She found a great deal
of “poopyheads” in this outing. (Aldo, the mutants, Gorilla’s in general etc.)
She was also puzzled as
to why the movie had to start by showing scenes from the two we’d just
watched. Thus it was time for another
history lesson, explaining the dark days past when everything wasn’t instantly
available streaming, on disk, or even on “fuzzy old tapes.”
While the death of young
Cornelius did visibly sadden her, she was relieved at the end because she
“expected everyone I liked to die.”
Roddy McDowall turned in
another amazing performance as an older and differently focused Caesar. Once more he pulls a different emotive
experience out of the same make up.
The story ends with the
statue of Caesar crying. Combining that with the human girl and chimp boy
fighting is the evidence usually cited for the Lawgiver’s hopes for a future of
harmony and peace being unfounded and the story being a circle leading to the
inevitable Heston initiated explosion.
I think the “key
surprise statement” from the previous film, coupled with developments here and
beyond call for a different interpretation.
The fighting kids
demonstrate they don’t see each other different than any other children of
their own species. The statue of Caesar is crying because it took the death of
his son to attain the future of harmony and peace.
In Escape it was stated that the first ape to say, “NO!” was
Aldo. We meet Aldo the Gorilla general
this time around as a pre-Sheriff Lobo Claude Akins portrays a brutal
anti-intellectual thug.
One option is Gorillas
took over and changed history to give him credit. With the Orangutans being the
keepers of knowledge and power in the original timeline, them doling out credit
to another group seems unlikely.
Cornelius and Zira
coming back in time and introducing Caesar as an intelligent ape into the
revolution changed the famous quote from an angry “NO!” of defiance, to a much
softer, “no,” as a call for mercy. This
leads to a more intelligence and compassion driven revolt.
As young Cornelius puts
it in this film, “If my father were a Gorilla, we’d all be learning riding
instead of writing.”
It isn’t perfect harmony
shown, but there are some encouraging elements:
The meeting between
Gorilla soldiers and the Mutants was accelerated to much earlier in the
timeline, thinning the Mutant’s ranks and providing the apes knowledge of those
that hold the Alpha Omega Bomb, and the knowledge that their destroyed city (which
is now on another coast for some reason) has nothing of value to them.
It’s true that the apes
still sit segregated on the council, but their jobs aren’t, possibly leading to
a less striated society.
Humans are second class
citizens, but are still teachers and doctors -a far cry from the mute savages
in the first film.
Some extra evidence comes
from what followed the movies.
In the 1974 live action
series, things have gotten far worse for humans. However, they are still capable of speech,
meaning they haven’t regressed as far as the original timeline.
More importantly, a
reference is made to Taylor and his group of astronauts having been
killed. OK, that’s not really good for
them, but since their arrival and subsequent actions are the direct causes that
led to the world blowing up, overall its excellent news.
Finally, the 1975 Return to cartoon showed a much more
technologically advanced ape society, indicating a general recovery in the
world. It also ended suggesting
Cornelius and Zira (one or both of which may now be their own descendants)
raising human equality to the Senate.
Doctor Zaius also depowers Gorilla general Urko, before he can take
power like Ursus did in Beneath.
See, it really was all
Taylor’s fault, just like the Orangutan said.
The quote this time
wasn’t a surprise for the reason it has been in the last four. Everyone knows everyone else can talk.
Instead it comes from
Paul Williams’s advice that succeeds at breaking Caesar out of his grief over
his son, and rage at the attack of the city humans (Mutants)
as he states that, “the human way is violence and death.” He is quite correct that this line comes from
a “wise and good ape,” and follows the implied recommendation to lead his
society toward that harmonious future.
Key
Surprise Statement:
Virgil
2 comments:
I was playing a board game with friends a few years back when one half of a couple make a move that would almost certainly eliminate the other half of the couple from the game.
I gasped and started chanting "Ape has killed ape". He giggled some but she just sort of stared at me, without reference.
Its amazing how often that line comes up in conversation...in our lives anyway.
Thanx for sharing!
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