Product Description
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DVD Special Features:
Planet of the Apes:
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 anamorphic 16:9
Sound: 5.1 Surround
Photo Gallery
Original Theatrical Trailers
Language: English
Subtitles: Hard of hearing English, Czech, Danish, Finnish,
Hungarian, Icelandic, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese,
Swedish
Beneath the Planet of the Apes:
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 anamorphic 16:9
Sound: 2.0 Surround
Photo Gallery
Cast Page
Language: English
Subtitles: Hard of hearing English, Czech, Danish, Finnish,
Hungarian, Icelandic, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese,
Swedish.
Escape from Planet of the Apes:
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 anamorphic 16:9
Sound: 2.0 Mono
Cast Page
Original Theatrical Trailers
Language: English
Subtitles: Hard of hearing English, Czech, Danish, Finnish,
Hungarian, Icelandic, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese,
Swedish
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes:
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 anamorphic 16:9
Sound: 2.0 Surround
Original Theatrical Trailers
Cast Page
Language: English
Subtitles: Hard of hearing English, Czech, Danish, Finnish,
Hungarian, Icelandic, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese,
Swedish
Battle for the Planet of the Apes:
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 anamorphic 16:9
Sound: 2.0 Surround
Original Theatrical Trailers
Cast Page
Language: English
Subtitles: Hard of hearing English, Czech, Danish, Finnish,
Hungarian, Icelandic, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese,
Swedish
Behind the Planet of the Apes: (two-hour documentary disc) Aspect
ratio:1.33:1 (4:3)
Sound: 2.0 Stereo
TV Spots
Original Theatrical Trailers
Language: English
Subtitles: Hard of hearing English, Czech, Danish, Finnish,
Hungarian, Icelandic, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese,
Swedish
.co.uk Review
-------------
The five films in the Planet of the Apes series are enjoyable as
pure entertainment and yet substantial enough to have inspired
academic studies about the film's broader political themes.
Loosely adapted from the novel (
/exec/obidos/ASIN/014118681X/${0} ) by French author Pierre
Boulle, Planet of the Apes was released at the height of racial
and political unrest in America, adding resonance to its story of
a NASA astronaut (Charlton Heston) stranded on a planet where
superior apes dominate inferior human slaves. The film's final
image--in which a horrified Heston realises the e of
humankind--remains one of the most indelible in all of
science-fiction cinema.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) continues the original's
distant future scenario, pitting militant apes against mutant
humans dwelling in the subterranean ruins of New York City. Its
phenomenal success spawned Escape from the Planet of the Apes
(1971), in which simian scientists Cornelius and Zira (Roddy
McDowall and Kim Hunter, reprising their roles from Planet)
travel backward in time, setting the stage for the ape supremacy
of the first two films. McDowall returned in Conquest of the
Planet of the Apes (1972) as Caesar, the son of Cornelius,
leading an ape revolution that bridges the historical gap of the
previous films. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) ended
the five-film cycle with McDowall again playing the chimpanzee
leader Caesar, defeating gorillas and human mutants to establish
the hierarchy introduced in the original film.
The Apes films present a classic what-if scenario that hasn't
lost a bit of its potency. As if to prove its cultural endurance,
the cycle returned to its origins with director Tim Burton's
remake of Planet of the Apes in 2001. --Jeff Shannon, .com
On the DVD: A glorious indulgence for diehard fans of the series,
this handsomely packaged six-disc set contains all five original"
Apes" movies, from the wonderful 1967 original to 1973's
low-budget Battle. It all look as good as possible in widescreen
anamorphic transfers, the first movie's starkly wonderful
cinematography in particular is a treat to see on DVD. Planet has
been remixed in vivid Dolby 5.1, highlighting the bold sound
design and JerryGoldsmith's masterful avant-garde score. The
others are good Dolby stereo, with the odd exception of Escape,
which is mono. There are trailers on each disc, but no
commentaries sadly. The sixth bonus disc consists of a relatively
new two-hour documentary hosted by Roddy McDowall which takes us
through the entire saga in detail, pointing out the series'
daring social commentary and the increasing difficulties of
working with progressively smaller budgets. Sensibly, the
documentary spends about an hour on the first movie and then an
hour discussing all the rest. Overall, this is a very attractive
package. --Mark Walker