Whew! The last time I sent a message to the group it seemed like the
last one. People were bailing and my e-mail didn't even promptly return to
me . I thought for sure they had decided to just close shop. What Arthur
Jacobs hath wrought let "JAG" not split asunder.
Here's where I play catch-up with the e-mails. I may not be around
regularly but I like to stay involved when I can and I suggest you do too.
THE REMAKE:
a) The Overabundance of Species: I've heard nothing but negative remarks
about supposed plans to expand the population to include baboons, monkeys,
Spike Jonze, etc. I agree on this (if it's true). It seems like a fine line
of believability we're treading and the new arrivals will make it even
harder to swallow. One could even question the originals: why are all three
ape species intelligent instead of just one? "Ape" is Man's term, not
Nature's. Scientists tell us that chimps and bonobos are closer to us than
they are to gorillas and orangutans. Certainly nuclear radiation wouldn't
differentiate: "You're an APE, come with me, now you're intelligent". If we
accept my hypothesis that genetic tampering by Man in the future created the
planet of apes it might work. Man-made catagories. But then we could also
accept Burton's premise. Man experimented on monkeys first, then apes. But
for the film I think would be unnecissary complication and place strain on
the premise.
It's the same trap all FX pictures have these days (which is coinciding
with the Age of Remakes). Just because we can do something doesn't mean we
have to. I think all those extras would just be cameos anyway, "Look,
there's a baboon! How clever..." It's like a ride at Disneyland, but strains
credibility. I'm reminded of that Marlon Brando "Dr. Moreau" remake.
Remember, they even had those pissy rats or mice or whatever they were? But
this brings me to point two...
b) The Burton Factor: One of the things I've always enjoyed about POTA
was that it seemed a solid science-fiction premise. I've never been able to
buy into the idea of the universe being overrun with alien races a la "Star
Trek", "Star Wars", "X-Files", X-cetera. I can enjoy them, but they never
hit me the same way "Apes" did. "Apes" kept things simple: space travel is
possible, apes exist, nuclear war could upset things, time travel and
alternate timelines are scientific disciplines. Maybe it doesn't stand up to
microscopic scrutiny, but as a film experience "Apes" seems believable (to
me). Now, the last thing Burton's films are is believable. They're fun and
exotic and I love them but they are definitely fantasy worlds. I read a
quote where Burton called "Apes" a "folktale" and I think that's the
direction he'll take it. Discard the idea of a solid science fiction
adventure and look to what Burton brings to the table. For those interested
in the topic, I recommend a 1999 book called "Tim Burton" by Ken Hanke.
Burton reportedly didn't like it but it's a solidly written analysis of his
films, his themes and his obsessions. Hanke says that "if there is one thing
Burton knows how to do, it is to make myths". Everyone is trying to fit
this new movie within the confines of the original and I don't think it's
going to fit. Even though I think that casting " synopsis" from a while back
is bogus (with all the secrecy do you really think they would give away the
plot in a casting notice?) I don't think the idea of a princess is too far
off the mark. Burton always treats his source material with reverence
("Batman", "Sleepy Hollow", even "Mars Attacks") but takes it in new
directions at the same time. One thing I loved about the original "Apes"
films is that they kept the audience off balance as far as what was going to
happen. At the very least I think that's what Burton will do. Speaking of
which. . .
c) The Status Quo: I was going to mention the Michael Clarke Duncan quotes
in "Entertainment Weekly" but someone beat me to it. What hasn't been noted
is that he says Tim Roth plays a chimp. Well, Roth is the lead villain of
the piece. A chimp bad guy? And Duncan reportedly plays a gorilla warrior
who has a change of heart. A good gorilla? What kind of upside down planet
is this? One bone I've always picked with the originals is that the chimps
were always the heroes and the gorillas were always the baddies. Burton
seems to be shaking things up in that direction and I'm all for it. See? A
change that directly relates to the originals. Burton has done his homework.
But in the minus column. . .
d) What the Hell?!!: The writers of "Mighty Joe Young"? I'd heard William
Broyles script was being rewritten, so maybe it's true. But "Mighty Joe
Young" (the remake) was a piece of saccharine shit! Ironically, Rick Baker
was in top form creating the title character and he didn't like the final
film either. What about Broyles' script? From what I've heard, it was
fantastic. Bill Mechanic said Broyles was "passionate" about the concept.
