View source for Escape from the Planet of the Apes

{{short description|1971 science fiction film from the Planet of the Apes franchise directed by Don Taylor}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2009}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Escape from the Planet of the Apes
| image          = Escape from the planet of the apes.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Don Taylor (American filmmaker)|Don Taylor]]
| producer       = [[Arthur P. Jacobs]]
| writer         = [[Paul Dehn]]
| based_on       = {{based on|[[List of Planet of the Apes characters#Characters introduced in the original film series|Characters]]|[[Pierre Boulle]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Roddy McDowall]]
* [[Kim Hunter]]
* [[Bradford Dillman]]
* [[Natalie Trundy]]
* [[Eric Braeden]]
* [[Sal Mineo]]
* [[Ricardo Montalbán]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Joseph F. Biroc]]
| editing        = [[Marion Rothman]]
| studio         = APJAC Productions
| distributor    = [[20th Century-Fox]] 
| released       = {{Film date|1971|5|26|ref1=<ref name="AFI">{{cite web |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/54073-ESCAPE-FROMTHEPLANETOFTHEAPES?sid=61a6c105-e7bc-4615-a58c-76b78153ca39&sr=14.805508&cp=1&pos=0 |title=Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=December 3, 2018 }}</ref>}}
| runtime        = 98 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| music          = [[Jerry Goldsmith]]
| budget         = $2&nbsp;million<ref>Solomon, Aubrey. ''Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series)''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. {{ISBN|978-0-8108-4244-1}}. p256</ref>
| gross          = $12.3&nbsp;million<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=escapefromtheplanetoftheapes.htm|publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]]|title=Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Box Office Information|access-date=June 24, 2012}}</ref>
}}
'''''Escape from the Planet of the Apes''''' is a 1971 American [[science fiction film]] directed by [[Don Taylor (American filmmaker)|Don Taylor]] and written by [[Paul Dehn]]. The film is the sequel to ''[[Beneath the Planet of the Apes]]'' (1970) and the third installment in the [[Planet of the Apes#Original film series|original ''Planet of the Apes'' film series]]. It stars [[Roddy McDowall]], [[Kim Hunter]], [[Bradford Dillman]], [[Natalie Trundy]], [[Eric Braeden]], [[Sal Mineo]], and [[Ricardo Montalbán]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.mediacircus.net/pota.html| title=Those Damned Dirty Apes!| access-date=2011-08-03| publisher=www.mediacircus.net}}</ref> In the film, [[Cornelius (Planet of the Apes)|Cornelius]] (McDowall) and [[Zira (Planet of the Apes)|Zira]] (Hunter) [[time travel|flee back through time]] to 20th-century Los Angeles, where they face fear and persecution.

''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' was released in the United States on May 26, 1971, by [[20th Century-Fox]].<ref name="AFI" /> The film received a mainly positive response from critics and is generally considered the best sequel of the original Apes series. ''Escape'' was followed by ''[[Conquest of the Planet of the Apes]]'' in 1972.

==Plot==
Prior to Earth's destruction,{{efn|As depicted in [[Beneath the Planet of the Apes]].}} the [[chimpanzee]]s [[Cornelius (Planet of the Apes)|Cornelius]], [[Zira (Planet of the Apes)|Zira]] and [[Dr. Milo (Planet of the Apes)|Dr. Milo]] salvage and repair [[Taylor (Planet of the Apes)|Taylor]]'s spaceship and escape the planet. The shock wave of Earth's destruction sends the ship through a [[time warp (science fiction)|time warp]] that brings the apes to 1973 Earth.

The apes are transported to the [[Los Angeles Zoo]], under the observation of two friendly scientists, Dr. Stephanie Branton and Dr. Lewis Dixon. During their stay there, Dr. Milo is killed by a zoo gorilla.

A Presidential Commission is formed to investigate the return of Taylor's spaceship and its inhabitants. During their interrogation, Cornelius and Zira deny knowing Taylor. They reveal, however, that they came from the future and escaped Earth when a war broke out. They are welcomed as guests of the government. The apes secretly explain to Stephanie and Lewis how humans are treated in the future, and tell them about Earth's destruction. The scientists are shocked but still sympathetic, and advise the couple to keep this information secret until they can gauge the potential reaction of their hosts.

Lavished with gifts and media attention, the apes become celebrities. They come to the attention of the President's Science Advisor [[Dr. Hasslein (Planet of the Apes)|Dr. Otto Hasslein]], who discovers Zira is pregnant. Fearing for the future of the human race, Hasslein insists that he simply wants to know how apes became dominant over men. Cornelius reveals that the human race will cause its own downfall and that Earth's destruction is caused by a weapon made by humans. Zira explains that the gorillas started the war, but the chimpanzees had nothing to do with it. Hasslein suspects that the apes are not telling the whole truth.

During the original hearing, Zira accidentally reveals that she used to dissect humans. Hasslein orders Lewis to administer a [[truth serum]] to her while Cornelius is confined elsewhere. As a result of the serum, Hasslein learns details about Zira's experimentation on humans along with her knowledge of Taylor.

