Battle for the Planet of the Apes
Short description
Battle for the Planet of the Apes is set years after Caesar led an uprising that overturned human rule. Now an older and more moderate Caesar governs a settlement where apes and humans try to live side by side, though the humans who survived a nuclear catastrophe are treated as second-class citizens. Caesar decides to journey into a forbidden, radiation-contaminated city in search of recordings that could tell him about his own origins. That expedition draws the attention of mutated humans living in the ruined zone, while at home the gorilla general Aldo rejects Caesar's authority and works to stir up war between apes and people. Caesar must hold his community together as threats close in from both outside and within.
The film is the fifth entry in the original Planet of the Apes series, produced by Arthur P. Jacobs for 20th Century Fox and Apjac International. J. Lee Thompson directed it, the eleventh of the twenty-one films in his directing career in chronological order, following Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and preceding The White Buffalo. John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington wrote the screenplay, and Roddy McDowall returns as Caesar alongside Natalie Trundy, Austin Stoker, Severn Darden, Claude Akins and Paul Williams. Made for about 2 million dollars, it returned roughly 9 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 5.4 out of 10 from 32,862 votes and on TMDB 5.7 out of 10 from 1,099 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 4.7 out of 10 from 28 reviews, a little below the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Initially, it was intended that Gary Rhodes, who played McDonald in 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes' (J. Lee Thompson, 1972), would reappear on screen, but the actor declined, and his brother, played by Austin Stoker, was written into the plot.
- In the scenes depicting the battle for the city, numerous treehouses are shown catching fire. In reality, due to budget constraints, only one treehouse was burned, but it was filmed from different angles. The footage was then edited and inserted into the film to create the impression of many simultaneous fires.
- The role of Mandemus, responsible for the arsenal, was played by Lew Ayers (1908-1996), known for his anti-war beliefs.
- In the original ending of John William Corrington’s story, it was proposed to show children of both races (human and ape) peacefully playing in a playground. Paul Dehn insisted on a more ominous finale, but his suggestion was rejected.
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