves, still feed the imagination of many people.
Charlton Heston was a true icon of rthe anti hero in the fifties (with his religious films) and in the sixties (with historical roles), then he would make another war films but keeping always that undeniable majesty for make prevailing the truth, no matter what's the prize you pay.
Sensational direction of Franklin Schaffner and arresting sequences, like the human chase and the scape from the jail (or the concentration camps) .
Another cult movie and the best of its following entries. ... Read more

Description

Adapted by master playwright Arthur Miller from Henrik Ibsen's groundbreaking 1882 play, An Enemy of the People is a scathing indictment of a corrupt society. An idealistic doctor, played by 1966 Emmy-winner James Daly, discovers that the medicinal springs- source of a small Norwegian town's wealth and fame--are in fact poisoned. "Few dramas... clamor with as much present-day social relevance," declared Variety. Veteran Broadway, screen, and television actress Kate Reid plays the doctor's indomitable wife who stands by him in the face of the town's hostility to his findings, as he becomes "an enemy of the people." "Few dramas...clamor with as much present-day social relevance." --Variety ... Read more

Amazon.com

An Elmore Leonard novel, subsequently remade for a 2004 Owen Wilson release, gets the swinging sixties treatment. Ryan O'Neal, in his first big film after achieving TV stardom, plays a Vietnam vet drifting from job to job; Leigh Taylor-Young is the rich man's mistress who takes a fancy to him. The plot sort of revolves around an amazingly vague plan to steal money from the rich guy, but the purpose seems to be showing thrillseeker Taylor-Young in various stages of undress. This is a vacuous movie, ineptly written and shot, in which poor O'Neal wanders around looking understandably bewildered. (His career bounced back with Love Story the following year.) Decorating this mishmash is the exceptionally maladroit musical score by Mike Curb (remember the soft-rock stylings of the Mike Curb Congregation?), whose soupy melodies undercut the tension at every turn. In short, a pretty good selection for Bad Cinema Night. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Cheesy Acting, Silly Plot----I Loved It!
About 35 years ago, I sat alone in a movie theater and watched this movie. That should have been my first clue that this movie was destined for nothing, but I was then, and still am, a devoted Ryan O'Neal fan, perhaps the longest-lasting fan he's ever had! For years I searched for a video of this to complete my collection of all his movies. I guess this movie was so bad it never went to video, but the happy ending just came when a remake of this movie prompted the release of the original on DVD.

Ryan O'Neal is cute as ever in this pre-Love Story tale based on the Elmore Leonard novel. Leigh Taylor-Young is beautiful; I think I had forgotten just how beautiful. Their chemistry is magnetic and, after all, she did become the second Mrs. Ryan O'Neal in real life.

The story centers around an ex-VietNam GI drifter Jack Ryan (O'Neal) who while working as a migratory farm laborer meets and is instantly attracted to the boss' secretary/lover Nancy Barker(Taylor-Young). Their physical attraction is such that Jack is willing to do anything to please Nancy, even go along with her petty theft schemes. When Nancy comes up with the idea to steal $50,000 (yes, when this movie was released that amount could have set the duo up for life) Jack is cautious and becomes aware of a sick streak in his girlfriend.

Lee Grant, Van Heflin, and other actors of note must cringe when they look at their performances is this one today. It's stereotypical, trite, a bit silly, and totally laughable, especially the scene where Taylor-Young, in a fit of rage, destroys her boss' beach house. And it even shows quite a bit of skin by 1969 standards as Leigh Taylor-Young is shown nude in several scenes.

Would I recommend it? Only if you love either of these two stars as much as I do. Did I enjoy it? Oh, totally. For me personally, it was a five-star experience, but to keep my credibility it should only get one star on amazon. Therefore, I have compromised and given it three. ... Read more