Planet of the Apes (1968) Movie Script
And that completes my final report
until we reach touchdown.
We're now on full automatic,
in the hands of the computers.
I've tucked my crew in for the long sleep
and I'll be joining them
soon.
In less than an hour we'll finish
our sixth month out of Cape Kennedy.
Six months in deep space.
By our time, that is.
According to Dr. Hasslein's theory of time in a
vehicle traveling nearly the speed of light,
the Earth has aged
nearly 700 years since we left it,
while we've aged hardly at all.
It may be so.
This much is probably true.
The men who sent us on this journey
are long since dead and gone.
You who are reading me now
are a different breed.
I hope a better one.
I leave the 20th century with no regrets, but...
one more thing.
If anybody's listening, that is.
Nothing scientific. It's... purely personal.
Seen from out here,
everything seems different.
Time bends.
Space is... boundless.
It squashes a man's ego.
I feel lonely.
That's about it.
Tell me, though...
Does man, that marvel of the universe,
that glorious paradox
who has sent me to the stars,
still make war against his brother,
keep his neighbor's children starving?
Are you all right?
Stewart?
Stewart?
We're in the soup!
She's sinking! Dodge, read the atmosphere!
Landon, get out a last signal!
What signal?
To Earth! That we've landed!
The air's OK!
Blow the hatch before we lose all our power!
It's no use! The power's gone!
Forget it! Abandon ship!
She's sinking.
Going...
Going...
Gone.
OK. We're here to stay.
Well, where are we?
Do you have any notion, skipper?
We're some 320 light years from Earth
on an unnamed planet in orbit
around a star in the constellation of Orion.
Is that close enough for you?
That could be Bellatrix.
It's too white for Bellatrix.
You didn't have time to read the tapes.
So you really don't know, do you?
What went wrong?
We weren't programmed to land in the water.
The question is not so much
where we are as when we are.
We've had enough sleep
to hold us for a while.
Let's start earning all that back pay.
Dodge, run your soil test.
- Got your sensors?
- Right.
- Geiger counter?
- Got it.
Let's see. One pistol,
We've got food and water
enough for three days.
How long is a day?
That's a good question.
Landon!
Hey, Landon!
Join the expedition.
Sorry. I was thinking about Stewart.
What do you suppose happened?
Air leak. She died in her sleep.
You don't seem very cut up about it.
It's a little late for a wake.
She's been dead nearly a year.
That means we've been away
from Earth for 18 months.
Our time.
You've gone gray.
Apart from that you look pretty chipper
for a man who's 2,031 years old.
I read the clocks.
They bear out Hasslein's hypothesis.
We have been away from Earth
for 2,000 years,
give or take a decade.
Still can't accept it?
Time's wiped out everything you ever knew.
It's all dust.
Prove it.
If we can't get back, it's still just a theory.
It's a fact, Landon. Buy it. You'll sleep better.
Nothing will grow here.
There's just a trace of carbohydrates.
All the nitrogen is locked into the nitrates.
No dangerous ionization?
No.
Well...
If there's no life here,
we've got just 72 hours to find it.
That's when the groceries run out. Let's go.
Which direction?
That way.
Any particular reason?
None at all.
Come on...
Everybody all right?
Water check.
Eight ounces.
It doesn't add up.
Thunder and lightning, and no rain.
Cloud cover at night.
That strange luminosity...
yet there's no moon.
If we could just get a fix.
What would that tell you?
I've told you where you are and when you are.
All right, all right.
You're 300 light years
from your precious planet.
Your loved ones are dead
and forgotten for 20 centuries.
you were something that fell out of a tree.
Taylor, quit riding him.
There is just one reality.
We are here and it is now.
You get hold of that,
or you might as well be dead.
I'm prepared to die.
He's prepared to die.
Doesn't that make you misty?
Chalk up another victory for the human spirit.
Clue me in on something, will you?
Why did you sign on for this trip?
You volunteered. Why?
Never mind. I'll clue you in.
You were the golden boy of the class of '72.
When they nominated you for the big one,
you couldn't turn it down.
Not without losing your all-American image.
Climb off, will you?
Oh, and the glory. Don't forget that.
There's a life-size bronze statue of you
standing out there somewhere.
It's probably turned green by now
and nobody can read the nameplate.
