Planet of the Apes is one of the best science fiction film of the late 1960s with a memorable cast, simple plot. The film was based on the novel by Pierre Boulle. It tells the story of an astronaut landing on a distant planet and discovering that man’s role as the superior life form has been reversed with the apes. The film was made when there was no CGI or modern editing tools.
Most of the early scenes of a desert-like terrain were shot in northern Arizona near the Grand Canyon, and the ape village scenes were filmed on the Fox Ranch in Malibu Creek State Park, northwest of Los Angeles. The film was nominated for Best Costume Design and Costume designer Morton Haack won an honorary Academy Award for John Chambers for his outstanding make-up achievement.
Have a look at these stunning behind-the-scene images of the making of the Planet of the Apes.
I do so love those original damn dirty apes.
Here are some great behind-the-scenes shots—a few of them I’ve never seen before.
A masterpiece in science fiction. The acting, writing, direction, pacing, set design, and cinematography is excellent.
Roddy McDowell hosts the AMC special on making Planet of the Apes. It’s excellent. It also takes you back to when AMC made good TV.
I can’t remember if it was Charlton Heston or Roddy McDowall. Still, somebody mentioned how lunch was called on a big shooting day with many chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan actors. The chimpanzees sat with the chimpanzees, the gorillas sat with the gorillas, and the orangutans sat with the orangutans. Nobody working behind the scenes had instructed the actors to file themselves that way; they just did it naturally.
We can derive some interesting ideas from that story, but I’m too stupid even to try.