Product Description

Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 11/04/2008 Run time: 106 minutes Rating: R

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4944 in DVD
• Brand: TCFHE
• Released on: 2008-11-04
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Many early science fiction films are now, quite inadvertently (and in most cases undeservedly), objects of camp attention: we laugh at the silly makeup, tin-can special effects, and the naive "high-tech" dialogue. Planet of the Apes is no such film. Its intelligent script, frightening costuming, and savagely effective conclusion (which needs no big-budget special effects to augment its impact) remain both potent and relevant. When Colonel George Taylor (the fabulous Charlton Heston) crash lands his spacecraft on what seems to be an unfamiliar planet, he is captured and held prisoner by a dominant race of hyperrational, articulate apes. However, the ape community is riven with internal dissention, centered in no small part on its policy toward humans, who, on this planet, are treated as mindless animals. Befriended and ultimately assisted by the more liberal simians, Taylor escapes--only to find a more terrifying obstacle confronting his return home. Heavy-handed object lessons abound--the ubiquity of generational warfare, the inflexibility of dogma, the cruelty of prejudice--and the didactic fingerprints of Rod Serling are very much in evidence here. But director Franklin Schaffner has a dark, pop-apocalyptic sci-fi vision all his own, and time has not dulled the monumental emotional impact of the film's climactic payoff shot. If you don't know what I'm talking about here, you owe it to yourself to check out this stone classic, and even if you do, see it with fresh eyes; and don't be surprised if you get the chills all over again... and again... and again. --Miles Bethany

Customer Reviews

Blu-Ray quality review
This is a review of the quality of the Planet of the Apes [Blu-ray. The video looks good for a film as aged as this, but is not even close to stunning. The high def transfer in some cases actually serves to accentuate problems you might not have noticed otherwise. I saw more than a few soft scenes where they looked unfocused. Grain was never too obtrusive, but the colors were uneven through a good portion of the film. Some scenes were rich and vivid, and others washed out. My biggest problem is the sound. They present the sound here as a DTS 5.1 mix, and a mono mix. I chose DTS and was sorely dissapointed. My subwoofer never kicked on. That means that there was never an instance when there was a frequency lower than about 85hz. This made for a very shallow sounding mix. Adding to that, the surround speakers never seemed to register anything, and you've got what sounded to me like a mono mix anyway. All of the sound seemed to come from my center channel. To me, digitally remastering a film soundtrack at this level means accentuating the lower registries by adding lower frequencies, and placing atmospheric and musical elements in the surround channels. If you don't plan on doing that, what's the use of calling it a DTS 5.1 mix? Anyway, this is by far the best transfer I've ever seen of the film, but don't be looking for anything more than a slightly better than average transfer, and a glorified mono track.

"Bright Eyes" Taylor....Still Packs A Punch..And Looks Great
This review refers to the Widescreen(2000/2001)DVD edition of "Planet Of The Apes"(1968)...

At 36 years old, this is a film that still packs a punch today, both as a social statement and for it's entertainment value as well. It's Sci-Fi at it's best. The film is as intriguing and captivating the 20th time around as it was the first.

Astronaut Taylor(Charlton Heston),leads his crew on a mission to start a new human colony on a far off distant planet. Three men and one woman are the Adams and Eve of the future. Two men are there for the glory(and the woman is not too bad either), But Taylor has his own reasons for going. From the first few scenes, we learn what type of man he is. Somewhere along the line, he has lost his faith in Humanity, and has become a bit of a cynic. For him leaving Earth was his ticket out.

Things go awry though, and when the ship crash lands on some "far off distant" planet, milleniums ahead, they find themselves being chased and hunted by the ruling class inhabitants of this planet...APES! It's an upside world, as the humans are considered "beasts", caged, used as lab rats for the Apes, and are even used for sport. Humans seem to be the lowest form of creature in exsistence on this planet. The film doesn't leave it at that though, there is even class distinction among the Simians.

Franklin Schaffner("Patton") directs this film to perfection... It's got something for everybody. A great story, really giving you something to think about, thrilling action sequences, outstanding performances, incredible make up and costuming, brillant photography, and even if you don't usually go in for Sci-Fi this is one although futuristic, is primitive in nature(no laser weapons or high-tech gadgetry used here). Heston even manages to find a little romance(very little), in his new digs.

