Planet of the Apes: An Unofficial Companion

by David Hofstede

Released in 1967, Planet of the Apes was a top-ten box-office hit that captivated audiences with its provocative vision of the future. Over the next decade it spawned four sequels, a television series, an animated series, two comic books, and hundreds of merchandise tie-ins. To some, the Apes projects were a campy, sci-fi blast, with colourful characters and delightfully over-the-top performances. But others took the stories more seriously, as allegories on man`s struggles with such issues as race, intolerance, and protecting of the environment. Though there hasn`t been a new Apes movie since 1974, the popularity of the original films and TV series has endured and, if anything, expanded in the interim. When director Tim Burton`s remake of the original Planet of the Apes is released in the summer of 2001, interest in the phenomenon is certain to be rekindled on a prodigious scale. Planet of the An Unauthorized History is a comprehensive look at all aspects of Planet of the Apes, featuring interviews, reviews, complete cast and credit information, and a behind-the-scenes look at what made this quirky science-fiction series an enduring classic.

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Temple Dog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for Planet of the Apes fans. Hofstede takes the reader from the origins of Pierre Boulle's book La Planete Des Singes up to Tim Burton's ill-fated, Mark Wahlberg helmed remake.
As a fan of both the Chuck Heston helmed film and Roddy McDowall staring TV series, this is book to geek out on.

Hofstede is clearly a fan. He includes ardent fans' stories and they are amusing yet slightly cringy. But, a nice inclusion.

The highlight for me was the shout out to BJ and the Bear in his monkey's everywhere section. It’s a TV series about a trucker and a chimp.

It's a fun distraction for anyone who loves the series. I hope he does a follow-up to include the latest film series. It's opened the simian world to a whole new audience.

TD recommends.

[Stuart Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very much a perfunctory effort. It starts off well enough with an introduction to the background to the film, the original novel by Pierre Boulle. I found it quite interesting that Boulle considered it one of his lesser works yet it is one of his best known, partially no doubt due to the film and tv series spin-offs.

Following that there is a section on the movies, tv series and animated tv series, which I was previously unaware of. It is very much in the format of an episode guide with production details such as cast listings, directors and trivia, and it is adequate enough although lacking any real depth.

It was after this section that the book becomes rather dull with chapters on merchandising, other films featuring apes and references to the ape movies in popular culture. The merchandising section is basically a listing of manufacturers and products which are only given the most basic of descriptions. It could have been much improved if there were any illustrations or photographs to give the reader an idea of what these products were actually like. It would also have been nice to have had some discussion as to how successful each item was commercially. The 'apes movies' section just felt like pointless filler and the references to the movies in other culture included pretty irrelevant stuff like 'in movie X someone is seen wearing a Planet of the Apes T-shirt'.

Worth a look for the stronger material but don't expect too much.

[Phobos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad companion to the 'Apes' movies but it gets into the nitty gritty a bit much to stretch out the length of the book. The book spends a few chapters on the original movie, then moves on to the lesser sequels, TV show and cartoon. A summary of each episode of the TV show and cartoon is given. It's interesting, I've never seen the cartoon show so it's kind of unique material. What isn't unique is a listing of all the references made to Planet of the Apes in popular culture. What is this, Wikipedia? The book is also a bit dated since it continually talks about the upcoming Burton Planet of the Apes. It doesn't review the awful movie however and only gives a few quotes by fans who hope the movie will be as good as the original movies. (It was horrible).

A listing is given for most of the actors who appeared in the original movies and TV show. Many of them have since died including Heston. At least we won't have to hear him yell "FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!"

[Holger Haase · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Planet of the Apes franchise, at least the classic ones. The first film is one of my absolute favourites and I never tire of it.

This book was published shortly before the Tim Burton version came out, full of hopes for this revamp. (Yeah, we know where this went.)

It's a quick read. First 100 pages a good overview over all the classic films and TV series incl episode by episode run down. The last 50 pages not that essential, more of a compilation of lists of memorabilia and PotA references in other flicks, interviews with fellow fans etc.

Overall definitely a worthwhile addition to the PotA shelves if you manage to get a cheap version second hand like I did.

[Jorge A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was always a fan of the Planet of the Apes series and reading through this Unofficial Companion sure made it quite interesting how the classic movie series came to be and what it eventually spawned! Awesome! Great read! :-)