PLANET OF THE APES (1968) C widescreen 112m dir: Franklin J. Schaffner

w/Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly, Linda Harrison, Robert Gunner, Lou Wagner, Woodrow Parfrey

Exciting science fiction film based on Pierre Boulle's book Monkey Planet. This sci-fi thriller even has some political and social comments on our troubled times. Four astronauts crash on a distant planet ruled by simians. The makeup wizards who devised the fantastic ape masks rate special mention.

From The Movie Guide: "PLANET OF THE APES is a success on many levels, with a witty intelligent script by Rod Serling and a suitably hot-tempered., athletic performance from Charlton Heston. Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter are highly effective as a sympathetic ape scientist and doctor, respectively, with John Chambers's superb latex makeup allowing them a full range of expressive facial gestures. (Chambers won a special Oscar for his work.) None of the sequels (BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES) lived up to the original and, partly in reaction to all the marketing push, the 'Apes' [TV] series eventually spiraled into self-parody."