Themes In Planet Of The Apes

Social Criticism in Planet of the Apes

In America, 1968 was a year of social and political change. The county was dealing with the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the civil rights and the human rights movements, youth culture and many political assassinations. Many filmmakers adopt the art of fiction to convey social criticism of a certain historical period. Rod Serling exploits science fiction in his notable series The Twilight Zone to comment on concerns and anxieties of his time. He continues to talk about social matters and explore controversial and conflict-ridden topics trough sci-fi, as a co-screenwriter of Planet of the Apes. The movie uses allegory and science fiction to address issues arose in 1968 including racism, medical experimentation,

In the movie, the apes live by the Sacred Scrolls, which contain all the law, customs, prophesies and tenets. Dr. Zaius enforced the belief that humans were never superior to apes. The movie illustrates the sub-theme of religion vs. since throughout the character of Dr. Zaius. Indeed, he always refers to the Sacred Scrolls but refuses any claims of scientific understanding, which is quite ironic because he holds the title of the Defender of the Faith, as well as the Minister of Science. Dr. Zaius quotes the Sacred Scrolls and instructs the apes that the Forbidden Zone should never be entered. His order could suggest that he is also trying to hold back any explorations or scientific discoveries and advancements. In this case, science is portrayed as unnecessary. Additionally, Planet of the Apes presents another sub-theme of religion vs. the State through its unclear division of both institutions. In fact, the protagonist is on trial due to the fact that he is contradicting the religion believed by the apes. The movie makes reference to historical movement in which the religion and the State are united and criticizes the intellectual dishonestly and closed-minded characteristics of

The Vietnam War is considered as the first war to be fought in the living rooms of America because of the accessibility of lighter camera equipment for the journalists to obtain film footage of the war. Thus, Americans were exposed to violent and disturbing imagery of their own soldiers. The shocking ending of the Planet of the Apes, which reveals that the planet is in fact Earth after a nuclear war, criticizes the issue of war which could result in the destruction of humanity. Moreover, the twisted finale suggests that the United States could be under danger from its own technological advancement and involvement in foreign wars (the Vietnam War). These anxieties are also linked to the Cold War period after World War II when the Americans and the Soviets were fighting a war (although there were not any shots fired, there was still an extensive hostility in between both parties) and the possibility of the war resulting in a nuclear annihilation. Similarly, to the ethics of medical experimentation, the filmmakers present the fear of the advancement of