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Planet of the Apes

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Planet of the Apes

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• Sci-fi
• Adventure

• 1967
• Franklin J Schaffner
• 107 mins
• PG

Summary

Science-fiction adventure starring Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter. Four American astronauts hurtle into the far reaches of space and time and crash-land in the wilderness of an unidentified planet. It is a place where evolution has taken a strange turn - apes are the dominant species and man is the beast.

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Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Jeremy Aspinall

Though this seminal sci-fi gem has spawned sequels, TV shows, comics, merchandise, a "re-imagining" from Tim Burton and a rebooted franchise in 2011, the original 1967 movie is still the yardstick by which the whole Apes saga should be judged. Charlton Heston stars as the leader of a team of astronauts who crashes on a desolate planet where apes rule and human beings are the dumb animals. Heston is appropriately square-jawed as the rebellious human trying to make sense of this topsy-turvy world, and Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter shine through the marvellous ape make-up from John Chambers, who received an honorary Oscar for his work. But what really elevates director Franklin J Schaffner's movie to classic status is the clever script from Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling and former blacklisted writer Michael Wilson. The combination of allegory, satire, humour and excitement underpins a brilliantly conceived adventure that is also blessed with stunning cinematography from veteran cameraman Leon Shamroy and an unnervingly haunting score from Jerry Goldsmith (The Omen).

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8.0/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• Disney+
• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameGeorge TaylorCharlton HestonCorneliusRoddy McDowallDr ZiraKim HunterDr ZaiusMaurice EvansPresident of the assemblyJames WhitmoreHonoriousJames DalyNovaLinda HarrisonLandonRobert GunnerLuciusLou WagnerMaximusWoodrow ParfreyDodgeJeff BurtonJuliusBuck Kartalian

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Crew

rolenameDirectorFranklin J Schaffner

Details

Released on

1968-04-19

Languages

English

Guidance

Violence, some swearing and brief nudity.

Available on

video, DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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