tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924337662806017358.post1664914333087205951..comments2024-01-10T13:42:42.889-05:00Comments on We're All Animals: Planet of the Apes (1968): A Profound Critique of the Human RaceAndrew Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17522990678738683763noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924337662806017358.post-72744944844106801552011-08-27T12:17:44.051-04:002011-08-27T12:17:44.051-04:00These are all superb points, Humane Hominid! Even ...These are all superb points, Humane Hominid! Even as the filmmakers were combatting human prejudices, they were still relying on a problematic view of primates. It is very important to be mindful of this when watching the film. Also, I didn't realize till I saw it again recently how hammy Charlton Heston was. Good grief, he overacted! The others were superb.<br />Thanks for the excellent post!Andrew Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17522990678738683763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924337662806017358.post-81789310957455443672011-08-26T17:10:22.523-04:002011-08-26T17:10:22.523-04:00I'd have to agree wholeheartedly that the orig...I'd have to agree wholeheartedly that the original is far more compelling and subversive than the remake (although I haven't seen the latest prequel yet).<br /><br />But, I've always found it ironic that the portrayal of apes in the movie is itself a product of human stereotyping. In POTA, we have brutish gorilla soldiers, inquisitive and scientific chimps, and wise orangs... mostly a reverse of actual ape behaviors.<br /><br />In real life, gorillas turn out to be the gentlest and most docile of the great apes, while chimps are a bunch of Machiavellian brutes who hunt in rather cruel fashion (remind you of their closest cousins?), and orangs appear to be the most scientific, having a better affinity for puzzles and deliberative problem-solving than either gorillas or chimps.<br /><br />Some of this incongruity, of course, is the result of expanding knowledge of ape behavior since the 1960s. But, I can't help wonder how much of it is also the product of human self-flattery; even back then, we suspected chimps were our closest relatives, and their portrayal in POTA tells us a great deal about how we see ourselves, then and now.<br /><br />Anyway, loved this article. I'm gonna go rent the original now.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01547815940034662237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924337662806017358.post-71007893469661373022011-08-05T08:34:41.292-04:002011-08-05T08:34:41.292-04:00Thank you so much for your kind words, Glenn! The ...Thank you so much for your kind words, Glenn! The feeling is certainly mutual - I'm a big fan of your Blog and I always get a lot out of every terrific post. Keep up the great work on your end, too - you're a real inspiration! <br /><br />It is strange to see people on one of side of the political spectrum leap to the other (examples: David Horowitz, Peter Collier, John Dos Passos, etc.). But I guess for every one of those, there's somebody who goes from the right side over to the left (Daniel Ellsberg, Ron Kovic, John Stockwell, etc.). It reminds me of that topic of discussion a few weeks back, of Ginnifer Goodwin going from vegan to omnivore. It's hard to understand how someone with such strong beliefs and passions can suddenly jettison them. It's beyond my understanding...Andrew Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17522990678738683763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924337662806017358.post-12341540280559208572011-08-04T21:32:20.587-04:002011-08-04T21:32:20.587-04:00I'm always intrigued by folks flipping from on...I'm always intrigued by folks flipping from one fairly strong stance to the opposite side. I've seen such in a number of people over the years, not necessarily political, and have come to suspect that they really aren't moving at all. They're just staying extreme...no matter what the content of the taken stand and that sort of positioning usually has to do with rebellion and personal issues and not genuine conviction. My leanings have always been in one direction and have simply intensified over the years...I hope that means I'm not at risk of 'flipping'. :-)<br /><br />You do a fantastic job on this blog Andrew.veganelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188156008589356984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924337662806017358.post-88005139890592796382011-08-04T08:52:32.155-04:002011-08-04T08:52:32.155-04:00Thank you for your great post! At the time Planet ...Thank you for your great post! At the time Planet of the Apes was made, Charlton Heston was still in his liberal Democrat phase. By 1972, when he voted for Richard Nixon instead of George McGovern, Heston began his transformation into a conservative. In his later years, he was very rigid about the right to bear arms and a host of other issues, and he supported Republicans like Reagan and the Bushes. <br /><br />Later in his career, Heston never would have appeared in anything as dystopian or radical as Planet of the Apes or Soylent Green (you're right about that one - it was a real shocker in its day, and Edward G. Robinson's last film). Of course, by the 2000s, Alzheimer's had pretty much torpedoed his movie career. He made a cameo (if you blink, you miss him) in Tim Burton's dreadful 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes. His last role came two years later, in a movie I haven't seen but I hear was quite good, Rua Alguem 5555: My Father, in which he played elderly Nazi Josef Mengele. Sad that a man who marched in the Civi Rights Movement drifted so far away from that thinking.<br /><br />Again, great to hear from you! I hope all's well... Keep up the great posts on Facebook - I'm really enjoying them.Andrew Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17522990678738683763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924337662806017358.post-84780786346191571202011-08-04T07:40:47.423-04:002011-08-04T07:40:47.423-04:00Good stuff, Planet of the Apes was a radical film ...Good stuff, Planet of the Apes was a radical film and some of the challenges and provocations to "conventional" thinking and characterizations stuck with me also. Curiously, Charlton Heston, who also starred in Soylent Green...another fairly radical film...is not someone generally associated with challenges to conventional thinking.<br /><br />In any event, thanks for highlighting this film. Many folks haven't seen it and they really should.veganelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188156008589356984noreply@blogger.com