Overdue #4 Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972).

It was no real surprise when the working title of the newest edition in the Apes legacy was simply ‘Caesar’, it struck recognition with fans of the series but more importantly that recognition outlined the premise of the new film in a single word: revolution. Caesar being the son of the future apes Cornelius and Zira, and crucially an instrumental figure in an ape uprising as well as the creation of what becomes the ape culture (predating  even the wisest of all apes, The Lawgiver!).

As discussed in this critic’s review of the recent film, revolution was something that Rise of the Planet of the Apes didn’t particularly deliver on beyond a routine rampage. Fundamentally though the film lacked a real reason or scenario for there to be a revolt or insurrection of any kind, yes there was the issue of animal cruelty but this trivialised the apes’ plight rather than enhanced it. Also consider the setting, Rise took place in what is more or less the contemporary world, there is no real (overt) dogmatic oppression that needs to be overthrown. All in all, Rise’s ‘revolution’ has no sense of urgency or crucially, gravitas.
Conquest on the other hand only just gets by as a solid film, it’s riddled with flaws ranging from uneven pacing, blunt social commentary and an linear plot that begs for at least one revelation to break up the proceedings. The film’s ace however is indeed the Conquest itself, unlike Rise, this film is set in the dystopic future of 1991 (I’m above snide post-modern blurbs) in which apes have been forced into slave labour (something about the mysterious cosmic extinction of cats and dogs) for a decidedly cosmopolitan-meets-Bauhaus fascist state. Apes are required to run errands, mop floors and even shine shoes (did I mention social commentary?) for their human masters. The film’s scope is surprising considering its pitiful budget. The $1.7 million price tag, dirt cheap even by the standards of the time, is evident in many of the ape make-ups in background characters and the noticeable reuse of key locations. Filmed mostly in Century City CA (on newly developed sites built by Fox) in a handheld vérité style that not only separates the film from the other the Apes endeavours but grounds the film in an unnerving reality.

The setting is what ultimately grounds and gives the revolution a purpose, these apes HAVE a reason to revolt. The human presence, whilst mostly unsympathetic is tempered by two compassionate faces, namely Ricardo Montalban and in particular Hari Rhodes as conscientious human stooge MacDonald. The ever charming Montalban is a victim and catalyst in the story as Caesar’s human father figure Armando, ironically it is his demise which ultimately sends Caesar on the warpath (the death of a human inspires an ape to otherthrow mankind). MacDonald on the other hand is poised as the voice of reason in reaction to Caesar’s actions, in particular regarding the controversial finale of the piece in which Caesar stirs his troops into a blood frenzy at the mercy of the now captured human overlords, readying them for the final coup de grace-although that depends on which version we’re talking about.

Originally, Caesar allows the ape mob to brutally kill the human masters as the city burns around them. However Fox got cold feet after a series of disastrous test screenings, concerning the film’s often extreme violence, and ordered the creation of a new, more positive conclusion to the story. The ending you are likely to see is one in which Caesar has a change of heart, recognises MacDonald’s words (as well as the utterance of ‘no’ by previously mute chimp Lisa, played by Apes regular Natalie Trundy) and orders the apes to stand down, preaching compassion in the domination of man.

Which is the better ending? Depends on which movie you want to see.

The revised ending does provide a much more moral conclusion to an otherwise bleak (maybe even amoral) experience, the problem is that the execution itself is a mish-mash of reversed footage, extreme close ups that are clearly the result of post-production tweaking and lip-synching issues regarding Roddy MacDowall’s re-written ADR (additional dialogue replacement) and fundamentally lacks conviction as it registers in sharp contrast to Caesar’s predominantly nihilistic motives. The original ending maintains the dark pessimism of the film’s atmosphere and the ultimate doom of mankind, but once again it is an uncomfortably nasty conclusion in what was, until then, a famously family friendly franchise. It is a question of perspective though, and certainly an uneasy one.

Incidentally the ethically stirring ending is symptomatic of the film itself, neither version will satisfy you fully but you will certainly admire it for its convictions and as ape revolutions go, there is no real equal.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is available from 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment on DVD and on Blu-Ray as part of the Planet of the Apes Blu-Ray Boxset.