The closing shot of the original 1968 Planet of the Apes, must go down as one of the most memorable and iconic of any science fiction film, as the top of the Statue of Liberty juts out of the sand and Mr NRA himself, Charlton Heston, shouts out in despair. And as the US human rights records slip further, under the current administration, one does wonder whether humans are actually evolving at all. Of course, in the southern states they definitely aren’t, because they are still declaring the theory of evolution heresy. If you have never seen Inherit the Wind with Spencer Tracy and Gene Kelly, you are missing a real treat, but this isn’t about the monkey trials, although Planet of the Apes did have trial by apes.
The original film took a long time to come to fruition despite having plenty of talent attached to it. The story was adapted from a novel by Pierre Boulle, author of The Bridge on the River Kwai, which was adapted into the Oscar-winning film by David Lean. Heston committed to the film within an hour of hearing the pitch in June 1965, but it went into development hell with scripts from people such as Rod Twilight Zone Serling and the Oscar-winning writers of The Bridge on the River Kwai not cutting it. Edward G Robinson was cast in the role Dr Zaius, but pulled out at the last moment because he found the make-up too gruelling. Eventually the film got made, with a few comprises to make it affordable to produce. When it finally hit the screens it was a massive success, grossing more than four times its production budget. The film, and its sequels, were a huge boost for the career of former child-actor Roddy McDowall, despite his face never being seen, but his distinctive voice made him instantly recognisable in non-simian roles.
The film’s success spawned four movie sequels, an excellent TV series, a cartoon series and a 21st Century remake (or re-imagining, as they prefer to call it) by Tim Burton. All these are now available in a single collection of 14 DVDs packaged in a hand-painted, numbered, limited edition ape’s head. It includes a host of extras on the 35th Anniversary edition of the original film.
The Planet of the Apes Ultimate Collector’s Edition is released on April 3 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and can be ordered now from Amazon for £105 (£45 off the rrp).