"Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!"

Rod Serling discovered the strength of writing science fiction as a way to disguise commentary on society of the day which led to The Twilight Zone. His contributions to Franklin J. Schaffner’s science fiction film Planet of the Apes allowed him to do the same on a cinematic scale. With political, religious and social commentary, as well as commentary on nuclear war, Serling gave the series a definite point of view and contributed to the film becoming an incredible success. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off our 50th anniversary celebration of the Planet of the Apes series, starting with Schaffner’s 1968 film Planet of the Apes.

We talk about the messages in the film and how well they integrate with the story, as well as how some people very likely may find more problems with some of those messages. We discuss some of the basic premise of the story and how logical it is, and how much that really matters. We talk about Charlton Heston and his over-the-top performance, and why it works for some and not others. We touch on the others in the cast and revel in the work they do here. And we discuss the amazing makeup work done by John Chambers as well as the wild score by Jerry Goldsmith.

It’s a great film and we have a great conversation about it. Check it out! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins.

Film Sundries

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