But never let it be said
that we forget our heroes.
- Taylor, I'm telling you to climb off my back.
- And there's one last item.
Immortality.
You wanted to live for ever, didn't you?
Well, you damn near made it.
Except for me and Dodge,
you've lived longer than anyone ever born.
And with our lovely Lieutenant Stewart dead,
it looks like you're the last of the line.
You got what you wanted, tiger.
How does it taste?
OK. You read me well enough.
But why can't I read you?
Don't bother.
Dodge, there. He's not like me at all.
But he makes sense.
He'd walk naked into a live volcano
if he thought he could learn something
that no other man knew.
But you... You're no seeker.
You're negative.
- And I'm not prepared to die.
- I'd like to know why not.
You thought life on Earth was meaningless.
You despised people.
So what did you do? You ran out.
No, no. It's not like that, Landon.
I'm a seeker too.
But my dreams aren't like yours. I can't help
thinking somewhere in the universe
there has to be something
better than man. Has to be.
Taylor, over here!
Life.
Where there's one, there's another.
And another and another.
Let's find 'em.
Skipper!
Look!
Scarecrows?
Let's see.
To hell with the scarecrows!
Taylor!
Look at this.
Taylor, look!
They didn't leave much, did they?
Well, at least they haven't tried to bite us.
Blessed are the vegetarians.
They look more or less human,
but I think they're mute.
We got off at the wrong stop.
You're supposed to be the optimist, Landon.
Look on the bright side.
If this is the best they've got around here,
in six months we'll be running this planet.
Smile.
Which one was wearing
the strange clothes?
This one.
Will he live?
I don't know.
This beast has lost a lot of blood.
There's no probe here. Find one!
Yes, sir.
This place is dirty, doctor.
Doctor, these animals are dirty. They stink
and they carry communicable diseases.
Why aren't they cleaned up
before they're brought here?
- You don't sound happy in your work.
- I'm little more than a vet in this laboratory.
You promised to speak to Dr. Zaius about me.
I did. You know how
he looks down his nose at chimpanzees.
But the quota system's been abolished.
- You made it. Why can't I?
- What do you mean - made it?
I'm an animal psychologist, that's all.
We have no authority.
You do all right when it comes to
getting space and equipment.
That's because Dr. Zaius
realizes our work has value.
The foundations of scientific brain surgery
are being laid right here
in studies of cerebral functions
of these animals.
They're still dirty, doctor.
And their bite is septic. There. Look at that.
Hold his jaw.
- Good morning, Dr. Zira.
- Good morning, Julius.
- How's our patient today?
- No change.
The minute you open the door,
he goes into his act.
Well!
And what do we want this morning?
Do we want something? Come on. Speak.
Come on.
Speak.
Do we want some sugar, old-timer?
You could get hurt doing that, doctor.
Oh, don't be silly. He's perfectly tame.
They're all tame
until they take a chunk out of you.
Well, Bright Eyes. Is our throat feeling better?
Still hurts, doesn't it?
See? He keeps pretending he can talk.
That Bright Eyes is remarkable.
He keeps trying to form words.
You know what they say.
Human see, human do.
Now what?
He seems to want something.
I'd be careful, doctor.
What did I tell you?
Try that again and I'll break your arm!
Good morning, Your Excellency.
Dr. Zaius.
Good morning, sir.
Open up, please.
I'm so glad you could come.
Sir, he's over here.
Bright Eyes...
Show him. Go ahead.
Do your trick.
Speak.
Go on. Speak again.
There! Can you believe it?
Yes, amusing.
A man acting like an ape.
Dr. Zaius, I could swear he's answering you.
He has a definite gift for mimicry.
Most unusual.
He's using that old blanket as clothing.
I wonder how he'd score
on a Hopkins manual dexterity test.
An animal?
Look!
He's moving his fingers.
Only because he saw you moving yours.
But perhaps he understood.
Man has no understanding.
He can be taught a few simple tricks.
Nothing more.
I'm afraid I must disagree.
- According to my experiments...
- Dr. Zira, I must caution you.
Experimental brain surgery
on these creatures is one thing,
and I'm all in favor of it.
But your behavioral studies
are something else again.
To suggest that we can learn anything
about the simian nature
from the study of man is sheer nonsense.
Besides, man is a nuisance.
