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Eric Greene
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Planet of the Apes as American Myth: Race, Politics, and Popular Culture Paperback – December 15, 1998

by Eric Greene (Author), Richard Slotkin (Contributor)
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A lively exploration of the Planet of the Apes films as racial allegory.

In 1968, Planet of the Apes became a megahit movie both in the US and abroad, inspiring four film sequels, two TV series, several comic series, and hundreds of millions of dollars in worldwide merchandising. The Apes films confronted some of the most controversial issues of the time, including Vietnam and the Black Power movement, all the while remaining crowd pleasing box office hits.

Eric Greene uses rare photographs, transcripts, and extensive interviews with the writers, directors, actors, and producers to read the Apes saga as a profoundly American myth. Greene also looks at the attempts of filmmakers like Oliver Stone and James Cameron to remake the myth for the 90s. This enjoyable and meticulous book gives the reader an insider's look at the complex relationships between race, politics and popular culture in America.
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  1. Print length
    286 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Wesleyan University Press
  4. Publication date
    December 15, 1998
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0819563293
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0819563293
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Mr. Greene thoughtfully examined the racial politics that made the pictures both tough-minded and slightly repugnant. -- from the New York Times review of Burton's remake

From the Publisher

6 x 9 trim. 52 illus. LC 98-31193

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wesleyan University Press (December 15, 1998)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 286 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0819563293
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0819563293
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

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Eric Greene

Eric Greene

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4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Paul McComas
5.0 out of 5 stars The "Sacred Scroll" for serious Ape-o-philes!
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2006
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I can count on the fingers (and fully-opposable thumb) of one hand the number of books that have impressed, entertained, and inspired me as much as this one.

It doesn't hurt that I grew up as a hardcore Ape-o-phile. Still, had "Planet of the Apes as American Myth" been a mere nostalgic retrospective, it would not have riveted me as it did. Something strange happened as I read Greene's lucid, insightful and cogent commentary. I came to understand, finally, just why the Apes series and the world it evoked had, during my pre-teen and teen years, intrigued me on so many levels at once...and why the series' admittedly outlandish sci-fi premise always had to it the ring of truth. Reading this book, I felt vindicated. It was as if the author said, "You were right all along, Paul. These films really DID matter -- and here's why."

Like the final scene in the original 1968 film, Greene's book forces you to look back at all that preceded it (in this case, the POTA films & TV series) in an entirely new light. For Apes fans this is, quite simply, a MUST-READ.

(Paul McComas is the author of UNPLUGGED, TWENTY QUESTIONS, and the upcoming comedic coming-of-age novel PLANET OF THE DATES.)
4 people found this helpful
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R. Sardrena
4.0 out of 5 stars They Just Don't Get It...
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2016
I became aware of Planet of the Apes as American Myth in a recent Time Magazine issue on The Fifty Greatest Science Fiction Films of All Time. The magazine article cited Greene's book as evidence of its claim that the Apes films were reactionary propaganda against fears of a black take-over of American society. That sloppy analysis does a disservice both to the first five films, and to Greene's more nuanced and detailed analysis.

Greene admits that his exposure to the Apes films was through seeing them in reverse; from the fifth film to the first. His first flavor of Apes themes was therefore from its final stages - when it truly had become little more than a shallow exploration of race relations. Despite this, the author is aware of the much deeper and more sweeping themes regarding the human condition explored in the original 1968 film (and awkwardly concluded in its immediate sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes) than in the subsequent films.

The author's explanation of the writers and producers of the original film - and their sociopolitical backgrounds - was the best part of the book. The writers of the 1968 film were leftists, some of whom had been blacklisted by the McCarthy hearings. Their perspective on Apes was to show a bleak, nihilistic vision of a humanity whose "idiocy must go hand in hand with its genius." This was a Cold War view of a species which was blithely marching towards nuclear obliteration - and perhaps deserving of its fate.

As years passed, subsequent directors looked more and more at simian/human relations as metaphors for race relations in contemporary America. Though the latter writers tended to look sympathetically at the apes' plight, there was no getting around how uncomfortable it was for millions of viewers to watch comparisons between apes and black people. After all, a century ago, those comparisons had been drawn to justify slavery. Its therefore ironic that as the latter Apes films tried to advance progressive themes about race relations, the very metaphor used was offensive.

Where Time Magazine (and probably many others) have gotten it wrong is where they have looked disdainfully at the metaphor used, while ignoring HOW it was used. In a modern society in which people look eagerly for offenses to avenge, that kind of misinterpretation is highly destructive. The original writers might have snickered at the sight, secure in their belief that humanity is too violently tribal to survive.
3 people found this helpful
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Michael Valdivielso
5.0 out of 5 stars Not just about race...
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2005
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The Ape movies were not just mirrors to show us our racial problems but also to show solutions to them. But it wasn't just about race, but also about foreign affairs such as the Cold War and the Vietnam Conflict, religion vs. science, nature vs. nurture, the fears of a nuclear holocaust, even our treatment of animals and how we treat women.

The book really helped me to understand the movies with a detailed background about the times in which the movies were created. The book also has a touch of humor even while explaining about what the films were trying to say or show. Sometimes without even knowing it.
5 people found this helpful
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R. F. Bagby
5.0 out of 5 stars Ageing, but still best
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2013
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This has made Eric Greene THE official academic authority on all things Ape, although it's becoming a tad dated since he hasn't updated it to cover Tim Burton's film or RISE OF PotApes. But since he does cover the original Boulle novel, all five original films and both the live and 'toon TV shows, plus merchandising of collectibles and comic books (and homages like THE SIMPSONS's "musical"), his is the most insightful overview of this mythos in its varied forms extant. Well worth the purchase.
2 people found this helpful
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Steve Reina
5.0 out of 5 stars Planet of the Apes as an American "Animal Farm?"
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2004
As far back as Aesop, the creative community has realized that talking animals can be especially effective surrogates for making social commentary. This book is an extensive treatment of this issue and therefore is especially for those interested in the mythical and social aspects of the Planet of the Apes series. Needless to say, if you want to know more about the movies as movies or you're interested in an apes price guide, you should probably look elsewhere. However, those looking here will not be disappointed with Greene's spot on ability to weave social analysis from the various naunces of the apes movies.

From 1968 to 1975 the apes series produced five movies and two separate television series. This is a very prodigious production rate commensurate with the series' ability to key into the American psyche. Much like the Simpsons today, the apes series gave its writing staff a chance to touch on issues like the war in Vietnam and race relations from an artistically safe vantage point. Like our fast food the Planet of the Apes series was a uniquely American foray into the land of Aesop. It was, perhaps our American "Animal Farm."
13 people found this helpful
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Robman
5.0 out of 5 stars PotA Info
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2012
Very insightful and informative, well researched too. This brings a better understanding of how it all comes about. A very good read.
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