Synopsis: Journey Back To The Planet Of The Apes!

Prepare for the ultimate adventure with this behind-the-scenes chronicle of the amazing Planet Of The Apes phenomenon. Host Roddy McDowall takes you, film by film, from production meetings to makeup sessions, then right onto the movie set to see the actual filming of this science fiction masterpiece. Hear exclusive interviews with stars Charlton Heston and Kim Hunter, see rare archival footage. Then see how the Apes saga reached beyond the original visionary films, creating a franchise that includes television and books. The most comprehensive history of Planet Of The Apes ever created, this fascinating two-hour documentary explores one of the most imaginative and influential series in movie history.
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Behind the Planet of the Apes 8.0

This 1998 documentary, hosted by none other than Roddy McDowall himself, covers the whole Planet of the Apes franchise up to that point (i.e. Tim Burton isn’t even mentioned).

It does a great job of providing an overview of the series (so much so that you almost don’t need to see the movies after watching this – all the lesser bits are cut, keeping only the essentials). It also covers the origins of the series relatively well, including the pre-production.

The first film becomes the focal point (not surprisingly considering its resounding success), so at almost the halfway mark they still have four films and two TV series to cover. But they give each piece the respect it deserves and I don’t think they could have done any better in two hours.

At the time it was made, many of the key players were still around, so there is plenty of great interview footage with the actors, producers and artisans that made this film happen. I think it’s a very good look at what is a game-changing film and series. It’s well-worth seeing for fans of the series AND cinema lovers.

Nota bene: this has been available on DVD for years, but it’s now included on the ‘Planet of the Apes’ blu-ray. What makes this particular re-release interesting is that they developed an interactive mode that allows you to read factoids, bios and watch clips at the same time. It’s VERY informative, but expect your viewing time to be doubled. There is, it should be noted, a DVD version of this documentary featuring an exclusive 2-hour interview with Roddy McDowal – a real must for fansl