He eats up his food supplies in the forest,
then migrates to our green belts
and ravages our crops.
The sooner he is exterminated the better.
It's a question of simian survival.
Is this the one you wanted, doctor?
Oh, yes. Thank you.
Bright Eyes, I've got a present for you.
Put her in with him.
Cornelius! Up here.
Do you have to work tonight?
No.
Neither do I.
Oh, Cornelius.
There's Bright Eyes.
The one I was telling you about.
What's so special about him?
Watch.
Hello, Bright Eyes.
How's our throat today?
- Look! She remembers!
- Remembers what?
The blood transfusion.
Zira, really!
You know, they can't... Watch out.
Here comes number one.
Something's bothering him. He's been
prying around the lab for the last two days.
Good morning, Dr. Zaius.
- You know my... Dr. Cornelius, my fianc?
- Of course.
The young ape with a shovel. I hear you're
planning another archaeological expedition.
- With the Academy's approval, sir.
- The project will require my support.
I hope I may count on it, sir.
Cornelius, a friendly warning.
As you dig for artifacts,
be sure you don't bury your reputation.
Guard!
Guard!
Stop!
You'll hurt him!
Take him inside.
Cornelius! Cornelius,
if you have a moment today,
I'd like to discuss
this expedition of yours in more detail.
Certainly, sir. I'll pick up my notes
and I'll come right over.
I don't understand
these animal psychologists.
What's Dr. Zira trying to prove?
That man can be domesticated.
- What happened?
- Oh, those fools and their torches.
- Do you have any ointment?
- I'll see.
I'm sorry, Bright Eyes.
Julius!
I told you what you'd get!
Julius, don't, don't, don't!
It doesn't matter!
Julius, don't hurt him!
Julius!
Natural-born thieves, aren't they?
Get me a collar and leash.
- I'm taking him out of here.
- He's vicious, doctor.
- Besides, it's against the rules.
- Do as I say!
You... you wouldn't hurt me, would you,
Taylor?
It's a stunt.
Humans can't write.
Dear, you're a scientist.
Don't you believe your own eyes?
Where did you learn to do this?
"Jefferson
Public School."
"Fort Wayne,
Indiana."
Back on that planet you say you came from?
Maybe he is intelligent.
But he is also... crazy.
Cornelius.
Cornelius, please.
"Dodge was killed in the hunt."
"What happened to... Landon?"
I don't know.
They fell out of the sky with you?
"Not fell. Flew."
Flight is a scientific impossibility.
And even if it weren't, why fly?
Where would it get you?
"Do you have maps?"
We're here. You were captured here.
You fell into the water here?
You came ashore...
Marched across the desert?
Mountains?
Many days and nights.
And reached the jungle.
Out of the question.
Cornelius, why do you insist
on provoking him?
No creature can survive in the forbidden
zone. I know. I've been there. I've seen it.
"Then how do you account for me?"
I don't.
And I'm not going to try.
But what about your theory?
The existence of someone
like Taylor might prove it.
Do you want to get my head chopped off?
Don't be foolish.
If it's true, they'll have to accept it.
No, they won't.
Cornelius has developed
the most brilliant hypothesis.
But I'm probably wrong.
That the ape evolved from
a lower order of primate,
possibly man.
In his trip to the forbidden zone,
he discovered traces
of a culture older than recorded time.
- The evidence was very meager.
- You didn't think so then.
That was before Dr. Zaius and half
of the Academy said my idea was heresy.
How can scientific truth be heresy?
What if Taylor is exactly
the proof you needed?
A mutation.
A missing link between
the unevolved primate
and the ape.
Touchy, isn't he?
"I am not a missing link."
Well, if he were a missing link, the sacred
scrolls wouldn't be worth their parchment.
Well, maybe they're not.
Oh, no, thank you.
I'm not going to get into that battle.
- Cornelius, show some strength!
- Zira, listen to me!
Now, we both have fine futures.
Marriage, stimulating careers.
I'm up for a raise.
Dr. Zaius.
Did you forget our appointment, Cornelius?
No, sir. I was just collecting my notes.
You know Dr. Maximus, of course.
Our commissioner for animal affairs.
Yes, sir. It's a pleasure to see you again.
What is that?
A man, Dr. Maximus.
I know it's a man. And you know the rules.
