Jerry Goldsmith's The Planet Of The Apes

“The Planet of the Apes” was a movie that quickly became a classic during the 1960s. Its fresh ideas quickly gained popularity leading to a fanbase still active even today. This movie is not only known for its science fiction aspects but its original and avant-garde music. The composer, Jerry Goldsmith, pushed the boundaries of traditional film soundtracks and created pieces that are still compelling today. For example, the music during the “Human Hunt” and “No Escape” scenes are perfect for these scenes and really strike emotion into the viewers. Without the creations of Jerry Goldsmith, “The Planet of the Apes” would not have had as much of an impact as a revolutionary movie as it did. This movie is set on Earth two thousand years in the future, where apes have become the ruling

It can be inferred that some disaster struck with humans all but wiped out and reverted to a primitive version of today. As such it can be assumed that the instruments Goldsmith uses to create this soundtrack are not those that would be found in the time period of this movie, such as the clarinet or the horn. The music style he uses can be described as avant-garde as he used unconventional means in order to achieve the sounds he desired. For example, he used horns blown without mouth pieces, and bass clarinetists fingering the notes but not blowing (Filmtracks Publications). Using these creative and untested tactics Goldsmith was able to create a soundtrack that pushed the boundaries of film music during this time. The first scene to be discussed is the “Human Hunt” scene. In this scene the lead, Taylor,