La Conquête de la planète des singes

20 years after Zira and Cornelius' deaths, the United States has migrated towards a totalitarian state where following a plague that wiped out cats and dogs, domestication of the ape gradually gave way to their enslavement. In the year's since, Milo (Roddy McDowall) hides the fact he can talk as he resides in the care of altruistic circus owner Armando (Ricardo Montalban) who has kept the fact Milo can talk a secret while keeping him safe from the world. As Milo and Armando travel to one of the cities where slavery and abuse of apes is commonplace, Milo inadvertently alerts the state to his presence and finds himself separated from Armando and hiding in with his enslaved kind as Governor Breck (Don Murray) attempts to roust his whereabouts. Through a series of events, Milo takes the name Caesar and winds up in the stewardship of Breck where he begins to sow the seeds of revolution that will give rise to the planet of the apes.

With the success of Escape from the Planet of the Apes yielding healthy box office on a reduced budget, producer Arthur P. Jacobs moved forward on yet another sequel with returning screenwriter Paul Dehn this time focusing on Zira and Cornelius' surviving child from the end of the last movie. The film thanks to its low budget managed to yield a decent profit (but continued the trajectory of less and less box office gross not even cracking $10 million) and would prove sufficient for one final film. Critical reception tended to be mixed with some appreciating the unique turn by returning actor Roddy McDowall who got to play a harder edged character, while many were beginning to feel the series had run its course and this latest entry was little more than an excuse to get more mileage out of the established costumes and sets. There are certainly ideas at play in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, but they're often lost among the bombastic excess that feels like it's lacking in focus with character development.

Much like the setup of the previous film, you'll have to allow a lot of leeway in order for the premise to make sense as while the inciting incident of the plague that wiped out cats and dogs may have been established in the prior film, it's no less silly here and is a far cry from the air of mystery and intrigue we got from the original. While I have no problem with the series exploring how we got to the state showcased in the original film, you get the sense the filmmakers are working against ever tightening purse strings who are placing more emphasis on cost effectiveness over narrative or logical cohesion. In spite of those plot hurdles the movie's vision of the future of Ape enslavement and Caesar's revolution is well realized especially from Roddy McDowall who gives some really strong expressions of emotion especially in the first two thirds. As with the previous entry Conquest feels like it's rather hamfisted on exploring the nature of rebellion and revolution and issues I had with the prior entry are still present and arguably worse.

We also see a major issue in the third act where a major restriction of this series comes front and center and that the make-up's lack of differentiation among the apes makes it hard to care because Caesar is often lost among the crowd. While the Ape make-up was undeniably impressive for its time, the fact prior films either had them balanced against human protagonists (like the original or Beneath) or limited the number of apes (likes Escape) helped to keep the characters from getting lost in the scenery. Outside of Caesar (and maybe Caeser's mate Lisa to a degree) the rest of the apes don't have any character and just blend together due to the restrictive nature of the make-up in allowing different characters.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes isn't a terrible film and certainly tries to have commentary on the nature of revolution and racial relations in the United States, but it also sees a lot of these ideas presented with less clarity and focus than they ought to be especially on the character side. Serviceable, but shows that the series is approaching the limits of what current technology and budget can accomplish.

This movie, CONQUEST OF THTE PLANET OF THE APES (1972) could easily have been discarded. It really didn't live up to the legacy that is the PLANET OF THE APES. A much weaker, cheaper production that doesn't hold the audience's attention for very long.

A very Dystopian, bleak future is what this film has to offer. An authoritarian Governor in the year 1991 has made apes into slaves and brutality between apes and man is a common everyday occurrence.

After torturing the future leader of the apes, Cesar leads a revolt against his human captors and wins out in the end.

Starring: Roddy McDowall, Don Murray, Ricardo Montalban, Hari Rhodes and Natalie Trundy.

Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is actually a good movie. One could argue that it's a case of good writing in the face of a pathetically low budget, ala Star Trek. The "future city" in the film was actually a then-new business complex in L.A., on the verge of completion. The producers lucked out and got permission to shoot there. This was good, because the studio had alloted said producers a ridiculously low budget, something like 1.7 million dollars, to make the movie. The tiny budget especially shows through in the special effects and the props: check out the "authenticator", used to make Ricardo Montalban's character tell the truth to the goverment heavies, which looks like a dining room hanging lamp with a blue bulb inside. Money problems aside, Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes is still entertaining, and makes some pointed observations about real-life society in the process. Just overlook the only-in-'72 turtlenecks, afros and push-button phones with the cords removed. :-).

These movies are a mixed bag to say the least and it doesn't pay to scrutinise several incongruities...but they are enjoyable none the less.

Conquest for the Planet of the Apes, the fourth in the series, covers the 'pre-history' of the first movie, where the apes first start to gain some ascendancy in the world of humans. And like the first movie (and to a lesser degree the second) it actually strives to make a social statement AND does a decent job. Parallels are drawn between the apes struggle against slavery to humans and the struggle for civil rights of black people in America with the ape riot scene intended to imitate a famous riot in the sixties. The point is well made considering the censorship restrictions on violence and the touchy nature of the underlying subject matter - a topic well discussed today but not overtly talked about in 1972. The result is daring, well-made (the riot is stunning) and well-meaning, but sometimes a little clumsy.

Some fairly elementary things are overlooked, as well, such as the fact that in the first movie the apes were evolved by 2000 years thus excusing their very human bearing, but here, in the 'future' of 1991, they are just supposed to be apes with clothes on...doesn't quite work.

All in all, though, an entertaining film and a good showcase for Roddy McDowall's real acting abilities. 7 out of 10.

Back when I first saw Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes I thought that the filmmakers had been influenced by the Stonewall Rebellion of three years earlier. Seeing it once again reinforced that opinion and the havoc and destruction wrought by the apes reminded me so much of Greenwich Village after the riots brought on by that legendary bar raid.

It's been a generation since Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter were killed by the forces of fear and in the interim their son also played by Roddy McDowall has grown up under the kind care of Ricardo Montalban, a circus owner. In the interim a plague came to earth and wiped out all the dogs and cats in the world, so people starting to take apes as pets. It wasn't long before the more avaricious of human kind saw the possibility in exploiting the apes as a new slave class.

Those avaricious ones are symbolized by Don Murray who is the governor of I presume California. Note how he and all the folks like him and who work for him are dressed in black to symbolize both villainy and fascism. No subtleties in this film. Not all feel like Murray and one who doesn't is an aide played by Hari Rhodes. Why he feels that way about exploiting anyone is rather obvious when you see the movie.

Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes may not be subtle, but it is very effective in putting its point of view across. It holds up very well for today's audience because its message is very relevant.