Nigel Honeybone

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

Escape-Second

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014) comes out on both DVD and Blu-ray later this month, and if too many monkeys are never enough, 20th Century Fox are also releasing a new box-set entitled (for no entirely clear reason) Caesar’s Warrior Collection, featuring all eight films in the series – Planet Of The Apes (1968), Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970), Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971), Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972), Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973), Planet Of The Apes (2001), Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014) – all in High Definition and specially packaged in a Caesar bust sporting his penetrating simian stare.

With the planet flambéed at the end of Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, it was time to go into the past, bringing the franchise to a budget-friendly modern-day Earth. This was hardly an innovative idea – the 1967 television show It’s About Time, about two astronauts who find themselves trapped amongst neanderthals in the prehistoric past, resolved their budgetary problems by simply moving the astronauts and their neanderthal companions to contemporary USA in their second season. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) would do the same thing, halving their budget by setting it mostly in modern-day San Francisco.

But I digress. Escape From The Planet Of The Apes begins with three of the apes arriving in present-day America having escaped the holocaust by traveling back in time, via the same time warp, in the astronaut’s salvaged spaceship. The three intelligent apes, Zira (Kim Hunter), Cornelius (Roddy McDowall, returning after his noticeable absence in part two) and Milo (Sal Mineo in his final film role) are at first celebrated by society and treated like visiting royalty, but when it is learned that Zira is pregnant, they come to be regarded as a possible threat, and these fears are exploited by an ambitious Presidential candidate played by Eric Braeden, last seen in Colossus The Forbin Project (1970). After Milo is accidentally killed, Zira and Cornelius decide to hide out from the authorities and are given refuge by a kindly circus owner (Ricardo Montalban). Zira gives birth to a son, but she and Cornelius are later tracked down and shot to death by the authorities.

However, their offspring is rescued by the circus owner and the film ends with the infant ape saying ‘Mama, mama,’ mimicking the human talking doll found near the end of the first film. While this film isn’t as satisfying as the original, it does have its charms, mostly by showing us more of the relationship shared by Kira and Cornelius, and the film is carried well by both Hunter and McDowall. Highlights include testifying to the governmental investigation committee, and Zira humouring the mild-mannered scientists on their rudimentary

intelligence tests and, when they wonder why she won’t claim her prize, she exclaims that she loathes bananas. Not exactly “Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!” but an amusing alternative nonetheless. Another delight is Montalban’s appearance near the end of the film as the circus owner Armando, but unfortunately is not given much to do.

As it is, Escape From Planet Of The Apes is enjoyable fare and provides a few light moments, but don’t expect any deep thinking, there are no shattering new insights. This second sequel is little more than a lightweight diversion in the Planet Of The Apes story arc, with a memorable and poignant ending. Contrary to popular belief, Escape From The Planet Of The Apes is the only one of the original five films that was deliberately written open-ended for a sequel: Beneath The Planet Of The Apes was written as the final entry; Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972) original ending was supposed to lead to man’s downfall without mercy; Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973) was deliberately planned as the last. Oops, I’m getting a little ahead of myself there – at this point I’ll ask you to please join me next week when I have the opportunity to expose the very tenderest parts of your body to another jaw-dropping journey through those damnable dank dells of Horrorwoodland for…The Sydney Arts Guide! Toodles!

Published by Nigel Honeybone

My stage debut was as Hamlet's dead father, portraying him as a tall posh skeleton. This triumph was followed in Richard III, as the remains of a young prince which I interpreted as a tall posh skeleton. I began attracting starring roles, and was propelled into the film world when, in Psycho (1960), I wore women's clothing for the very first time. The seed of an idea was planted and, after working with director Ed Wood for five years, I realised the unlimited possibilities of tall posh skeletons who dressed in women's clothing. I went on to wear women's clothing in thirteen major motion pictures, including the Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and Star Wars (1977), heartbreaking as the remains of Aunt Beru. With the onslaught of special effects came the demise of real actors in these sorts of roles. After modeling for CGI skeletons in Total Recall (1990) and Toys (1992), the only possible step forward for a tall posh skeleton was television, imparting my knowledge and expertise of the arts. I currently host THE SCHLOCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW seen on TVS Sydney Channel 44 every Friday evening, presenting the very best of the worst films you're ever likely to see.