According to the Sci-Fi Channel magazine, Broyle's script was the culprit
for that roll in the hay between Wahlberg and her royal highness so maybe
they're writing the romance OUT. All I know is the script better be good or
all this talk about baboons and princesses and "folktales" won't matter
much.
DVDelightful! : I finally got a DVD player ($108 ; I got an
off-brand - - - Apex, and I blotted out the x - - - and it was a floor
model). I inaugurated it with the "Apes" box set. Though I too was
disappointed by the lack of extras, once you start playing them it doesn't
seem to matter. It's pure heaven! And to have the documentary in such a
sturdy format is priceless. I also got the T2 set (that Alex recommended)
and the "Rocky Horror" special ed. and I'm pleased with those, too. I
haven't bought enough discs yet to make a bad choice. One disc I want to get
is "Twilight Zone" Vol. 24, which has a Roddy episode and a 1 hour Natalie
Trundy episode - - - on the same disc! Did anyone notice that the chapter
stops in the "Planet" booklet are actually "Beneath"'s?
TV SHOW: This e-group always seems to get back to the TV show. We may gri
pe about it but it's obvious the fans have a soft spot for it. My faves:
1) "The Legacy": It's got it all: the city, Urko vs. Zauis,
romance, even a taste of the final days of humanity. I liked the depiction
of the struggle for survival in the city, kinda echoes the Nazi treatment of
the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. I love Galen's line: "Could Man ever have
known so much and done so little with it?"
2) "The Tyrant": I loved the portrayal of Aborro, for once a
gorilla not slavishly devoted to the status quo (as I mentioned above about
Burton). Yeah, he's a villain but he's motivated by greed, not racism. Urko
also received more shading in this episode. And the episode wasn't
predictable because they introduced us to some human characters and, instead
of making them the subject of the episode , it provided a patented POTA
twist that spun things in a different direction.
3) "The Gladiators": Kinda message-heavy, but I liked how they
developed the value system of the village and the tension between the father
and son. The arena stuff was kinda unique for this series and I just plain
enjoyed the performances of the actors.
As to some of the other stuff mentioned about the series:
I did an interview with Ron Harper a while back where he talked about why
they dropped the idea of his family back home. I think it had something to
do with "The Legacy". I'll have to dig that up. But the picture Virdon
carries is Ron's real wife (at the time). As for continuity (they got shot
in a previous episode, why don't they mention it in this one?), that's just
standard for TV shows. Self-containment makes it easier to rerun them.
There's no reason to expect "Apes" to be different. In the '90's and beyond,
shows have made continuity a priority ("X-Files", "Babylon 5", etc.) but
that wasn't so in the '70's , even for the almighty "Star Trek". Say what
you will about the "Return to the POTA" cartoon, but I enjoyed that it had a
somewhat continuing storyline. I would have appreciated it in the
live-action gig. Why is Central City always so close (and why do they keep
going back)? I guess we have to assume when the City is a factor , that
episode takes place near it , and when they don't go to Central City, they
are in the sticks. Obviously they keep going back to rescue each other.
Friendship and looking out for each other is what keeps them going,
otherwise they'd go insane (it's a war buddy kind of thing). Dogs???? I
don't buy the idea that a plague wiped them all out ( only men could be so
thorough). Certainly it could have curtailed them enough to tell the story,
but by the TV show they've made a comeback. There isn't exacly a ton of them
in the series, just one. The disc? Virdon probably lost it for good
somewhere.
Finally, my thanks to Ross/Dr. Milo for his kind words about my e-mails.
How do I know so much? How do I know all these people? I don't really. I
just keep my eyes peeled and my ears tuned. Actually, I'm learning alot from
this e-group. It's nice to have a place that brings together news from all
the different sources.
Other than that, I've just been at it a long time. Terry Hoknes started
the International "Planet of the Apes" Fan Club in 1991 and I was right
there from the beginning. Back then a new "Apes" movie was a possibility but
it probably would have been low budget by a guy named Adam Rifkin. The big
thing was that new "Ape" comic books were being published and fandom was
starting to stir after a 15 year slumber. We couldn't foresee the road our
favorite simians would take over the next decade or that our interest would
last more than a year or two.
