Planet of the Apes: Re-Imagined by Tim Burton

by Mark Salisbury, Tim Burton

With over 200 photographs, drawings, storyboards, and the complete screenplay, a magnificent visual book on Twentieth Century Fox's Planet of the Apes , as reimagined by visionary director Tim Burton ( Sleepy Hollow , Edward Scissorhands , Beetlejuice , Batman ). The original 1968 Planet of the Apes starring Charlton Heston spawned a worldwide cult of devoted fans, along with four movie sequels, two TV series, and over $100 million in merchandise sales. This Planet of the Apes tells an all-new story (with echoes of the original), brought up to date by today's most acclaimed creator of cinematic worlds and a state-of-the-art production team. This book reveals the brilliant filmcraft—from preliminary production designs and character sketches to fully realized scenic art and blueprints, and the final sets and action as photographed. The complete screenplay is included, as well as details of the production from casting to post, glimpses behind the creation of the thrilling action and special effects, and insights into Tim Burton's envisioning of this classic story. Over 200 color illustrations.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published July 23, 2001

Reviews

[Francine · Rating 3 out of 5]

About a decade ago, I wrote an essay at uni comparing the Burton remake to the original 1968 Planet of the Apes. That was a fun essay to write. I already owned this book back then, though I never took the time to read it cover to cover - but look at me now!

This was an alright read.

It reads a lot like a series of magazine interviews, like from SFX or Empire, or like a DVD extra; that's not a bad thing per se, because it reads fine, but it doesn't really elevate the material. It's also a bit dated: my first edition doesn't include the ending, because the crew were so deathly afraid of spoilers that they didn't want to put it in the book. Bit of a letdown.

Another thing that bugged me a bit was just how much this book stroked Tim Burton's ego. He's a creative genius, a visionary, a great director and funny to boot - we get it. They mention it so many times that it starts feeling disgenuine. Maybe he's a great guy, I don't know him. But this book coulda done with a bit more "show don't tell" when it comes to that.

I think my favourite parts of this book were about the ape make-up and the costumes, although I feel they coulda gone a bit more in-depth with the latter. The locations were cool as well, but I would have liked to see more photos. I guess what I really wanted was an artbook, with pre-production sketches and photos showcasing the finished costumes.

This book's going to a secondhand shop. Hopin' someone else gets more out of it than I do.

[Kxv]

Entretenido repaso a algunos de los hitos y personajes más destacados de la traición chilena a la Corona española y posterior independencia. Especialmente destacables los capítulos destinados a la figura de Ramón Freire y Lord Cochrane (a modo de simuladas entrevistas), a la muerte de Manuel Rodríguez y a los "antipatriotas", useasé, los realistas. Notables por los datos, la investigación, la original estructura narrativa y el gusto por la buena escritura. Algo más extraño es el recuento de los últimos días de Mateo de Toro y Zambrano y, decididamente enrevesados y sobreestimados los episodios del "Scorpion" y la aventura bandidesca en Baja California. En todo caso, un buen ejemplo de lo que deberían ser los libros de historia divulgativa: amenos, interesantes, sorprendentes. Tras "Bernardo" (biografía de O'Higgins a la que hincaré el diente más pronto que tarde), Alfredo Sepúlveda amenaza con convertirse en un "must read". Le seguiremos de cerca.