tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post6367108176889965901..comments2023-11-17T11:08:31.857-06:00Comments on Michael May: Planet of the Apes (1968)Michael Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12514945570212261283noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-78733820399674337482013-11-08T13:51:50.777-06:002013-11-08T13:51:50.777-06:00Marcelo, what a great comment. Thanks!
My underst...Marcelo, what a great comment. Thanks!<br /><br />My understanding of the movie has improved after reading that and you make me want to watch it again right away.Michael Mayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12514945570212261283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-81932339306734515492013-11-08T13:19:29.492-06:002013-11-08T13:19:29.492-06:00Great post! I think Planet of the Apes an incredib...Great post! I think Planet of the Apes an incredible film, and no doubt a great science fiction tragedy. <br /><br />Taylor starts the film while pondering into the vastness of space. He is disillusioned with mankind. In a single sentence, he states why he is on this mission, “This much is probable: the men who sent us on this journey have long since been moldering in forgotten graves; and those. If any, who read this message are a different breed -- hopefully, a better one.<br /><br />A bitter Taylor holds out the hope for something better than the mankind he left behind on Earth.<br /><br />Taylor concludes his pondering with this sardonic question, “ I wonder if Man, that marvel of the universe -- that glorious paradox who has sent me to the unknown -- still makes war against his brother, and lets his neighbor's children starve?”<br /><br />Later on we see Taylor mock Landon, because Landon represents the goodness and optimism of mankind – but all Taylor sees is the hypocrisy of mankind – and ridicules Landon for it.<br /><br />But, upon meeting the apes and experiencing the cruelty of the ape culture, Taylor’s opinion is turned around. Landon’s lobotomy hurt Taylor because it cut out all that was good in mankind. Later we see Taylor start to cleave to his humanity, and become the unlikely and reluctant champion for mankind against the cruelty of the ape world.<br /><br />A startling revelation for Taylor is when he himself realizes that he needs people around him, and can’t leave captivity without Nova. He is stunned to discover this about himself.<br /><br />This embracing of mankind culminates while Taylor pieces together archeological remnants left in the cave. He states to Dr. Zaius, “I don’t say he was a man like an Earthman, but I’d call him a close relative, for he was plagued by most of man’s ills. Yet, fragile as he was, he came before you – and was better than you!”<br /><br />There it is! Taylor has turned 180 degrees from where he started at the beginning of the movie. With his statement, “and was better than you!” Taylor stands of the certainty of his own righteousness in defense of mankind, and answers the question he pondered at the beginning of the film. YES, mankind was better!<br /><br />But, the movie doesn’t end there. Dr. Zaius allows Taylor and Nova to escape, and therefore shows some compassion and mercy. Although a zealot, he is not a true villain. He even shows regret in having to blow up and seal the cave. Zaius reluctantly says to Cornelius, “What I do, I do with no pleasure.”<br /><br />Taylor continues into his odyssey as he rides his horse into the unknown. This scene changes in terms of music, and all close-up shots of the actors are gone. We no longer see things from Taylor’s point of view, but like a voyeuristic bystander. Even the music plays out like a nightmare of loneliness. <br /><br />Now the movie culminates as it reveals the real truth. Upon seeing the Statue of Liberty, Taylor realizes he has been on Earth all along. This realization for Taylor is devastating; for mankind had indeed destroyed itself! <br /><br />This revelation at the end of the film answers Taylor’s original question at the beginning of the film, “ (does) man -- still make war against his brother?” and forcibly changes Taylor’s conclusion about embracing mankind. Ironically, at the moment he finally embraces his humanity, is the moment Taylor realizes that the ape society – however cruel – was better than mankind. <br />Marcelo Vignalihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02796012151999417945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-47964229704014854182011-06-14T20:30:33.310-05:002011-06-14T20:30:33.310-05:00I love everything about this movie. The score , t...I love everything about this movie. The score , the plot , the drama , the comedy , the make up jobs , Linda...just a great filmMike D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11814827714980192042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857882.post-67973200323468600542011-06-13T22:41:07.808-05:002011-06-13T22:41:07.808-05:00I'd often called "Planet of the Apes"...I'd often called "Planet of the Apes" "A thinking person's B-Movie", having made similar observations about science and faith as well as Taylor's misanthropy contrasted with his preaching of humanity's awesomeness. Race relations in the apes class structure isn't something I had really thought of in either of the times I had seen it previously, and I think that is that mark of a true classic, when you can return to the material and find new meaning in each outing, and why analysis and sharing ideas such as these posts are all the more important.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing, and I'm looking forward to further "Apes" postings. Perhaps I'll catch up with a marathon myself.Erik Johnson Illustratorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11184274387021011687noreply@blogger.com