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Planet of the Apes deals with a great number of issues that come up in
everyday society. If one looks closely at the story it is very easy to realize
that Planet of the Apes is not at all about apes, but truly about mankind. It is
a story about the human condition, and the way humans interact with their
natural environment. It is a story about the dangers of religion, and even more
powerfully a warning about the dangers of a politically active church.
Planet of the Apes is a political allegory. From the beginning to the end of
the film the viewer is shown a picture of a world ruled by a heavy handed
government, and led by apes who represent the church and state alike. The main
character that is an example of this is Dr. Zaius, “Chief Prosecutor and
Defender of the Faith,” who rules both nation and state with an equally closed
mind. For most Americans, this is unheard of. One of the founding principles of
the United States of America is a division of church and state. To us, having
one individual controlling both seems not only preposterous, but dangerous. The
American mind immediately concludes that a system such as this will lead to
stagnation in science, and close-mindedness in religion.
In Planet of the
Apes this stagnation does occur. When a young upstart scientist named Cornelius
tries to attack the religiously based view of life in his society he is brought
up on charges of heresy. Cornelius merely attempted to state that he had found
evidence that apes had evolved from man. Defender of the faith Dr. Zaius then
quickly ended the hearings and threatened Cornelius with charges of hearsay.
This is a direct link to our own past. Charles Darwin challenged religions view
on the origins of life in the 1800’s, and frighteningly similar things occurred
to him.
This is what Planet of the Apes attempts to do, and accomplishes so
thoroughly. It mirrors things that have happened in out own world, yet portrays
them in a way that makes humanity’s own short comings more palatable. Yet there
are two ways of interpreting the lessons the film teaches. On one level, Planet
of the Apes blatantly warns individuals not to repeat the past. While on another
level, the director could be interpreted to be stating subtly that we did not
learn from our past and are therefore doomed to repeat it. These are
interpretations that wholly depend on the individual seeing the film.
Planet
of the Apes also very plainly eludes to government conspiracies and the fear
that the government tries to keep the people in-line through ignorance. This can
be seen in the discussion between Dr. Zaius and Taylor. In this discussion Dr.
Zaius plainly states that even though he had been feigning ignorance about the
past intelligence of mankind, he knew it all along. He goes on to state that he
had been keeping that knowledge from his fellow apes because apes needed an
unquestionable religion to maintain a stable society and not destroy themselves.
To understand the significance of a discussion such as this, one must look
at the film in the political context of the era it was made. Planet of the Apes
was released in the United States in 1968, an era epitomized by the questioning
of authority, a distaste for organized (western) religions, and a severe
distrust of the government. Though these are all true generalizations of this
time period, this message of the late sixties had not reached all of the
population, especially older generations. Though targeted at youth, Planet of
the Apes was made to make all people who had not bought into the sixties
ideology think twice about the world they lived in, and the ideals the held
dear.
When looked at through this filter, Planet of the Apes makes much more
sense. The discussion between Taylor and Dr. Zaius is one meant to encourage
individuals to question the government, and the information it gives them. It
can also be seen that Planet of the Apes hopes to show people that religion is
merely an apparatus meant to keep society in line so that people can be
dominated by a power hungry government.
Yet convincing the skeptical was not
its only purpose, Planet of the Apes was made to reinforce the beliefs of
sixties radicals. In the end of the film Dr. Zira’s nephew Julius appears. He is
a young ape who is willing to follow his aunt possibly into exile for the
beliefs they share. Julius is a young pseudo hippie, meant to mirror the youth
of the sixties. The main character Taylor plainly tells Julius towards the end
of the film to “Keep them flying…the flags of discontent.” This is a line that
could be straight out of any late sixties liberal political rhetoric.
Through these examples one can plainly see the political motivations behind
Planet of the Apes. Though seemingly a movie about a bunch of “damn dirty apes!”
it can truly be seen as a highly political film, meant to alter or reinforce the
beliefs of the people who were viewing it. Though written for the sixties,
thirty years later Planet of the Apes still carries a message, and one that is
still valid in today’s political climate. Though for most there is no longer
blatant distrust of the government, Planet of the Apes reminds people to keep
looking over their shoulders, because in the end as seen in Planet of the Apes
individuals are the only true check the government has.
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