No animals allowed outside the compound,
and most especially not without a leash.
Yes, sir, but... but this
creature is a special case.
Why special?
We're conducting a new experiment.
Wouldn't that more properly be done
in your office?
Yes, sir.
Guards, return this beast to the compound.
What is this?
A toy.
It floats on the air.
Zira...
Try it.
Nonsense.
- What's up, lieutenant?
- We're taking number four to surgery.
- Have him ready.
- How come?
- The beast's throat's nearly healed.
- The vet's going to geld him.
Dr. Zira won't like it.
She wants that pair to mate.
These orders come from Dr. Zaius himself.
There's nothing she can do about it.
If only you knew what they're going to do.
Stay still now. Don't give me any trouble.
Weep if you must,
but make an end of sorrow.
He lives again.
Yes, he has found peace in heaven.
He was a model for us all,
a gorilla to remember...
Hunter, warrior,
defender of the faith.
Cherished husband,
beloved father,
generous master, yes.
He was
The dear departed once said to me
"I never met an ape I didn't like."
Look! It's a man!
In heaven's name! Get rid of that creature!
Catch him!
Catch him! Catch him!
Come on, Quintus.
- Go get him!
- Taylor!
- Why did you run away?
- Security police.
I'm in charge of this man.
He is in the custody
of the ministry of science.
Take your stinking paws off me,
you damn dirty ape!
No one'll listen to me.
Only you.
You.
Nova.
You... Nova.
No...
Yeah. Me Tarzan, you Jane.
What are you doing?
Leave her alone,
damn you!
Where are you taking her?
Where are you taking her?
Damn you! You hairy scum!
Shut up, you freak!
Julius, you...
I said shut up!
It's a madhouse!
A madhouse!
Now I don't even have you.
Imagine me needing someone.
Back on Earth I never did.
Oh, there were women. Lots of women.
Lots of... lovemaking, but no love.
That was the kind of world we'd made.
So I left
because there was no one to hold me there.
Did I tell you about Stewart?
Now there was a lovely girl.
The most precious cargo we'd brought along.
She was... to be the new Eve.
With our hot and eager help, of course.
Probably just as well
she didn't make it this far.
Do you love me, I wonder?
Can you love, I wonder?
Well...
You're not as smart as Stewart, but
you're the only girl in town.
Look at that. I...
I taught you to smile.
It's been weeks.
What happened? Where have you been?
Why didn't you come to see me?
- What is this?
- A hearing.
- Be clever. Be quiet.
- All rise!
Be seated!
This ad hoc tribunal of
the National Academy is now in session.
The president of the Academy presiding.
On my right, Dr. Maximus, commissioner
for animal affairs. And on my left,
Dr. Zaius, minister of science
and chief defender of the faith.
And appearing for the state,
Dr. Honorious, deputy minister of justice.
Bailiff! Your instructions:
To clean up the beast.
These rags he's wearing give off a stench
that's offensive to the dignity
of this tribunal.
You may proceed,
- Dr. Honorious.
- By your leave, Mr. President,
this tribunal has not yet defined
the purpose for this inquiry.
You asked for the opportunity
to present your case.
Surely you must know why you're here.
At the very least, this man has the right to
know whether there's a charge against him.
Objection!
This exhibit is indeed a man.
Therefore he has no rights under ape law.
Dr. Zira, this is a man,
- is it not?
- He is unlike any man you have ever seen.
As we hope to prove.
Answer the question, Dr. Zira. Is it a man?
Sir, perhaps the... question
is the point at issue.
Is he a man, is he a deviant,
or... a freak of nature?
- Objection!
- Sustained.
Now, Dr. Zira, in all fairness,
you must admit that
the accused is a non-ape
and therefore has no rights under ape law.
Then why is he called the accused?
Your Honors must think him
guilty of something.
The creature's not being tried.
He's being disposed of.
It is scientific heresy that is being tried here.
Well put, Dr. Zaius.
Let us warn our friends
that they endanger their own careers
by defending this animal.
Then I'll... defend myself.
Dr. Zira, would you tell
Bright Eyes to be quiet?
- My name is Taylor!
- Bailiff! Silence the animal!
Wait! Let me...
You may proceed, Mr. Prosecutor.
Learned judges, my case is simple.
It is based on our first article of faith.
