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You Damn Dirty Ape!
Mar. 13th, 2010 01:20 pmThinking about the Planet of the Apes series of films and how badly the films deteriorated as the series went along.
The first one, Planet of the Apes, was a classic so fine it's on the National Film Registry (along with such classics as Casablanca, The Crowd and The Deer Hunter). The film was awarded a special Academy Award for the monkey makeup (that makes up category wasn't implemented as a permanent award until 81ish so they could give an award to the groundbreaking An American Werewolf in London.)
IIRC, the monkey faces were composed of individual appliances that adhered to the actor's faces. It make for less of a mask-line appearance and enabled their facial movements, tics, and gestures to be seen. For 1968 this was so cutting edge that PoA had the largest makeup budget of any film made up to that time and (when adjusted for modern dollars) still has one of the most expensive make up budgets ever).
The story itself was also nuanced. While it was clear that the film makers meant this movie as a commentary on race relations, it wasn't something you were hit over the head with. I liked that even within the society of primates, certain types of apes were themselves stereotyped and slotted as intellectuals or warriors, etc.
The series went from a timely social commentary to Claude Aikens in a rubber mask and apes toting bags and shining shoes.
Yeah, I'm remembering why I tend to be leery of sequels.
The first one, Planet of the Apes, was a classic so fine it's on the National Film Registry (along with such classics as Casablanca, The Crowd and The Deer Hunter). The film was awarded a special Academy Award for the monkey makeup (that makes up category wasn't implemented as a permanent award until 81ish so they could give an award to the groundbreaking An American Werewolf in London.)
IIRC, the monkey faces were composed of individual appliances that adhered to the actor's faces. It make for less of a mask-line appearance and enabled their facial movements, tics, and gestures to be seen. For 1968 this was so cutting edge that PoA had the largest makeup budget of any film made up to that time and (when adjusted for modern dollars) still has one of the most expensive make up budgets ever).
The story itself was also nuanced. While it was clear that the film makers meant this movie as a commentary on race relations, it wasn't something you were hit over the head with. I liked that even within the society of primates, certain types of apes were themselves stereotyped and slotted as intellectuals or warriors, etc.
The series went from a timely social commentary to Claude Aikens in a rubber mask and apes toting bags and shining shoes.
Yeah, I'm remembering why I tend to be leery of sequels.
