Planet of the Apes: Evolution, Supremacy, & the Death of Liberty

As usual there are spoilers ahead!

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The novel Planet of the Apes was released in 1963 in France by French author Pierre Boulle. In that same year publicist Arthur Jacobs bought the screen rights while he was looking for something "like King Kong".

Five years later in 1968 the film was released with one of the most famous twist endings of cinematic history.

The film is a fun "off-planet" sci-fi adventure story with heavy commentary on societal expectations and standards.

I have two lovely guests to help us understand this sci-fi classic.

John Wills is a Professor of American Media and Culture at the University of Kent. He has written lots about popular culture including his new book Doom Town USA

Phil Nichols is Senior Consultant to the Ray Bradbury Center at Indiana University, and formerly Film & Television course leader at the University of Wolverhampton.

The Scopes trial was a 1925 case in the USA in which a teacher was accused of violating the law by teaching evolution in schools. The trial was set up on purpose to challenge the Butler Act which prevented the teaching of evolution.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:20 Book vs film

03:53 Arthur Jacobs

06:28 From astronaut to animal

11:10 Simian society

15:43 Concepts of civility

20:07 Western vibes

22:39 The Trial

26:40 Race

32:46 1968 USA

39:25 The twist ending

42:34 Liberty in ruins

47:37 Legacy

52:18 The brains behind the ending

53:19 Recommendations

Recommendations

Inherit the Wind (1960)

Soylent Green (1973)

NEXT EPISODE!

Eep! It's finally here. I tried to put it off for as long as I could but the 2001: A Space Odyssey mini-series will begin next week with a two-part first episode.

The film is available widely. According to Just Watch (where you can find the availability in your region) it is included in the HBO subscription in the USA and Australia. In Canada it's included in the Crave subscription. In the UK it's Prime video and Now Cinema.

But the film can also be bought or rented online from many outlets including Apple, Fandango, Spectrum and Prime. Or you could buy a fancy DVD of it to add to your collection.