That the almighty created the ape
in his own image.
That he gave him a soul and a mind.
That he set him apart from the beasts of the
jungle and made him the lord of the planet.
These sacred truths are self-evident.
The proper study of apes is apes.
But certain young cynics
have chosen to study man.
Yes! Perverted scientists who advance
an insidious theory called evolution.
Come to the point, Dr. Honorious.
The state charges that Dr. Zira
and a corrupt surgeon named Galen
experimented on this wounded animal,
tampering with his brain and throat tissues,
to produce a speaking monster.
That's a lie!
Mind your tongue, madam.
Did we create his mind as well?
Not only can this man speak,
he can think! He can reason.
That can reason?
With the tribunal's permission, allow me
to expose this hoax by direct examination.
Proceed, doctor. But do not
turn this hearing into a farce.
Tell the court, Bright Eyes,
what is the second article of faith?
I know nothing of your culture. I admit that.
Of course he doesn't know our culture,
because he cannot think!
Tell us... Why are all apes created equal?
Some apes, it seems,
are more equal than others.
Ridiculous!
Tell us, Bright Eyes.
Why do men have no souls?
What is the proof that a divine spark
exists in the simian brain?
Read this for me.
Since the defendant has been forbidden
to speak in his own defense,
he requests that the following statement
be read into the record.
You read it, Dr. Cornelius. Read it.
"I have, uh, come to you from a planet
in a different solar system."
"I am an explorer in space..."
Stop right there. Let me see that paper.
It's a joke.
In very poor taste.
Is it a joke to seek the truth about this man?
Dr. Zira,
you state here that a ship from outer space
sank in an inland sea of our eastern desert.
You state that Bright Eyes had
two intelligent companions with him
at the time of his capture.
That is his assertion.
Mr. President,
in addition to Bright Eyes,
I believe the prosecutor has reassembled
all the surviving humans
that were captured in the hunt.
That's true, Dr. Zaius.
Very well.
Then I suggest that we...
go take a look at 'em.
That's him! That's Landon!
- Which one?
- The tall one in the back.
Do you acknowledge kinship
with any of these creatures?
- With one of them, yes.
- Identify him, then. Speak to him.
Landon?
Landon.
Oh! They cut him!
Did you know about this?
No. I... I swear. I never saw this man before.
But they...
You did it.
You cut up his brain, you bloody baboon!
Stop him!
Take him inside!
Mr. President, a word of explanation.
The human specimen you saw outside
suffered a skull fracture
in the course of the hunt.
Two fine veterinary surgeons under
my direction were able to save his life.
But the beast could not speak, of course.
Nor will he ever speak.
You did that to him, damn you!
Cut out his memory, took his identity,
and that's what you wanna do to me!
Bailiff! Gag the animal!
Damn you!
May it please the tribunal,
I grant you that this creature
cannot have come from another planet.
But this much is certain. He does come
from somewhere in the forbidden zone.
He's described the region to us and described
it accurately for... I have been there.
You visited the forbidden zone?
Yes, sir.
A year ago.
With the permission of the Academy.
He exceeded his orders.
His travel permit was canceled immediately.
Yes, sir. That is true, thanks to you.
But not before I discovered evidence
of a simian culture that existed
long before the sacred scrolls were written.
Objection! These remarks
are profane and irrelevant!
Sustained. Your archaeological theories have
no bearing on the disposition of this creature.
Let them talk, Mr. President. Let them talk.
Sirs, our theories
have a bearing on his identity.
How so?
Let us assume, as common sense dictates,
that the prisoner's story is false.
But if he did not come from another planet,
then surely he sprang from our own.
Yes! Sprang! As an animal psychologist,
I have found no physiological defect
to explain why humans are mute.
- Objection!
- Sustained!
Their speech organs are adequate.
The flaw lies not in anatomy, but in the brain.
- Objection!
- Sustained!
Sustain all objections, but face the truth!
Yes! Behold this marvel!
This living paradox!
This missing link in an evolutionary chain!
Silence there!
You go too far.
I think an indictment is in order.
Yes, sir. The state charges Drs Zira and
Cornelius with contempt of this tribunal,
malicious mischief, and scientific heresy.
It is so ordered.
This tribunal will examine the evidence
and in due course render its verdict.
