Author: Pierre Boulle
Planet of the Apes was written by Pierre Boulle and published in 1963 in French as La Planète des singes which translates into Monkey Planet. Mr. Boulle also penned The Bridge over the River Kwai. Pierre Boulle’s biography is as interesting as his novels.
According to Wikipedia, at the outbreak of World War II, Boulle enlisted with the French army in French Indochina. After German troops occupied France, he joined the Free French Mission in Singapore. Boulle served as a secret agent under the name Peter John Rule and helped the resistance movement in China, Burma, and French Indochina. In 1943, he was captured by the Vichy France loyalists on the Mekong River and was subjected to severe hardship and forced labor. He was later made a chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur and decorated with the Croix de Guerre and the Médaille de la Résistance. After the war, Boulle used his war experiences in writing Le Pont de la rivière Kwaï (1952; The Bridge over the River Kwai), which became a multi-million-copy worldwide bestseller, winning the French "Prix Sainte-Beuve".
In 1963, following several other reasonably successful novels, Pierre Boulle published his other famous novel, La Planète des singes (Planet of the Apes). The novel was highly praised and made into a successful movie. He also wrote a sequel script for the film titled Planet of the Men. The producers of the original film turned his script down and named the second film, Beneath the Planet of the Apes. This sequel, which was released in 1970, was also very successful. This film was followed by Escape from the Planet of the Apes in 1971. Then came Conquest of the Planet of the Apes in 1972. The last of the sequels was Battle for the Planet of the Apes in 1973. Pierre Boulle died in Paris, France on January, 30 1994, at age 82.
Summary
One of my favorite Sci-fi movies of all time is Planet of the Apes (1968 version) and I like most of the subsequent movies that followed. But, Planet of the Apes is still in my top five best Sci-fi movies. I even enjoyed 2001 remake even though it lack the social drama of the original. While watching Planet of the Apes (1968 version) again over the New Years Holiday I decided to track down the original novel and see which movie followed the original source more closely. Both the original movie and the remake take ideas from the novel but the novel goes in many different directions than either movie dared to.
In the novel, it is the year 2500 and 3 men head off into space towards a super-gigantic star named Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse is sun that is three to four times greater than our sun. According to the novel the sun is three hundred light years away and with a discovery of a new drive system it will take 2 years of travel time but 350 years will pass on Earth. So a round from the Earth to Betelgeuse and back, almost 800 years would have passed away on Earth. This pretty typical of 1960’s Sci-fi.
The novel follows a journalist by the name of Ulysse Merou. When they reach Betelgeuse they discover a planet that is eerily similar to Earth and name it Soror, which is Latin for Sister. The next parts are similar to the 1968 Movie. The explorers discover humans that are closer to animals in their mentalities and social interactions. The humans have no ability to speak or reason and just exist day to day. Ulysse becomes attracted to one of the females and names her Nova. Soon after, the human tribe and Ulysse are rounded up and captured by Apes. Not just any Apes, but Apes that have all the same abilities that humans did on Earth. It is a world turned upside down.
Here is where is novel diverges from either movie. Yes, all your favorite Apes are well represented. Zira is the understanding scientist with a big heart. Dr. Zaius is old guard scientist who can’t overcome his prejudices towards human. The only character that is somewhat different is Cornelius. He is portrayed as new generation of forward thinking scientist but becomes afraid when he discovers the truth behind Ape evolution. He also has ambition with regards to his career which causes him to do some unscrupulous things.
The big change in the novel is the Ape society. They are much more advanced than either movie portrays. They are at the 1960’s technology level, Apes drive cars, live in residences and have even sent a satellite into orbit (with a human as pilot). Ulysse is put into a cage and is studied by the Ape scientists. Through a daring plan he does win his freedom and is allowed to live as an equal member of Ape society for a time. Eventually, Dr. Zaius and his views towards humans win the day among the other Ape citizens and they become distrustful of humans. Ulysse and Nova are forced to flee the planet in an ingenious ploy.
Ulysse and Nova return to Earth some 800 years later only to discover a big surprise. Think of the 2001 remake ending rather than the 1968 ending. There is also another semi-surprise at the end, but you will need to read the novel to discover this for yourself.
What I liked:
I really like old school Sci-fi novels. The lesson behind the novel is usually more important that many other elements, such as character development, dialogue, etc. Mr. Boulle wrote this novel as a comment upon modern society, a sort of role reversal or how a person’s viewpoint changes when standing in someone else’s shoes. This is what Sci-fi does best, makes you think and challenges your beliefs in an entertaining manner. No other genre does it better.
What I didn’t like:
The novel is far from prefect. At times it is choppy and uneven in its story telling.
Last word:
This novel spawned one of the greats of Sci-fi entertainment that has earned the right to be considered a classic.
My Rating
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