Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15531 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-04-26
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 108 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
A genuine genre classic whose impact remains undimmed either by time, increasingly dire sequels, or Tim Burton's lacklustre 2001 "reimagining", the original Planet of the Apes richly deserves this 35th Anniversary special edition. Here you'll find a glorious anamorphic presentation of Franklin J Schaffner's painterly CinemaScope framing, accompanied by a new DTS 5.1 soundtrack that makes the movie seem even more vibrant and immediate than ever before. On disc one the film is accompanied by two audio commentaries: one from composer Jerry Goldsmith, and another with Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Natalie Trundy and make-up artist John Chambers. These are reasonably interesting, though with a few too many gaps. Better is Eric Greene's exhaustive text commentary. Better still are the features on the second disc.

Disc two contains the exhaustive two-hour Behind the Planet of the Apes documentary (also to be found in the six-disc box set) as well as a host of other behind-the-scenes nuggets for die-hard fans: dailies and outtakes, make-up tests and Roddy McDowall's home movies. There's some overlap between a 1967 NATO presentation of the movie hosted by Charlton Heston and other featurettes from 1968 and 1972. Sequel directors Don Taylor and J Lee Thompson are seen in action, and there are trailers, film reviews from 1968 and picture galleries. --Mark Walker

Special Features

Disc 1:
Anamorphic widescreen
English Dolby Surround
English DTS 5.1
Commentary by composer Jerry Goldsmith
Commentary by actors Roddy McDowall, Natalie Trundy, Kim Hunter and make-up artist John Chambers
Text commentary by Eric Greene, author of "Planet of the Apes as American Myth"
Subtitles: English hearing impaired, English composer commentary, English cast commentary, English text commentary

Disc 2:
Behind the Planet of the Apes Documentary
Planet of the Apes Make-up Test with Edward G. Robinson
Roddy McDowall Home Movies
Planet of the Apes Dailies and Outtakes (no audio)
Planet of the Apes NATO presentation (1967)
Planet of the Apes featurettes (1968)
A Look Behind the Planet of the Apes (1972)
Don Taylor directs Escape from the Planet of the Apes
J. Lee Thompson directs Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Original Theatrical Trailers
Film Reviews (1968)
Theatrical Posters
Picture Galleries
Ape Merchandise
Ape Collections

Synopsis
Complex sociological themes run through this science-fiction classic about three astronauts marooned on a planet where highly intelligent apes rule and humans are slaves.The astronauts suddenly find themselves part of a devalued species, trapped and imprisoned by the simians. But one, the defiant Taylor (Charlton Heston), manages to break out and, aided by a pair of compassionate chimps, makes his escape to an uninhabited section of land. However, during the trek he makes a very unsettling discovery about the planet.
The film, based on the novel by Pierre Boulle with a screenplay co-written by Rod Serling, led to four sequels, a TV series, and remake in 2001 by Tim Burton. "Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"

Customer Reviews

Of Monkeys and Men
In recent years sci-fi have been filled with flashing lights, high-budget CGI effects and ridiculous stunts like in THE MATRIX and I, ROBOT. If you don't like one sci-fi film, you're unlikely to like any as they're all the same. However, my dad took down PLANET OF THE APES from our video shelf. Unlike most sci-fi films, it was made in a time that had to deal without CGI and relied completely on the break through movie make-up as well as providing what people have voted time and time again "The Greatest Film Ending". PLANET OF THE APES has a cast of the greatest, easy storyline and it keeps your attention even as the credits are rolling at the end. Based on Pierre Boulle's lesser novel (La Planète des singes AKA Monkey Planet) tells of an astronaut landing on a distant planet and discovering that man's role as the superior life form has been reversed with the apes. The film has many needed changes to it to make it more watch-able and tap into the true fears at the time the film was made. In 1968, everyone lived in fear of an atomic bomb attack and PLANET OF THE APES truly taps into that fear, for reasons I will not reveal but it is understandable why the story was so popular at the time and why it shocked everyone.