Zira joins Cornelius in confinement while Hasslein takes his findings to the President, who reluctantly abides by the council's ruling to have her pregnancy terminated and that both apes be [[Sterilization (medicine)|sterilized]]. In their chambers, Zira and Cornelius fear for their lives. When an orderly arrives to offer the apes food, his jokes about their future child make Cornelius lose his temper. He knocks the orderly to the floor, before escaping with Zira. They assume the orderly is merely knocked out, but he is actually dead. Hasslein uses the tragedy in support of his claim that the apes are a threat. He calls for their execution, but is ordered by the President to bring them in alive, unwilling to endorse capital punishment until due process has been served.

Branton and Dixon help the apes escape, taking them to a [[circus]] run by [[Armando (Planet of the Apes)|Señor Armando]], where an ape named Heloise has just given birth. Zira gives birth to a son and names him Milo, in honor of their deceased friend. Knowing that Zira's labor was imminent, Hasslein orders a search of all circuses and zoos, and Armando insists the apes leave for their safety. Lewis arranges for the apes to hide out in the Los Angeles harbor's shipyard for a while. He gives Cornelius a pistol as the couple does not want to be taken alive.

Tracking the apes to the shipping yard, Hasslein mortally wounds Zira and kills the infant she is holding. Cornelius shoots down Hasslein, and then dies at the hands of a sniper. Zira tosses the dead baby over the side and crawls to die with her husband, witnessed by a grieving Lewis and Stephanie.

It is revealed that Zira switched babies with Heloise before leaving the circus. Armando is aware of this and prepares to leave for Florida. Baby Milo then begins to talk.

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Roddy McDowall]] as Dr. Cornelius
* [[Kim Hunter]] as Dr. Zira
* [[Bradford Dillman]] as Dr. Lewis Dixon
* [[Natalie Trundy]] as Dr. Stephanie Branton
* [[Eric Braeden]] as Dr. Otto Hasslein
* [[William Windom (actor)|William Windom]] as President of the United States
* [[Sal Mineo]] as Dr. Milo
* [[Albert Salmi]] as E-1
* [[Jason Evers]] as E-2
* [[John Randolph (actor)|John Randolph]] as the chairman
* [[Harry Lauter]] as General Winthrop
* [[M. Emmet Walsh]] as Aide
* [[Roy Glenn]] as the Lawyer
* [[Peter Forster (actor)|Peter Forster]] as the Cardinal
* [[Bill Bonds]] as Himself
* [[James Bacon (author)|James Bacon]] as General Faulkner
* [[Ricardo Montalbán]] as Armando
* [[George P. Wilbur]] as boxer ''Uncredited''
}}

In this film, actor Roddy McDowall returns to the character of [[Cornelius (Planet of the Apes)|Cornelius]] which he played in the first film but not in the second. A new ape character of [[Dr. Milo (Planet of the Apes)|Dr. Milo]] is introduced played by actor [[Sal Mineo]]. [[Charlton Heston]], star of the first film and supporting actor in the second, appears in this third installment only in two brief flashback sequences.

==Production==
Despite ''[[Beneath the Planet of the Apes]]'' ending in a way that seemed to prevent the series from continuing, 20th Century-Fox still wanted a sequel. Roddy McDowall, in the franchise documentary ''Behind the Planet of the Apes'', said that [[Arthur P. Jacobs]] sent ''Beneath'' screenwriter [[Paul Dehn]] a telegram that read "Apes exist, Sequel required." Dehn decided to bypass the destructive ending of ''Beneath'' by having Cornelius and Zira travel backward in time in Taylor's spaceship with the [[polymath]] ape scientist who repaired it. Dehn consulted [[Pierre Boulle]], author of the [[Planet of the Apes (novel)|original novel]], to imbue his script with similar satirical elements. The screenplay, originally titled ''Secret of the Planet of the Apes'', accommodated the smaller budget by having fewer people in ape make-up, and attracted director [[Don Taylor (American filmmaker)|Don Taylor]] by its humor and focus on the chimpanzee couple.

Dehn added to the latter part of the film allusions to racial conflict and religious overtones, particularly an allegory of the story of Jesus; a line of dialogue has the President comparing the plan to kill an unborn child to the [[Massacre of the Innocents]].<ref>"The Secret Behind Escape", ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' Blu-ray</ref><ref>Hofstede, David. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZyIiApfhWngC&pg=PA71 Planet of the Apes: An Unofficial Companion]''</ref> While [[Kim Hunter]] had to be convinced by the studio to make ''Beneath'', she liked the script for ''Escape'' and accepted the job. Hunter said that "I was very glad I was killed off," and that Zira was not required anymore after that film. Hunter said that despite the friendly atmosphere on the set, she and [[Roddy McDowall]] felt a sense of isolation for being the only people dressed as chimpanzees.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} Production was rushed due to the low budget, and was filmed in only six weeks,<ref>[http://pota.goatley.com/magazines/starlog-1990-11.pdf Chimp Life], by Tom Weaver & Michael Brunas – ''[[Starlog]]'' (November 1990)</ref> from November 30, 1970, to January 19, 1971.<ref>''Planet of the apes : 40-year evolution'' / written by [[Lee Pfeiffer]] & [[Dave Worrall]]. Published by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, c2008.</ref>

