The Question

Below I gave my opinion of a film that is based upon a classic zombie novel. But, zombies are not the only post-apocalyptic creatures in film lore. Other than the walking dead there are the talking apes of the The Planet Of The Apes franchise.

And I find the zombies of the 28 Days Later mode silly. The dumb, slow zombies of The Last Man On Earth and Night Of The Living Dead to be more scary, simply because they at least obey semi-plausible scientific realities.

So, forgetting whether you like zombie or ape flicks more, you have a choice. The world has ended. You are alone in the world, until you discover you are not. Which would be a scarier menace to face? The walking dead who will try to eat and/or infect you to become one of them? Or the apes, who are scared fascistic, enslaving, religious lunatics? Bear in mind, as long as you were healthy, you could likely avoid the zombie hordes, and dispatch them with ease. You would be the smartest creature on the planet, possibly a 'legend.' On the other hand, in the ape world, if they knew you could speak, they would hunt you down, lobotomize or kill you, and, even if mute, they would enslave you? You would be the low man on the totem pole, rather than at the top in the zombie world.

Here are snippets of the sorts of zombie hordes you would face:




And here is what you would face in the ape world:



Gotta love the fascistic gorilla played by James Gregory, who also boasts, 'The only good human is a dead human!'
..........

Ok, times up....which scenario would you choose, and why? Personally, give me the zombies, because I would have a more realistic shot at survival. After all, on ape world the humans are all deaf mutes or psychotic mutants, whereas there would have to be survivors on zombie world, and connecting up with them would allow a new world to begin after the cleanup of the dead, which might take a lifetime. But, how would one insurrect ape world with a bunch of mutes and mutants?

The ABC 4:30 Movie

Afterschool in NYC, in the 1970s, when homework was done, this is what was to watch- there would be the Planet Of The Apes films, Godzilla weeks, sword and sandal films, Ray Harryhausen films, UFO week, etc.

The music still sticks:

The Birds

While Alfred Hitchcock was not a great director, he could have been, and his failures are often more fascinating than far greater films. One of his greatest films, however, is The Birds, which I mentioned below.

Here is the original trailer:



Here is a cool, condensed version:



The reason the film works is because it is realistic, save for one key element being off. In fact, many sci fi or fantasy films that work, do so precisely because they don't require superhuman BS to come into play. Think of Dave Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Think of Colonel Taylor in The Planet Of The Apes. Think of the cast of the original Night Of The Living Dead. Think of the characters in Colossus: The Forbin Project.

The cliche about human civilization being a thin veneer is true, in many ways, and these sorts of films exploit that to the fullest logical extent. Imagine being confronted with killer computers, talking apes, walking dead, or wilding birds. How else, but the way most of these films play out, would people react?

Why Hitchcock failed as a great director is because, unlike Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, or Michelangelo Antonioni, he was never able to let go of his rationality- save for films like Psycho, The Birds, and a few others. He lacked Keatsian Negative Capability- the ability to make seemingly irrational leap of faith connections that, in reflection, are not irrational.

Quatermass And The Pit (aka Five Million Years To Earth)

Never let is said that the Hammer Studios in Great Britain were all Dracula-based schlock. This film, based upon the BBC Quatermass television shows, was released in the USA as Five Million Years To Earth, and I snuck in and saw it in theaters when young, with my pals.

Released a year before 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Planet Of The Apes, this was the first really good sci film since Robinson Crusoe On Mars. Realistic, scary, and deeper than normal sci fi fare, it rocks.

And, it's free on Cinemension:

The Planet Of The Apes (1968)

While not as 'deep' as Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Planet Of The Apes was the other great sci fi film to be released in 1968.

Charlton Heston always gave good performances, even if a little over the top, at times. But, could you imagine Gary Cooper or John Wayne as Colonel George Taylor?

Here is the trailer:



And here is the ending:



Rod Serling's ending is classic, causing the author of the original novel, Pierre Boulle, to envy it. But, notice the ending- Jerry Goldsmith's score is classic, but the ending revelation gains power because there is no music to guide the viewer. There is no Aha! crescendo. Taylor's idea of the world is utterly destroyed (including him as the white male American conqueror) yet the ocean waves pummel on, indifferent to his plight. The power of quietude.

Just imagine had, say, Philip Glass had scored this. While great in some films, like the -Qatsi films and The Thin Blue Line, he's also some over the top scores like The Hours. My guess is Glass would have ruined the scene.

Anyway, the first film is truly great, albeit far from perfect. That fact- that great does not equate with perfect, is a concept few grasp. Think, though, and the reason should become clear.