Monkey Business

I watched the new movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes last night.....okay so it isn't so new, but I never had the chance to go see it at the theatre so I have been waiting for it on DVD. I was a huge fan of the original show and to some extent those weird sequels afterwards. Hey it is talking monkeys and I was a kid....what could be better.  I had noticed several elements in the newest movie that reflect back on the first ones. So of course I googled the comparisons and sure enough there was a list....far more than I had imagined. Some I saw, other I didn't see right off. I have shared the list.

1. Will Rodman: Franco’s character’s name, is an amalgamation of the names of the screenwriters for the 1968 film, “Twilight Zone” icon Rod Serling (whose full name was Rodman) and Michael Wilson.

2. Caesar: The name of the lead ape in “Rise,” played by Serkis, was the name of the chimp played by Roddy McDowall who leads the ape revolution in 1972′s “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.”

3. ALZ 112: The breakthrough Alzheimer’s treatment Rodman creates is a timely nod to the past — 112 minutes is the running time for the original film.

 

4. Icarus: A TV newscast playing in the background references the space mission “Icarus, lead by George Taylor,” and a newspaper shown in the third act reveals the vessel has been lost in space. Icarus was the name of the spaceship that crashes on the “Planet of the Apes” in the original film, and  Heston’s character name was George Taylor.

5. Dodge Landon: The cruel ape tender played by Hogwarts alumnus Tom Felton is named after Dodge, who was a crew member aboard the Icarus and played by Jeff Burton.

6. John Landon: Brian Cox plays the dark-spirited owner of a primate house and the father of Felton’s malicious character. Their last name, Landon, is the name of the Icarus crew member played by Robert Gunner in the classic film.

7. Maurice: The name of the orangutan who befriends Caesar in the new film is a nod to actor Maurice Evans,  who played the orangutan Dr. Zaius in the vintage films.

8. Saddle up: The scene where Caesar emerges from swirling fog astride a mounted policeman’s horse is a nod to the signature early moment in the first film when Heston is shocked to see an ape wearing clothes and riding on horseback.

9.  Buck: The big gorilla’s name is a nod to actor Buck Kartalian, the former pro wrestler who played Julius in the classic.

10. Nova’s Café:  The coffee shop in the lobby of the biomedical company Gen-Sys is named after Linda Harrison’s character, Nova, who becomes the mate of Heston’s character and appeared in the first two “Apes” films.

11. The Golden Gate Bridge: The scene evokes the scene in “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes” when apes charge across a bridge in the climax of the 1972 film. 

12. Rocket: The mean ape who makes peace with Caesar after a cookie moment gets his name from Norman Rockett, a set decorator on the 1968 movie.

13. No means no:  Caesar’s powerfully enunciated “No!” is a major moment in the new film and ties back into “Escape from the Planet of the Apes” when Cornelius explains that the ascent and revolt by his species began when an ape first uttered the word “No” to protest the human treatment of his kind.    

14. Cornelia: The name of another ape in the new movie, Cornelia, is a nod to McDowall’s role as Cornelius in the original film.

 

15. Jacobs: David Oyelowo plays the mercenary bio-med executive Steven Jacobs in the new film. The character’s name (which is written on a board by one of the chimps at one point in the film) is a tribute to Arthur P. Jacobs, who produced the “Apes” films in the 1960s and 1970s. Jacobs, who had heart problems, died at age 51 in 1973 not long after the fourth sequel was released.

16.  Hosed: When Dodge blasts Caesar with a water hose, it’s a nod to Heston’s character being hosed in the ’68 film — which in turn was a reference to police attacking civil rights demonstrators in the real world.

17. Bright Eyes: In the original film, it’s the nickname given to Heston’s character by the ape scientist Zira. In the new film, it’s the nickname given to the intellect-accelerated ape who gives birth to Caesar.  

18. Statue of Liberty: Before he attacks a neighbor, Caesar is constructing a model of the Statue of Liberty in his suburban San Francisco home. It is, of course, the sight of that statue demolished on a beach that reveals the true setting of the 1968 film is actually far-future Earth.

19. Linda: The lab assistant named Linda in the new film is another nod to Harrison, who played Nova in the vintage movies.

20. Franklin: Taylor Labine plays Robert Franklin, a heartfelt lab worker who is destined to play an ominous role in human history. The character’s name acknowledges Frankin Schaffner, who directed the 1968 “Apes” movie and went on to direct “Patton,” “Papillon” and “The Boys from Brazil.”
  
21. Had to say it: Felton’s character, Dodge, gets the honor or delivering two of Heston’s most memorable lines from the 1968 film: “It’s a madhouse! A madhouse!” and “Take your stinkin’ paw off me you damn dirty ape!”

I know the remake with mark Wahlberg was very much a downer once it came out.  I was worried that this movie would be as well.  However not so.....but, I still love the line said by Charlton Heston as he played an old ape....."Take your stinkin' hands off of me you damn dirty human!"

Classic.......so there is the movie quiz for you my friends.....GO APE!