As to the proposed indictment
and as to the disposition
of the deviate in question,
this hearing is adjourned.
Wait outside.
Well, the verdict is in.
At the moment, your two simian friends
and sponsors are free on bail.
But they'll soon be brought to trial for heresy.
What about me?
Your case was preordained.
In a way, you did the state a service
because you made it possible for us
to expose Zira and Cornelius.
Now the tribunal
has placed you in my custody
for final disposition.
Do you realize what that means?
No.
Emasculation to begin with.
Then experimental surgery
on the speech centers - on the brain.
Eventually a kind of living death.
However,
I have it in my power to grant a reprieve.
That is why I summoned you here tonight.
Tell me who and what you really are
and where you came from,
and no veterinary shall touch you.
I told you that at that hearing of yours.
You lied!
Where is your tribe?
My tribe!
They live on another planet
in another solar system.
Even in your lies, some truth slips through.
That mythical community
you're supposed to come from - Fort Wayne.
- What about it?
- A fort!
Unconsciously you chose a name
that was belligerent.
Where were you nurtured?
Then... you don't believe that prosecutor's
charge that I'm a monster created by Dr. Zira?
Certainly not.
You're a mutant.
That's what Zira and Cornelius claim.
You're talking heresy, doctor.
Of course!
Suppose I am a mutant.
How can the appearance of one mutant
- send you into a panic?
- Because you're not unique.
- There's the one you call Landon.
- Oh. Then you admit that...
I admit that where there's one mutant,
there's probably another and another.
A whole nest of them.
Where is your nest, Taylor?
Where are your women?
Thank you.
Thank you for calling me Taylor.
Dr. Zaius,
I know who I am.
But who are you?
How in hell did this upside-down
civilization get started?
You may well call it upside down,
since you occupy its lowest level.
And deservedly so.
Our eastern desert has never been explored
because we've always assumed
that life cannot exist there.
Taylor, save yourself!
Tell me, is there another jungle
beyond the forbidden zone?
I don't know.
If you're trying to protect others of your kind,
it'll cost you your identity.
I'm not protecting anyone.
This whole thing is insane!
What have I done?
You are a menace.
A walking pestilence!
I do know who you are, Taylor.
I'll give you just six hours
to make a full confession.
After that I shall use surgery to obtain one.
Guards!
All right. You can cut pieces out of me.
You've got the power.
Return this creature to his cage.
But you do it out of fear!
Remember that! Because you're afraid of me!
What are you afraid of, doctor?
Are you Julius?
- Who are you?
- I'm from the office of animal affairs.
That male is to be transferred to the zoo.
At this hour?
Who says so?
Don't they tell you anything?
The antivivisectionist society is up in arms.
They're gonna save this beast
from those butchers in the lab.
If he can speak, he belongs in a public zoo,
but what'll probably happen
is some money-mad grown-up'll put him
in a circus, and we'll have to pay...
Stop making speeches
and show me the order!
This order's no good.
It must be countersigned by Dr. Zaius.
Grab him!
Who are you?
So you can talk!
I'm Dr. Zira's nephew.
This abduction was her idea.
You're not really going to the zoo.
That's our story if somebody stops us.
Get me out of this.
We've gotta move fast!
She comes along too.
- Zira doesn't want your female.
- I want her.
If you insist, but I'm not taking any orders.
All right. Come on! Let's go!
- I told you not to bring the other one!
- He wouldn't leave her.
Oh, all right. Come on!
- Here. Put this on.
- Don't you have any clothes for me?
What do you expect? An ape's new suit?
- This stuff stinks!
- Well, so do you. Like all men.
Taylor, remember,
all men look alike to most apes.
So put it on and keep quiet,
and we may just get away with this. Hurry!
Cornelius!
How'd it go?
Come on!
Let me out of this!
Well, Taylor, we're all fugitives now.
Do you have any weapons? Any guns?
The best. But we won't need them.
I'm glad to hear it. I want one anyway.
Taylor, I'm in charge of this expedition!
Good for you.
But you're not in charge of me. Not any more.
I don't plan to be caught again.
- As you wish.
- Dr. Zaius seemed to think there was
another jungle beyond the forbidden zone.
I'll try for that. What about you?
Cornelius and I have been
indicted for heresy.
Unless we can prove our theories,
we don't stand a chance of acquittal.
