The original "Planet of the Apes" from 1968 is really my favorite movie I've seen in a long time, very of its time and a timeless allegory at the same time
In 1968, the height of the civil rights movement in the United States, this story of white elites in the United States being captured by orangutans as a lower species is clearly a political mapping of race, ironing the prejudice of those in power through inverted power relations.
At the same time, '68 is also the year after "2001," which is almost an extension and expansion of the first few minutes of 2001. The subject to be discussed - the relationship between civilization and barbarism, the line between primitive and modern - is exactly the same. This is not to say that the film is plagiarized, but I think that without the popularity of 2001, this curious sci-fi fable would not have been greenlighted by the big studios. Interestingly, the subtitle of 2001 is A Space Odyssey, and the spaceship in the film is called Ulysses. The relationship between the two films may also be the relationship between Odyssey and Ulysses.
The film is based on Pierre Boulle, author of The Bridge on the River Kwai. When I first learned about this writer, I thought that the style of this writer is very broad, but after thinking about it, I realized that the essence of the two works is the same. Captured by species, the gap and reflection caused by the misalignment of power and identity.
The screenwriter of the film, Rod Sterling, is the creator of "Yin and Yang Demon Realm". Whether it is the use of sci-fi fables to criticize the current situation of society, or the ending of the last minute reversal, Sterling's obvious personal style can be seen.
This film is a good example of the one-sidedness and bias of the "author's film" theory. There are many factors affecting the creation of "Planet of the Apes", including the background of the times, the political inclination of the screenwriter, and the personal experience of the original author. Even what movies were on fire last year. In contrast, the shooting method of the live director is actually not important at all.
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