Over the course of the '90's things just kinda unfolded. In the beginning
I was content to just draw cartoons for the "Ape Chronicles" publication,
but over time I started coming up with article ideas that interested me. We
published Part One of a chronology I did, and an article about POTA's 1968
"blood brother" "2001: A Space Odyssey", an issue where I ranked the TV show
episodes, some other odds and ends I did. But most of my stuff hasn't been
published yet. I've got boxes of research, interviews, some really good
stuff that's accumulated. My goal is to finally put it all down in "Ape
Chronicles" this year and next (the year of the new "Ape" movie and our 10th
Anniversary). Not just about POTA itself, but about the scientific aspects,
the culture of the '60's that spawned the apes (I started that when Oliver
Stone was King Ape), science fiction itself. I love to find connections and
irony in the world, it restores my faith in God and that He/She/It has a
sense of humor. For example, I've been trying to catch up on some of the
films that feature the new "Ape" cast. Paul Giamatti, who's been cast as the
"sidekick" character, has already been in a remake of an Arthur Jacobs film,
the Eddie Murphy version of "Dr. Dolittle" (he actually played Dolittle's
doctor). A couple days ago I rewatched "Saving Private Ryan", in which Tom
Hanks, mocking Nazi propaganda, informs Giamatti's character "'The Statue of
Liberty is kaput!' That's very disconcerting". I love shit like that.
Through the fan club (and my residence in California) I've been lucky, but
it's also taken a certain commitment. I was contacted by Eric Greene while
he was researching his book (we compared our '60's notes) and in 1996 I
helped him out with some book signings, where I met alot of "Ape"
personalities (William Creber, Bobby Porter , Austin Stoker, Booth Colman,
Buck Kartalian, among others). Significantly, I also met Bill Blake and he
made me up as an ape for a Greene signing. Another thread was through a fan
club member, who introduced me to Scott Essman in '97. Scott was in the
midst of producing his famed John Chambers tribute and I got invited to
that. The next year Scott asked me to design John's birthday cake, which was
presented to him by Mr. Brian Penikas. Mr. Greene mentioned me at the Van
Ness Films office and John Murphy gave me a call during researchof the
"Behind the POTA" doc. When I learned of the 30th Anniversary party I
called Mr. Murphy and he got me in as a journalist (hee hee hee!). That was
wonderful but I also met Natalie Trundy that night and she invited me to her
house for an interview. I was so nervous ( this was Mrs. Arthur P.
Jacobs!!!) that it took me 6 months to take her up on it. But I did and we
clicked and became close friends. Through her I've had even MORE great
memories: hanging out with Apemania when they promoted the new "Apes"
computer game; visiting Charlton Heston and Linda Harrison during a signing
last April (Natalie joined them and made fans happy with an unexpected third
signature);getting to see Natalie's Archives trading card long before the
set was announced. I've stayed good pals with Bill Blake. Bill filmed
Natalie in the "Conquest" makeup room 30 years ago his footage is seen in
the "Apes" documentary DVD and I got to reintroduce both of them. I took
them both to visit John Chambers (Bill's mentor), yet another surreal day.
Eric Greene introduced me to a musician named Matt Stein, who created a band
called "Ape Has Killed Ape". We've had some concerts with Bill in ape makeup
and Natalie on the maracas (I shit you not!). I've been involved with Luiz
Adami's publishing projects in Brazil, and he visited California and took
part in this madness. And that's just off the top of my head. In the last
decade "Planet of the Apes" has given me so much in terms of the people I've
known, the sense of connectedness I've found in the world through my
research and the validation in seeing something I cherished and felt was
undervalued move back into the forefront of the culture. What a long strange
trip it's been.
- - -
- Jeff Krueger
Oh my God! What am I saying ?! I'd better delete this thing before....
Ooops! Nooooooo!
----- Original Message -----
From: <Pterosaur3@...>
To: <POTA@egroups.com>
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2000 7:20 PM
Subject: [pota] Happy Halloween...carving
> Thought you all might like this, Took me forever...Thanks Rob
>
>
>
>
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