Planet of the Apes a American Myth : Race and Politics in the Films and Television Series

How do political conflicts shape popular culture? This book explores that question by analyzing how the Planet of the Apes films functioned both as entertaining adventures and as apocalyptic political commentary. Informative and thought provoking, the book demonstrates how this enormously popular series of secular myths used images of racial and ecological crisis to respond to events like the Cold War, the race riots of the 1960s, the Civil Rights movement, the Black Power movement, and the Vietnam War. The work utilizes interviews with key filmmakers and close readings of the five Apes television shows to trace the development of the series' theme of racial conflict in the context of the shifting ideologies of race during the sixties and seventies. The book also observes that today, amid growing concerns over race relations, the resurgent popularity of Apes and Twentieth CenturyFox's upcoming film may again make Planet of the Apes a pop culture phenomenon that asks who we are and where we are going.

In this reprint from 1996, Greene analyzes the Planet of the Apes films and television series for reflections of racial conflict and politics during the 1960s and 70s. He conveys how the Vietnam War was a theme in the early movies, looks at racial themes in the fourth and fifth films, and concludes with a discussion of the television series and other popular culture that reflects racial issues of the 1990s. The book includes a filmography and episode guide. Greene is a civil rights activist and writer. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)