Beneath the Planet of the Apes
The sole survivor of an interplanetary rescue mission searches for the only survivor of the previous expedition. He discovers a planet ruled by apes and an underground city run by telekinetic humans.
- Director: Ted Post
- Genre:Action / Drama / Sci-Fi
- Runtime:95 minutes
Cast
James Franciscus: Brent
Kim Hunter : Zira
Maurice Evans : Dr. Zaius
Linda Harrison : Nova
Paul Richards : Mendez
The film story begins at the conclusion of Planet of the Apes, with the discussion between Dr. Zaius and Taylor about mankind and the quotation from the apes’ sacred scrolls read by Cornelius (Roddy McDowall via scenes from the original POTA):
“ Beware the beast, man, for he is the Devil’s pawn. Alone among God’s primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed. Yea, he will murder his brother, to possess his brother’s land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home, and yours. Shun him, for he is the harbinger of death. ”
The opening credits are shown with Taylor (Charlton Heston) and Nova (Linda Harrison) riding through the desert of the “Forbidden Zone”. Suddenly, fire walls spring up from nowhere, and even the remaining landscape around them changes inexplicably. Taylor investigates a cliff wall and suddenly disappears before Nova’s eyes, who, with nowhere else to go, attempts to return to Zira (Kim Hunter) and Cornelius (David Watson).
Elsewhere in the Forbidden Zone is a severely damaged spacecraft which has crash-landed. It contains two survivors: an astronaut named Brent (James Franciscus) and his skipper Maddox (Tod Andrews), who are, as it turns out, part of a search party who were sent on the trail of Taylor and his crew and now are stranded in the far future as well. The skipper succumbs to his injuries and dies. After burying him, Brent is approached by Nova who is wearing Taylor’s metal I.D. tag. Hoping that Taylor may still be alive, Brent mounts the horse behind her and they ride out of the desert into the greener, cultivated area outside of Ape City.
They sneak to an amphitheater filled with cheering apes. Addressing the crowd is General Ursus (James Gregory), leader of the Ape Army, who wants the Apes to invade the Forbidden Zone, conquer it, and use it as a potential food source, despite the objections of Doctor Zaius. While leaving the amphitheater, Brent is wounded by a patrolling gorilla soldier. Nova takes him to the home of Cornelius and Zira, who explain the situation to Brent and treat his wound. When Dr. Zaius arrives, Brent and Nova hide and overhear how Zaius protected Cornelius and Zira from charges of heresy and treason months before, but now scolds Zira for her behavior during the meeting. He informs them that he will be joining Ursus on the invasion of the Forbidden Zone. Read more