PLANET OF THE APES tells the story of George Taylor (Charlton Heston), when he and his doomed astronaut friends find themselves stranded on a distant planet. It seems to be inhospitable with no life. However, after traveling throughout the place, which is famously referred to as "The Forbidden Zone", discover plenty of life including ape like humans and human like apes. Taylor is shot in the neck rendering him unable to speak. Treated as a wounded animal, he is taken to a human-ape study lab where he meets Zira (Kim Hunter), a sympathetic, friendly and intelligent chimpanzee. She almost straight away notices that Taylor's intelligence goes far beyond that of any other human, and she encourages him to speak. However, orangutan leader Dr Zaius, sneers on Zira's and her fiancé Cornelius' (Roddy McDowall) belief in any human intelligence, and won't listen to reason. Despite Cornelius' skeptical feelings towards Taylor, agrees to help prove his intelligence which only proved once he finally says his famous line: "Take your stinking paws of me you damn dirty ape!" Heston is anything other then a likable character. Unlike Ulysse Merou in the novel, Taylor isn't a polite, slightly moody, clever and likable character who values his friendship with Zira and Cornelius. He represents what we, as humans truly are, that is self-centered, violent and dangerous. Though on stage he is reportedly (according to Laurence Olivier) truly a talented actor, on screen and in PLANET OF THE APES, Heston basically turned up and like in many of his other films played himself. Nonetheless the character of Taylor works as you either love him or you hate him. Just like every other work Heston did, the rebel Taylor is no different from the other pushy characters Heston has played over the years. As a sort of physical god-like body, you suppose that the film where the apes are pushing us humans about cause we're basically behaving like apes is just what the doctor ordered.

Of course we all know that it's the two lovable chimps Zira and Cornelius that we remember the most in the PLANET OF THE APES films for their charm and humor they bring to the story. Hunter's portrayal of Zira was a masterpiece on it's own, giving the most powerful performance of its time. It's fair to say that Zira is the strongest and most well developed character in the film. Indeed she's the only ape that Taylor seems to actually like! With her strong-mindedness, wit and admirable sense of humor it's not surprising most people who are asked who their favorite character reply "Zira". Hunter manages to make the character just how Zira was meant to be, more human then ape. In fact, she's more human then most of the beautiful female actresses in the other classic 60's films, despite the fact she looks as ugly as hell in her ape make-up. The charm still shines through.

Of course, if you don't love the intelligent and cool Zira, you always have intelligent and nerdy Cornelius. McDowell, next to Heston, is one of the most credited male actors in the films as he comes over as the sort of nerd of the rebel gang that you just want to hug. In the film, Taylor seems to have a love-hate rivalry relationship with Cornelius as they constantly challenge each other like full-blooded males do no matter how civilized we get. A good example of this is when Zira allows Taylor to kiss her on the lips as a goodbye and Cornelius makes his jealousy clear. However Taylor sticks up for him against Zaius, which shows not as much friendship as understanding. McDowell is the most credited actor in any PLANET OF THE APES version be it this, the sequels or the TV series and is an irreplaceable member of the cast who is impossible to live up to.

PLANET OF THE APES is a mark in cinema history, famous for these talented artists, gripping story line and amazing ending that shocks you, scares you, breaks you and brings you to tears with the realization that you'll never truly experience a film like this again. Anyone who is anyone owes it to himself or herself to watch this film and experience the feeling. Even people who dislike sci-fi are likely to enjoy this. A film that truly did break STAR WARS and challenged it like no other film ever could. PLANET OF THE APES will live on in all of us. It will go on forever, find its way to younger audiences and will win them over just it won over us.

Sends shivers down the spine
I've seen this film five times now since 2001 and it gets better every time. It's a brilliant film in so many respects - in terms of cinematography and striking imagery, set design and, make-up, score, acting (Charlton Heston's finest performance), as a relentllessly exciting action film - but most impressively for its brilliant ideas, delivered through a lyrical, immensely quotable script.

The film uses a truly bizarre conceit - the world as we know it turned "upside down" so that apes run the show and humans are mere animails - to deliver scathing attacks and portentious warnings to mankind and our uncertain future.

The final, famous image of the Statue of Liberty is not just cool and iconic. It uses the medium of film in a masterly way to express a huge amount of ideas in an extremely efficient and effective way. It sends shivers down my spine.

THE BEST
Charlton Heston and his crew crash on a strange planet where humans are the lowest form of life used for sport and dissection. Heston finds himself hunted, his life in the hand of a sympathetic chimpanzee.

Based on Pierre Boulle`s novel Planet Of The Apes is a sci-fi classic which over thirty years has spawned four sequels and a TV series. Witty and brutal the 1968 original puts the limp Tim Burton remake to shame and stands its ground against todays crop of wannabe blockbusters.

The two-disc set contains a two-hour 1998 documentary and numerous Period features. Sadly lacks a commentary from Heston.