==Music==
===Personnel===
*Cappy Lewis – trumpet<ref name = trumpet>{{cite web |title=Escape from the Planet of the Apes |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/jots.200023821 |website=Library of Congress}}</ref>
*Phil Teele – trombone<ref name = trumpet/>
*[[Vincent DeRosa]], John Cave – French horn<ref name = trumpet/>  
* Russ Cheever, [[Abe Most]], Dominic Fera – clarinet<ref name = trumpet/>
*Don Christlieb – bassoon<ref name = trumpet/>
*[[Artie Kane]] – piano<ref name = trumpet/>
*[[Bob Bain]], [[Al Hendrickson]] – guitar<ref name = trumpet/>
*[[Carol Kaye]] – electric bass<ref name = trumpet/>
*[[Larry Bunker]], [[Shelly Manne]] – percussion<ref name = trumpet/>

==Reception==
According to ''Variety'', the film earned $5,560,000 in rentals at the North American box office.<ref>"All-time Film Rental Champs", ''Variety'', 7 January 1976 p 46</ref>

The film holds a 77% score on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 30 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "One of the better ''Planet of the Apes'' sequels, ''Escape'' is more character-driven than the previous films, and more touching as a result."<ref>[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/escape_from_the_planet_of_the_apes/ ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' (1971).] ''[[Rotten Tomatoes]]''. Retrieved December 19, 2018.</ref>

[[Roger Greenspun]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' was positive, finding the premise "quite beautiful" with the theme of human guilt "richly ambivalent, because the monsters are scarcely monstrous and the guilt is a function of unassailable strategic intelligence."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/29/archives/escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes-proves-entertaining.html|last=Greenspun|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Greenspun|date=May 29, 1971|title='Escape From the Planet of the Apes' Proves Entertaining|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|publisher=[[The New York Times Company]]|issn=1553-8095|oclc=1645522|page=10|accessdate=December 20, 2018|url-access=subscription}}</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' gave the film three stars out of four and wrote, "Comparatively, it is much better than the second, which was awful, but not as good as the first, which was quite good."<ref>Siskel, Gene (May 24, 1971). "Planet of Apes..." ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 2, p. 14.</ref> Arthur D. Murphy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it "an excellent film. Far better than last year's followup and almost as good as the original 'Planet of the Apes.'"<ref>Murphy, Arthur D. (May 26, 1971). "Film Reviews: Escape From The Planet Of The Apes". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. 23.</ref> [[Kevin Thomas (film critic)|Kevin Thomas]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that the film "works largely because Miss Hunter and McDowall, working under Don Taylor's deft direction, are such gifted actors and because John Chambers' chimpanzee makeup is so convincing, as it was in the other pictures."<ref>Thomas, Kevin (May 27, 1971). "Third 'Ape' Film Opens Engagement". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Part IV, p. 12.</ref> [[David Pirie]] of ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' wrote, "Infuriatingly, ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' continues the downward trend of a science-fiction series that started out with much ingenuity and promise ... the film is painfully sentimental in its attitude to the chimps, with Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall overplaying and vulgarising their former roles to the point where it's hard to feel much concern about their final destruction."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Pirie |first=David |date=August 1971 |title=Escape From the Planet of the Apes |journal=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |volume=38 |issue=451 |page=164 }}</ref>

==Spin-off media==
A [[American comic book|comic book]] [[Limited series (comics)|miniseries]], a [[Crossover (fiction)|crossover]] with ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' serving to bridge the events of the second and third films and titled ''[[Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive]]'', was published from December 2014 to April 2015.

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1971]]
* ''[[Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive]]''

==References==
{{Notelist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes}}
* {{IMDb title|67065}}
* ''[https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/18642/enwp Escape from the Planet of the Apes]'' at the [[Turner Classic Movies|TCM Movie Database]]
* {{AFI film|54073}}
* {{mojo title|escapefromtheplanetoftheapes}}

{{Planet of the Apes}}
{{Don Taylor}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1971 films]]
[[Category:1970s dystopian films]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:American science fiction films]]
[[Category:American science fiction adventure films]]
[[Category:American sequel films]]
[[Category:1970s films about time travel]]
[[Category:Films directed by Don Taylor]]
[[Category:Films scored by Jerry Goldsmith]]
[[Category:Films set in 1973]]
[[Category:Films set in the future]]
[[Category:Films set in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films shot in California]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films shot in Michigan]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Paul Dehn]]
[[Category:Planet of the Apes films]]
[[Category:Sterilization in fiction]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:1970s American films]]
[[Category:1971 science fiction films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction films]]