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Amazon.co.uk Review
A genuine genre classic whose impact remains undimmed either by time, increasingly dire sequels, or Tim Burton's lacklustre 2001 "reimagining", the original Planet of the Apes richly deserves this 35th Anniversary special edition. Here you'll find a glorious anamorphic presentation of Franklin J Schaffner's painterly CinemaScope framing, accompanied by a new DTS 5.1 soundtrack that makes the movie seem even more vibrant and immediate than ever before. On disc one the film is accompanied by two audio commentaries: one from composer Jerry Goldsmith, and another with Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Natalie Trundy and make-up artist John Chambers. These are reasonably interesting, though with a few too many gaps. Better is Eric Greene's exhaustive text commentary. Better still are the features on the second disc.
Disc two contains the exhaustive two-hour Behind the Planet of the Apes documentary (also to be found in the six-disc box set) as well as a host of other behind-the-scenes nuggets for die-hard fans: dailies and outtakes, make-up tests and Roddy McDowall's home movies. There's some overlap between a 1967 NATO presentation of the movie hosted by Charlton Heston and other featurettes from 1968 and 1972. Sequel directors Don Taylor and J Lee Thompson are seen in action, and there are trailers, film reviews from 1968 and picture galleries. --Mark Walker
Product Description
20th Century Fox, Region 2, 1968 112 mins 2 DISC
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A seminal work of science fiction,
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This review is from: Planet of the Apes -- 35th Anniversary Special Edition (2 discs) [DVD] [1968] (DVD)
From the outset, I'd like to be straight with you - I'm a 'Planet of the Apes' man. When I was of primary school age in the mid-late 70s, lots of my friends were into films like 'Star Wars' and 'Jaws'; however, although I also appreciated these movies, none of them quite touched me, captured my imagination or resonated with me on a profound level as much as the original 'Planet of the Apes' film did. I was enthralled by the fusion of high technology and a return to primitive living, the notion that human beings may ultimately implode and another species would rise to the top of the food chain, and, of course, I was gripped by the vivid imagery of the end sequence - which is a slice of classic and iconic Hollywood.
The essentials of the plot have been outlined elsewhere, but, basically, it's 107 minutes about a small group of US astronauts who leave earth in 1972 and experiment with light speed travel - finding themselves 2,006 years ahead in time and on a planet 320 or so light years away that is controlled by various species of simians who exploit their strength and evolutionary supremacy in the same way that humans currently do with the animal kingdom. Based on Frenchman Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel 'Monkey Planet,' this 1968 film cost $5.8 million to make and triggered a huge spin off into 4 follow-up movies, a TV series, a cartoon series, books and a vast array of merchandising. None of the later films could emulate the powerful original - as it's a unique cinematic exploration of moralistic themes such as the rights of species, the dangers of messing with nature and technology and, of course, the potential future direction of Mother Earth. I bought this particular version due to its host of extra features on the 2nd DVD such as the documentary Behind the Planet of the Apes (2 hours and 6 minutes - yes, even longer than the film), Roddy McDowall's Home Movies (20 minutes), 1967 NATO Presentation (10 minutes), Featurette (4 minutes), Dailies and Outtakes (19 minutes), and Make-Up Test with Edward G. Robinson (9 minutes). The main DVD also contains 2 commentaries. Overall, this is a great package that is very keenly priced and is simply a must-have for anyone who is a fan of the movie or has an interest in classic films.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The First And The Best!,
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This review is from: Planet of the Apes -- 35th Anniversary Special Edition (2 discs) [DVD] [1968] (DVD)
This 2 disc anniversary release is a suitable celebration of a groundbreaking sci-fi franchise and contains a host of extras - from the interesting ....see the numerous featurettes,to the unusual (Roddy Mcdowell/Galen's home movies!), to the proverbial... commentary,making of and theatrical trailer etc.Not to be forgotten is the fantastic quality of the film itself! A must buy for all "Planet Of The Apes" fans.
17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great but not the whole picture,
This review is from: Planet of the Apes -- 35th Anniversary Special Edition (2 discs) [DVD] [1968] (DVD)
With all the hoo-ha surrounding the eventual DVD release of Lucas’original trilogy, it’s easy to forget that there was a sci-fi saga of epicproportions before Star Wars. It’s also fairly surprising to realise thatdirector Franklin J. Schaffner’s Planet of the Apes is 35-years-old. Longbefore it’s sequels descended into outright farce and before the usuallyfail-proof Tim Burton mauled the concept with his dire ‘re-imagining’,this was undoubtedly the movie that made people take the geeks favouritegenre seriously. With subtle political swiping at the Vietnam war,commentary on class, race and gender, Planet of the Apes was a cut abovethe rest. Charlton Heston exudes leading man charisma, but tinged with asense of despair. Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall shine from beneath layersof latex monkey. And the fantastically fatalistic finale still rates asthe most shocking cinematic climax of all time. With all the usualcommentaries, the only thing that lets the second disc down is an in-depth‘making of’ feature that covers all five films. Surely it would make moresense to focus only on the original, otherwise it seems more sensible tobuy the complete box set?
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