Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

"All new! The revolt of the apes. The most awesome spectacle in the annals of science fiction!"

1972 1h 28m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

52%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 1,134🥫52%Rotten Tomatoes●49Metacritic★6.1IMDB · 40,071

ActionScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, a chimpanzee named Caesar resurfaces after almost twenty years of hiding from the authorities, and prepares for a revolt against humanity.

“All new! The revolt of the apes. The most awesome spectacle in the annals of science fiction!”

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Cast

Roddy McDowall
Caesar
Don Murray
Breck
Ricardo Montalban
Armando
Hari Rhodes
MacDonald
Severn Darden
Kolp
Lou Wagner
Busboy
Natalie Trundy
Lisa
John Randolph
Commission Chairman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: J. Lee Thompson
Writers: Paul Dehn
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Planet of the Apes (Original) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by J. Lee Thompson, shot by Bruce Surtees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tom Scott. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marjorie Fowler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

J. Lee Thompson directs. Bruce Surtees behind the camera. Tom Scott scores. Marjorie Fowler cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $1.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Made its money back 5.7× over at the box office.
454 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
5Part of the "Planet of the Apes (Original) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by J. Lee Thompson, shot by Bruce Surtees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Tom Scott. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Marjorie Fowler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Roddy McDowall and Don Murray and Ricardo Montalban carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "All new! The revolt of the apes. The most awesome spectacle in the annals of science fiction!".
11IMDB entry: tt0068408 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Bruce Surtees
Original score: Tom Scott
Editing: Marjorie Fowler
Production design: Philip M. Jefferies
Costume design: Morton Haack
Makeup / hair: Jan Van Uchelen
Stunt coordinator: Paul Stader
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,700,000
Box office: $9,700,000
Return: 571% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
Rotten Tomatoes: 52% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 49/100
IMDB rating: 6.1/10 · 40,071 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

1 nomination total

Part of

Planet of the Apes (Original) Collection

The original 5 classic films collection.

Also by

J. Lee Thompson

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Al Jolson2017-07-28
★ 8/10
A few guys in rubber masks throwing some chairs around does not make a global conquest. I understand the budgetary restraints but come on. Twenty guys running amok with a chair leg is way to weak. The poster exclaims a spectacle like never before witnessed and what do we get? A small crowd of men in boiler suits wielding a cabbage at the authorities. I swear one of the Apes even threw a comb at a policeman. A shame the budget wasn't there as the cheapness really restricted the promise.
r96sk2022-02-27
★ 7/10
<em>'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'</em> is the weakest of the first four films. It's watchable, still. It shares similarities to <em>'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'</em> from the rebooted 2010s series, though it isn't quite as entertaining or convincing. Serviceable it is, however. Roddy McDowall stays in the franchise, but as a different character in Caesar. McDowall is the clear standout from the cast, the rest of whom are solid if forgettable. I found the real world parallels a bit too forced in this one, while the long speeches near the end feel over the top. For the early 1970s, though, the look of the film remains pleasant - I do like watching these films, after all this is - in my opinion - still a passable flick; if indeed the weakest so far.
CinemaSerf2023-06-08
★ 6/10
Last year, "Cornelius" and "Zira" were back in the 1970s. Now we scoot forward a few millennia and find that the Simian flu has robbed humankind of it's pets. Always in need of something to feed, comb and to take for walks, we have decided to domesticate chimps. The thing is, though, that this plan has started to spiral out of control. The animals have had just about enough of being the substitutes for our erstwhile four legged friends and are beginning to smell freedom. The governor "Brock" (Don Murray) is determined to beat down any rebellion, but hasn't factored in the appearance of "Caesar" (Roddy McDowall playing his own son!) who is the one who could make all the difference - he can talk, after all. Pursued, tortured and enslaved he must escape and rally his kind in their pursuit of freedom. This is quite a decent story because we have plenty of action and we have a baddie to focus on. For that, Murray is quite efficient at garnering our loathing as a typically megalomaniac politician. Ricardo Montalban carries through his role as circus owner "Armando" but frankly adds little to the theme that bubbles along nicely towards a denouement that shows that these former slaves are quite adept with a blow torch - who knew? It's all familiar now, and that allows us to just get on with this latest episode in a perfectly watchable season of movies.