Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

Note des utilisateurs:

4.9/10   

Réalisateur:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Pierre Boulle (characters)
Paul Dehn (story)

Release Date:

15 juin 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Accroche:

The final chapter in the incredible Apes saga. The most suspenseful showdown ever filmed as two civilizations battle for the right to inherit what's left of the earth!

Plot:

Ten years after conquering the Earth, ape leader Caesar wants the ruling apes and enslaves humans to live in peace. But warning factions of apes led by a militant gorilla general as well as various human groups threaten the stability.

Plot Keywords:

Ape | General | Gorilla | Planet Of The Apes | Slavery

Awards:

1 nomination

Avis des utilisateurs:

The quality of the makeup speaks volumes

Ensemble

Roddy McDowall	...	Caesar
Claude Akins	...	General Aldo
Natalie Trundy	...	Lisa
Severn Darden	...	Governor Kolp
Lew Ayres	...	Mandemus
Paul Williams	...	Prof. Virgil
Austin Stoker	...	MacDonald
Noah Keen	...	Abe the Teacher
Richard Eastham	...	Mutant Captain
France Nuyen	...	Alma
Paul Stevens	...	Mendez
Heather Lowe	...	Tanya the Doctor
Bobby Porter	...	Cornelius, Son of Caesar
Michael Stearns	...	Jake
Cal Wilson	...	Soldier

Autre(s) titre(s):

Colonization of the Planet of the Apes
La bataille de la planète des singes (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]

Durée:

93 min | USA:96 min (extended version) | UK:86 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais

Couleur:

Couleur

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Son:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Classification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Brazil:Livre | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12 (original rating) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:G | Canada:PG | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Apjac International

Anecdotes:

The scenes of Ape City in this film were filmed at the Fox Ranch, now Malibu State Park.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The same tree is blown up repeatedly for dramatic effect. Obvious stock footage.

Guillemet:

Mandemus: Stop! Stop! Caesar forbids yoooooou!

Movie Connections:

References Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

The quality of the makeup speaks volumes

The Lawgiver tells the children of the future a tale of the planet earth and the influence of two apes who went back in time and had a son Caesar. Caesar liberated the apes on earth and brought mankind and apekind together after the war. However an exploration into the ruined cities brings the apes into conflict with the mutants and the humans get trapped in the middle.

The final of the films is the real low point of the series. The plot here lacks the dark undertones and fatalism of the first two and an attempt to `get deep' at the end doesn't do it alone. The basic plot is a war between the mutants and the gorillas with the peaceful chimps and loving humans in-between. The action is average at best and the dialogue leaves no room for subtexts.

Worse still is the makeup which has declined far away from the standard set in the original. Here the actors clearly wear rubbery masks – General Aldo being the worst by miles! The mouths barely move and certainly don't move in time with the words. It's a shame but it does show how the standards of the first two films had fallen so far by this stage.

The cast are OK but the majority are trapped behind unhelpful masks. Even John Huston looks trapped behind a mask that almost totally renders him unrecognisable and unemotive. McDowall continues his monkey madness with yet another role and he's actually quite good. The human roles are the best as they are free to talk and the mutant leader (Eastham) even manages to get a few funny lines out before all the fighting kicks off.

Overall the quality of the makeup reflects the effort put into the film. The makeup is shoddy and the plot and subtexts are back of matchbox stuff. There are a few nice touches and it tries to add insight in the last 10 minutes but by then it's all a bit late......mind you it's still better than the remake of the original!