Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

On one of our trips to the Enid Drive-In, likely the Trog/Taste the Blood of Dracula double feature, we saw a trailer for Escape from the Planet of the Apes.  At that point in time, I had never seen a Planet of the Apes movie.  But going home, I distinctly remember hearing my parents discussing how, based on the ending of Beneath the Planet of the Apes, they didn’t think a sequel would be possible.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

I don’t remember from that point how I became an Apes fanatic, but I know by the time Escape from the Planet of the Apes finally came to town, I was so enthusiastic about seeing it that my parents dropped me off at the Esquire Theater on a Saturday afternoon… by myself.  They had errands to run, I guess, but could no longer put up with my begging to go see it.  I don’t blame them.

As many times as I’ve watched the entire original Apes series since that lonely day in 1971, this one remains my absolute favorite of the five.  Watching it again just the other night to prepare for writing about it, I enjoyed it every bit as much as I ever have, if not more so.

So, yes, when the Earth explodes at the end of a movie, it seems unlikely there would be another one to continue the story.  On the other hand, if there’s anything we know about Hollywood, then or now, it’s that when a movie makes money, there will probably be a sequel.  And the idea for this one is brilliant.

What we didn’t see when the Earth exploded was the three chimpanzees who were able to launch the spaceship of the original astronaut, Taylor (Charlton Heston), who crashed in the first Planet of the Apes movie.  Either due to the explosion or some kind of return trip programmed into the spaceship, Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), Zira (Kim Hunter) and Milo (Sal Mineo) return to “modern day” Earth two years after Taylor disappeared.

One of the many things I love about Escape from the Planet of the Apes is that the events that occur after the “apeonauts” are discovered floating off the coast of southern California make real, logical sense in their progression.  First, they’re taken to a zoo to be studied.  Then, once Zira lets down her guard and speaks out loud, a Presidential commission is formed to investigate from where they came and what the implications are of their presence in 1971.

Then, because the press gets wind of the talking apes and turns them into the latest celebrities, they are treated as guests.  They check-in to the finest hotel and are given a grand tour of the city that includes a huge shopping spree.  Soon, Zira is scheduling speaking engagements at local women’s clubs.  The apes become headline news around the world.

Of course, there is someone who thinks the arrival of the apes signals the end of the world.  (Well, he’s kind of right about that one.)  But he’s not a dastardly villain.  He states his case calmly and collectedly, which opens the door for some truly meaningful debate. Given the power to alter the future, do we have the right to use that power?  Knowing what we do about Hitler now, would we kill him as a baby, or kill his mother if we could travel back in time?

When the President gets involved, it is of course an election year, and he will make no decision that harms them because they are too popular with his electorate.  That is, unless the “bad guy”, Dr. Hasslein (Eric Braeden), can offer him proof of their threat.  That threat may come in the form of Zira’s unborn baby, when everyone learns that she is pregnant.  So the story logically progresses… now the apes are taken to a military base to be interrogated by the CIA.  Couldn’t you imagine events unfolding in a similar fashion if this really happened?

What’s so nice and, well, sweet about Escape from the Planet of the Apes is its innocence.  If it were made today, there would be a more clear-cut villain.  There would be double crosses and backstabbing.  There would be twists and turns as we learned of a betrayal.  Here, everyone means well, and means well for good reasons.

So far, we have a clever story and a realistic screenplay.  Now, add to that characters for whom we really care.  Cornelius and Zira, though a different species, reflect perfectly our human relationships.  True love is seen between the two of them in their marriage, even with their bickering and teasing of each other.  They are perfect in this movie.  Cornelius cautions his wife, “Be yourself, Zira… Your better self.”  And when someone asks if the male ape can speak, he responds, “Only when she lets me.”

And on top of all that, Escape from the Planet of the Apes is very entertaining.  There is a lot of humor as mankind learns more and more about the apes and we learn more and more about their personalities.  There’s great suspense as the apes eventually go on the run.  We are truly invested in them and there’s almost no way the movie can end without shedding a tear.  (Yes, I cry every time I watch Escape from the Planet of the Apes.)

I love time travel stories and this is one is a real head-scratcher.  If Baby Milo is really the catalyst to turn Earth into a planet of apes, it means he had to travel back in time for those events to occur.  But how did they cycle originally start?  What if his parents didn’t escape Earth’s destruction?  Would the cycle have ended and it all really never happened?

The one thing I don’t like about Escape from the Planet of the Apes is Dr. Hasslein’s explanation of time travel.  He compares it to “infinite regression” and gives the example of a painting of a landscape that includes the artist as part of the landscape painting the landscape, etc… infinity.  That doesn’t make any sense to me in the context of these events.  Then again, I’m no Stephen Hawking; I just like to watch movies.

I could go on and one, but one last thing I like about Escape from the Planet of the Apes is that, in essence, it’s the first movie in the series, even though it was the third one released.  But it is in this movie that we first learn how and why man fell and apes rose.  Cornelius recites “prehistory” from ancient scrolls, which would be events that occur in 1971’s future.  It becomes an outline for additional movies and, really, the entire franchise.

Like my ramblings here, all good movies must come to an end.  And the ending of Escape from the Planet of the Apes, like all the other parts of it, is nearly perfect.  I know what happens, so I don’t know how well the twist is telegraphed ahead of time.  But the one thing I remember about seeing it for the first time is that I was truly surprised by it.  I wanted more!  And I got it; two more, in fact.  Conquest of the Planet of the Apes was released a year later in 1972 and Battle for the Planet of the Apes was released a year after that in 1973.

Obviously, I’m recommending this movie.  But my further recommendation, especially if you haven’t seen any of the original Planet of the Apes movies, is to watch them in the chronological order of their stories, not their release.  Watch Escape first, then Conquest.  Skip Battle, it’s the one bad apple in the bunch and doesn’t have much to do with the others.  Then, watch the first Planet of the Apes and Beneath.  I’ve actually never done this, but I bet it adds an interesting perspective to the overall Apes phenomenon.

Tomorrow:  Two-fer Tuesday - The Abominable Dr. Phibes & Dr. Phibes Rises Again!