Planet of the Apes a Political Allegory
One of the wonders of film is its ability to take one away from the normal everyday world and immerse the viewer in a world so foreign from their own that they stare with wonder on the scenes unfolding before them. One such genre of film of science fiction. In this genre, what the viewer sees is only limited by the imaginations of the writers and director whose job is to portray a world that defies your imagination. If the writers and director so choose, they can also deal with day to day issues of the real world in their film, yet change the settings around so that the viewer does not even realize that they are merely seeing a reflection of the world that they live in. One film that accomplishes this goal very well is Planet of the Apes. Planet of the Apes deals with a great number of issues that come up in everyday society. If one looks closely at the story it is very easy to realize that Planet of the Apes is not at all about apes, but truly about mankind. It is a story about the human condition, and the way humans interact with their natural environment. It is a story about the dangers of religion, and even more powerfully a warning about the dangers of a politically active church.
Yet convincing the skeptical was not its only purpose, Planet of the Apes was made to reinforce the beliefs of sixties radicals. In the end of the film Dr. Zira's nephew Julius appears. He is a young ape who is willing to follow his aunt possibly into exile for the beliefs they share. Julius is a young pseudo hippie, meant to mirror the youth of the sixties. The main character Taylor plainly tells Julius towards the end of the film to "Keep them flying...the flags of discontent." This is a line that could be straight out of any late sixties liberal political rhetoric. Planet of the Apes also very plainly eludes to government conspiracies and the fear that the government tries to keep the people in-line through ignorance. This can be seen in the discussion between Dr. Zaius and Taylor. In this discussion Dr. Zaius plainly states that even though he had been feigning ignorance about the past intelligence of mankind, he knew it all along. He goes on to state that he had been keeping that knowledge from his fellow apes because apes needed an unquestionable religion to maintain a stable society and not destroy themselves. Through these examples one can plainly see the political motivations behind Planet of the Apes. Though seemingly a movie about a bunch of "damn dirty apes!" it can truly be seen as a highly political film, meant to alter or reinforce the beliefs of the people who were viewing it. Though written for the sixties, thirty years later Planet of the Apes still carries a message, and one that is still valid in today's political climate. Though for most there is no longer blatant distrust of the government, Planet of th
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Approximate Word count = 1113
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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