Trump Era Politics and The Planet of the Apes
Someone at Cinemax is a genius, a programming genius.
Like most sentient people on this planet, I’ve spent the last 48 hours trying like hell to be productive and carry on as though American Democracy and human decency doesn’t hang in the balance. Organizing kitchen cabinets, long strolls through used books stores, catching up with friends, and of course, movies. Lots and lots of movies.
Yesterday I scrolled through the options and landed on The Planet of the Apes (Schaffner 1968). A film I’ve known since childhood, I’ve seen it many times but not recently. I think we can all understand why Aaron Sorkin’s The Trail of the Chicago 7 (2020) carries an important message for where we find ourselves right now, but I never expected to find the Trump Era, Liberal vs. Conservative politics and the dangers of ignoring the health of our planet in this gem from that pivotal year, 1968. It’s all right there.
The Bad Guys Are Orange
Dr. Ziaus, at times more Trump than Trump. And that’s saying something.
Liberal vs. Conservative
The main character, Taylor, played by Charlton Heston (who I will never forgive for bringing the NRA to Denver 10 days after Columbine) constantly espouses liberal ideas: from environmental causes, to ‘keeping your neighbor’s children from starving’ and championing science over scripture.
The War on Science
Taylor is put in opposition to conservatives who are all not only orange, quite literally the orangutans, but discredit science at every opportunity. And like Trump’s admission to Bob Woodward regarding Covid 19, Dr. Zaius chooses to ignore the evidence right in front of him and arrests scientists for telling the truth. He’d rather propagate a falsehood that keeps him in power — sound familiar? The society of Apes refuse to believe what they see right in front of them and prefer to retreat to their comfortable, conservative caves.
Oh! And just to make sure the message is crystal clear — the Apes live in actual caves. The humans or liberals in this narrative live in the verdant jungles like Adam & Eve.
Censorship and Free Speech
Taylor is wounded in the neck and ca not speak. His message is censored, he is robbed of free speech. He later regains his ability to speak, but he is still discredited by those in power. The other Apes will not concede that he has intelligence and ignore the evidence they have witnessed firsthand. Sounds a lot like a Trump supporter, no? The censorship goes a step further when his crew mates are found, one stuffed and displayed in a diorama, the other lobotomized. Horrifying visuals, the message not at all subtle.
There’s more allegory here, a lot more. This film is drowning in it. And as we sit and wait for the Nevada to count its votes and bring Biden to the magic 270 — we all choose our own best way to pass the time. Films, the good ones, are rorschach tests — a magic mirror held up to the viewer who sees what they wish. The Planet of the Apes was then and now, a cautionary tale. Apparently we didn’t learn the lesson the first time around.
We’ve created quite an upside down world ourselves, with half the country voting to keep in power a lying, sexual predator who mocks war heroes and the disabled. As always art imitates life. We are indeed, living in a madhouse.
