Battle for the Planet of the Apes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle for the Planet of the Apes |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | J. Lee Thompson |
| Produced by | Arthur P. Jacobs |
| Screenplay by | John William Corrington Joyce Hooper Corrington |
| Story by | Paul Dehn |
| Starring | Roddy McDowall Claude Akins Natalie Trundy Severn Darden Lew Ayres Paul Williams John Huston |
| Music by | Leonard Rosenman |
| Cinematography | Richard H. Kline |
| Editing by | Alan L. Jaggs John C. Horger |
| Studio | APJAC Productions |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | June 13, 1973 (Los Angeles) |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.7 million |
| Money made | $8.8 million |
Battle for the Planet of the Apes is a 1973 American science fiction film. It was directed by J. Lee Thompson. This movie is the fifth and final part of the original Planet of the Apes film series. It was made by Arthur P. Jacobs. The film stars Roddy McDowall as Caesar. Other main actors include Claude Akins, Natalie Trundy, and John Huston.
The story takes place after a big nuclear war has changed Earth. Caesar, an intelligent chimpanzee, tries to build a new society. He wants apes and the remaining humans to live together peacefully.
Two newer movies, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), have similar ideas to Battle. However, they are not official remakes of this film.
Contents
The Story of the Apes' World
The movie's story is told as a flashback. It starts in the year 2670 A.D. with an orangutan called the Lawgiver. He is telling the story of Caesar from the early 21st century.
Caesar's New Society
Years after a global nuclear war destroyed human cities, Caesar leads a new society. He lives with his wife, Lisa, and their son, Cornelius. Caesar wants peace between apes and humans. Humans in Ape City do simple jobs and live freely.
However, an aggressive gorilla general named Aldo disagrees. He wants to keep humans locked up. One day, Aldo's followers attack a human teacher. Caesar stops them and thinks about how to make things better.
Searching for Answers
MacDonald, Caesar's human helper, tells him about old videos. These videos show Caesar's parents, Cornelius and Zira. They are hidden in the dangerous, radioactive ruins of the Forbidden City. This city was seen in the last movie.
Caesar decides to go to the Forbidden City. He takes MacDonald and his orangutan advisor, Virgil, with him. They hope to find the videos and learn from the past.
Danger in the Forbidden City
Inside the Forbidden City, they find mutated humans living there. These humans are led by Governor Kolp. Kolp is the same man who captured Caesar before. Caesar and his friends watch the old videos. They learn about Earth's future and its eventual destruction.
Kolp's soldiers find them, and they have to escape. Caesar fears the mutant humans might attack Ape City. He tells everyone what he found. When Caesar calls a meeting with humans, Aldo and his gorillas leave.
War and Betrayal
Kolp's scouts find Ape City. Kolp believes Caesar plans to destroy all mutant humans. He declares war on Ape City. His assistant, Méndez, tries to make him see reason, but Kolp refuses.
Meanwhile, Aldo plans to take control of Ape City. He wants the gorillas to rule. Caesar's son, Cornelius, overhears Aldo's plan. Aldo sees Cornelius and hurts him badly with his sword.
The next day, Aldo takes advantage of Caesar's sadness. He rounds up all the humans and loots the armory. Cornelius later dies from his wounds. Caesar learns that humans did not hurt his son.
The Final Battle
Kolp's forces attack Ape City. Caesar orders his defenders to pretend to be defeated. Kolp finds Caesar among many fallen apes. He plans to kill Caesar himself. But the apes are only pretending! They launch a surprise counterattack and capture most of the mutant humans.
Kolp and his remaining soldiers try to escape. But Aldo's troops kill them outside the city.
A New Beginning
Aldo then confronts Caesar. He wants to kill the humans that Caesar has freed. Caesar protects the humans. Virgil, who learned the truth from MacDonald, tells Caesar that Aldo killed Cornelius.
Caesar is furious because Aldo broke their most important law: "ape shall never kill ape." Caesar chases Aldo up a tall tree. Aldo falls to his death during their fight.
Caesar realizes that apes can be just as cruel as their former human masters. He agrees to MacDonald's idea: humans and apes should be equal. They store their weapons in the armory. Caesar and Virgil explain that they might still need guns for future fights. But they hope for a day when weapons are no longer needed.
The story returns to the Lawgiver in the future. He tells his audience, a mix of young humans and apes, that they still wait for that day. A close-up of a statue of Caesar shows a single tear falling from its eye. This tear shows the hope for a peaceful future.
Main Actors and Characters
- Roddy McDowall as Caesar
- Claude Akins as Aldo
- Natalie Trundy as Lisa
- Severn Darden as Kolp
- Lew Ayres as Mandemus
- Paul Williams as Virgil
- Austin Stoker as MacDonald
- Noah Keen as Teacher
- Richard Eastham as Mutant Captain
- John Huston as the Lawgiver
- France Nuyen as Alma
- Paul Stevens as Mendez
- Heather Lowe as Doctor
- Bobby Porter as Cornelius
- Michael Stearns as Jake
- Cal Wilson as Soldier
- Pat Cardi as Young Chimp
- John Landis as Jake's Friend
Making the Movie
How the Story Was Written
The writer Paul Dehn had written the stories for the earlier Planet of the Apes movies. He started working on this film's story too. But he had to leave the project because of his health.
Then, John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington were hired to write the script. They had not written science fiction before. They later said they had not even seen the other Apes movies! Paul Dehn came back later to help make the script better.
Filming the Movie
The movie was filmed at the Fox Movie Ranch. It cost about $1.7 million to make. The director, J. Lee Thompson, felt the movie could have used more money. He thought a bigger budget would have helped show the "Battle" better.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes was one of the last films made by producer Arthur P. Jacobs. He passed away on June 27, 1973, shortly after the movie was released.
Extra Scenes in the Extended Cut
When Battle for the Planet of the Apes was shown on TV, it had some extra scenes. These scenes were cut from the version shown in movie theaters.
- One scene shows MacDonald reminding Caesar why humans should not say "no" to an ape. This happens after Aldo chases the teacher.
- Another scene near the end shows the start of a group called the House of Mendez. Humans in the city almost fire a powerful bomb. This bomb was seen in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. But they decide not to, because it would destroy the world.
These extra scenes help connect this movie to the earlier Planet of the Apes films.
Movie's Impact
The movie Battle for the Planet of the Apes was mentioned in the 2012 film Argo. In Argo, a character named Tony Mendez gets an idea for a fake movie from watching Battle for the Planet of the Apes on TV. This was a small tribute to John Chambers, who did the ape make-up for the Planet of the Apes movies. He also helped in a real-life rescue mission.
See also
In Spanish: La batalla por el planeta de los simios para niños