Charton Heston is magnifcent as George "Bright Eyes",("Get your stinkin paws off of me, you damned dirty ape") Taylor. And check out the talent behind the great ape make-up. Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter (STELLA!..."A Streetcat Named Desire"), James Daly, James Whitmore and Maurice Evans, are all superb at monkeying around! This film also introduces Linda Harrison as "Nova"..later on, her parents would make an interplanetary trip of their own in "Cocoon".

This film was given some great attention to the transfer to DVD. This edition has a crystal clear picture in widescreen, and takes in all the action and scenery. Colors are rich and look new. The fabulous sound is available in both DD5.1 and Stereo Surround. It may also be viewed in French and has subtitles in English and Spanish. The only features on this one include a photo gallery and some trailers. It looks like Amazon is out of stock of this edition, at this time, but I see some pretty good buys from the outside sellers. If you can't get enough of this film, there is also the 2 disc, 35 year anniversary edition,with a ton of extras, but is quite a bit more expensive. The reviews for both editions are mixed together, so just click on the product page for the edition you are interested in(look in 'other formats' in the product info section for a link).

"IT'S A MADHOUSE!!!!!"...Taylor
Enjoy....Laurie

for sc-fi fans:
Sci-Fi Channel Trivia Book

Welcome to the Planet of the Apes!
20th Century Fox released the film previously on DVD by itself and in a box set with the rest of the Apes films plus a bonus DVD of extras. Now, for those who just want the first (and best) film of the series and all of the extras, Fox has released an excellent two-DVD special edition of Planet of the Apes to celebrate its 35th anniversary.

The DVD's extras get off to a shaky start with the two lackluster audio commentaries. The first is by legendary composer, Jerry Goldsmith, and the second by actors Roddy McDowall, Natalie Trundy, Kim Hunter and make-up artist John Chambers. Both commentaries could benefit from some extensive editing. There is way too much dead air that one has to sit through to get to the few interesting tidbits of information. The DVD producers should have edited down these commentaries to only the scenes in the movie that are actually commented on, like with the audio tracks on the Glengarry Glen Ross and The Right Stuff DVDs.

The text commentary by Eric Greene, author of Planet of the Apes as American Myth, redeems things by cramming a ton of interesting factoids on the screen in the form of subtitles. It's scary when the text commentary is better than both audio commentaries combined.

The second DVD contains the bulk of the extra material. The first section, "Exploring the Apes," contains a comprehensive, two-hour documentary entitled, "Behind the Planet of the Apes." Hosted by Roddy McDowall, it takes a look at the entire Apes saga from the films to the cartoon and TV series with an emphasis on the first (and best) film. Fans of the Apes films will be delighted to see all the major players from the films back for new interviews done exclusively for this documentary.

Also included in this section is the make-up test reel with Edward G. Robinson that convinced the 20th Century Fox brass to pony up the money for the film. There is "Roddy McDowall Home Movies" taken while making the first Apes movie that shows the step-by-step application of his ape make-up. There are 19 minutes of dailies and outtakes from the film.

There are also two vintage featurettes from 1968 and 1972 respectively. They are nothing more than superficial promos but are now fascinating time capsules of their times. Finally, there are two brief featurettes that showcase footage of directors Don Taylor and J. Lee Thompson shooting a scene from the Apes films that they worked on. These last two extras feel like unnecessary padding.

The "Publicity" section contains theatrical trailers for all of the Apes films, two glowing reviews for The Planet of the Apes and a collection of movie posters from all around the world.

The "Galleries" section features sketches by costume designer Morton Haack and a small stills gallery.

Finally, the "Ape Phenomenon" offers a brief glimpse into the vast Apes merchandising empire with a gallery of action figures. Also included is a collection of costumes and make-up from the films.

This new two-DVD set does justice to this landmark science fiction film. The transfer is amazing clear and free of any artifacting. The movie also hasn't sounded better with a crystal clear 5.1 surround soundtrack. While the audio commentaries are a let down, the two-hour documentary more than makes up for it. This is well worth picking up if you are a fan of the first film and want all the supplemental materials included in the box set without having to pay the extra money for the inferior sequels.