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| Zathes & Army before Final Battle |
I really found the dualities of
civil liberties versus slavery and science versus primitivism in Planet of the Apes linked closely
together. While the film naturally revolves around the idea of civil liberties
and slavery in the city of apes, the idea of science appears to need to become
more of a privilege. The entire film depicts a power struggle between the apes
holding control and the humans fighting for some power. However, Zaius warns his son Thades of
humans’ true destructive power. The only difference between how the apes are
treating the humans and how humans usually treat apes is the lack of
technology. The apes military formation and tactics reminded me of ancient
Roman flanks. The apes focused on using their physical strength to dominate
over the humans. They used this power to enslave and strip humans of their
civil liberties. However, with Zaius’ warning about humans abuse of technology
against other creatures and against themselves, the apes abuse seems less
drastic.
While the apes certainly appear
more primitive without technology, they still abuse power. Humans, however,
abuse power with weapons of mass destruction and have a history of enslavement.
I think that the combined duality issues of civil rights versus slavery and
primitivism versus technology raises the question of, should technology be a
privilege until people learn not to abuse its power to strip others of their
civil rights. With the rise of technology before World War I, people began
using it against civilians to establish power and make a statement. However,
technology has proven to be just as destructive and enslaving as it has been
beneficial to the world. Primitivism suggests the core of humanity though,
which is what civil rights are all about – everyone having the same basic
rights to life. Technology and enslavement then appear to be connected by the
audience as well. While primitivism in the apes is not seen as a positive
thing, the destructive nature of advancement is certainly not better when used
as a power mechanism against others’ civil rights. By contrasting these
dualities against one another, viewers can really evaluate and compare the two
extremes and link their relevance to one another together.
