Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Pierre Boulle (characters)
Paul Dehn (story)
(more)

Release Date:

15 June 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The final chapter in the incredible Apes saga. The most suspenseful showdown ever filmed as two civilizations battle for the right to inherit what's left of the earth!

Plot:

Ten years after conquering the Earth, ape leader Caesar wants the ruling apes and enslaves humans to live in peace. But warning factions of apes led by a militant gorilla general as well as various human groups threaten the stability.

Plot Keywords:

Ape | General | Gorilla | Planet Of The Apes | Slavery

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Roddy McDowall	...	Caesar
Claude Akins	...	General Aldo
Natalie Trundy	...	Lisa
Severn Darden	...	Governor Kolp
Lew Ayres	...	Mandemus
Paul Williams	...	Prof. Virgil
Austin Stoker	...	MacDonald
Noah Keen	...	Abe the Teacher
Richard Eastham	...	Mutant Captain
France Nuyen	...	Alma
Paul Stevens	...	Mendez
Heather Lowe	...	Tanya the Doctor
Bobby Porter	...	Cornelius, Son of Caesar
Michael Stearns	...	Jake
Cal Wilson	...	Soldier
Pat Cardi	...	Young Chimp
John Landis	...	Jake's Friend
Andy Knight	...	Mutant on Motorcycle
John Huston	...	The Lawgiver
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Bacon	...	Ape (uncredited)
Colleen Camp	...	Julie, Lisa's Servant (uncredited)

Directed by
J. Lee Thompson

Writing credits
Pierre Boulle		(characters)
Paul Dehn		(story)
John William Corrington		(screenplay) &
Joyce Hooper Corrington		(screenplay)

Produced by
Frank Capra Jr.	....	associate producer
Arthur P. Jacobs	....	producer

Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman

Cinematography by
Richard H. Kline		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John C. Horger
Alan Jaggs		(as Alan L. Jaggs)

Casting by
Ross Brown

Art Direction by
Dale Hennesy		(as Dale Hennessy)

Set Decoration by
Robert De Vestel		(as Robert deVestel)

Makeup Department
Jack Barron	....	makeup artist
John Chambers	....	creative makeup design
Joe DiBella	....	makeup supervisor (as Joe Di Bella)
Werner Keppler	....	makeup artist
Carol Pershing	....	hair stylist
Verne Langdon	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Jan Van Uchelen	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Michael S. Glick	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ric Rondell	....	assistant director
Barry Stern	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
Don J. Bassman	....	sound (as Don Bassman)
Herman Lewis	....	sound

Special Effects by
Gerald Endler	....	special mechanical effects
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Lightning Bear	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard E. Butler	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Caruso	....	stunts (uncredited)
Roydon Clark	....	stunts (uncredited)
Erik Cord	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paula Crist	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nick Dimitri	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bennie E. Dobbins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Russ Dodson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Larry Duran	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Durock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Orwin C. Harvey	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Hice	....	stunts (uncredited)
Larry Holt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Whitey Hughes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hubie Kerns	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Denver Mattson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Troy Melton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Regina Parton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Regis Parton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Victor Paul	....	stunts (uncredited)
Allen Pinson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Glenn Randall Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Thomas Rosales Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Wally Rose	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alex Sharp	....	stunts (uncredited)
Felix Silla	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Stader	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Richard Washington	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Waters	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred M. Waugh	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jesse Wayne	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Bettcher	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Other crew
Don Record	....	title designer

Production Companies

• Apjac International
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (as Twentieth Century-Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox-MGM (1973) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1975) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Playhouse Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Colonization of the Planet of the Apes

Runtime:

93 min | USA:96 min (extended version) | UK:86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Brazil:Livre | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12 (original rating) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:G | Canada:PG | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Apjac International

Trivia:

Roddy McDowall is the only cast member to appear in all the original "Planet of the Apes" movies except the first sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970). He also starred in the "Planet of the Apes" (1974) TV series. It's also noted that Roddy is the only actor to voice two different apes, Cornelius and his son, Caesar.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the humans from the dead city and two of Aldo's gorillas meet in the desert, Governor Kolp watches the gorillas through his binoculars. He then issues orders to shoot the gorillas with a cannon. The cannon fires in a completely different direction to the way he was looking, but hits them anyway.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Title Card: North America, 2670 A.D.
The Lawgiver: In the beginning God created beast and man so that both might live in friendship and share dominion over a world of peace. But in the fullness of time evil men betrayed God's trust and in disobedience to His holy word waged bloody wars, not only against their own kind...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Big Bang Theory: The Pancake Batter Anomaly (#1.11)" (2008)

Not that bad.

This movie isn't as bad as many people think it is.. As far as sequels go, I can think of worse ones. It also ends on a very positive note. It is pretty entertaining, especially if you like the previous "Apes" movies.