You're going back to the forbidden zone?
We're going back to the diggings
I worked at over a year ago.
It's a three-day ride across the desert.
Near where you claim you landed
from that planet of yours.
- You still don't believe me, do you?
- It's a long detour to Dead Lake.
- What would we find?
- Nothing much.
An empty rubber life raft. Maybe a...
little flag, the emblem of my countrymen.
The terrain around that lake
is poisonous. There's no fresh water,
no vegetation - nothing.
Anyway, I... ought to thank you
for saving me. You'll be in trouble for that.
We've been in trouble
since the moment we met you.
What's she pointing at?
This must be close to home for her.
She knows it.
Nova, no. Nova!
Nova, you can't go there! It's not safe! Nova!
We'd better get started. If the mounted police
pick up our trail, they'll come this far.
Right. Let's get the water
and provisions into the wagon.
Cornelius!
Where does this river lead to?
It flows into a sea some miles from here.
That's where we'll find the diggings.
And beyond that?
I don't know. You can't ride
along the shore at high tide
and we had no boats on our last expedition.
You never told me -
why do you call this the forbidden zone?
No one knows. It's an ancient taboo,
set forth in the sacred scrolls.
The lawgiver pronounced
this whole area deadly.
Shouldn't we be moving on?
I'm for that.
Well? Do you like it?
Why did you do that? Scrape off your hair?
In my world, when I left it,
only kids your age wore beards.
Beards?
I don't go in for fads.
Somehow
it makes you look less intelligent.
When will you show me what's in that cave?
Right now, if you like.
Cornelius!
- Lucius, don't fire at them!
- You're all under arrest!
If there's any more shooting, Dr. Zaius,
you'll be the first to go. You can count on it.
You are not in command. Put down that gun.
Shut up!
Very well.
Lower your weapons.
Tell them to pull back around the rocks,
out of range.
Withdraw!
How did you know we'd come here?
It wasn't difficult. Only an apostate
would flee to the forbidden zone.
And only a fool
would give a gun to an animal.
I see you've brought
the female of your species.
I didn't realize
that man could be monogamous.
On this planet it's easy.
I'll ask you to reconsider
the rash course you've undertaken.
If you're convicted of heresy,
the most you'll get is two years, but
if you persist in pointing guns in
my direction, you'll hang for high treason.
We never meant to be treasonous, sir.
But up there, in the face of that cliff,
there is a vast cave,
and in that cave a fabulous treasure
of fossils and artifacts.
I've seen some of your fossils and artifacts.
They're worthless.
There's your minister of science.
Honor-bound to expand
the frontiers of knowledge.
- Taylor, please!
- Except he's also chief defender of the faith.
There is no contradiction
between faith and science - true science.
- Are you willing to put it to the test?
- Taylor, I would rather...
Take it easy. You saved me from this fanatic.
Maybe I can return the favor.
What is your proposal?
When were those sacred scrolls
of yours written?
All right. If they can prove those scrolls
don't tell the whole truth of your history,
if they can find some real evidence
of another culture from some remote past,
will you let them off?
- Of course.
- Let's go up to the cave.
Sorry, Lucius. You've got to stay here
and guard the camp.
Always giving orders.
Just like every other adult.
Relax. You'll get to see it all later on.
Present your evidence, Cornelius.
It was at this level that I discovered
traces of an early ape creature.
A stage of primitive barbarism really,
dating back some 1,300 years roughly.
It was at this level... I discovered
cutting tools and arrowheads of quartz
and the fossilized bones
of carnivorous gorillas.
But the artifacts
Lying here
were found at this level,
and date back... 700 years earlier.
That's the paradox.
For the more ancient culture
is the more advanced.
Now, admittedly,
many of these objects are unidentified.
But clearly they were fashioned
by beings with a knowledge of metallurgy.
Indeed, the fact that many of these tools
are unknown to us
suggests a culture which
in certain ways equals our own.
Some of the evidence is uncontestable.
Don't speak to me in absolutes.
The evidence is contestable!
I apologize, sir.
To begin with, your methods of dating
the past are crude to say the least.
There are geologists on my staff
who'd laugh at your speculations.
But there's the doll, sir.
What?
Oh, lying right there. The human doll.
What does this prove?
My granddaughter plays with human dolls.
The doll was found
beside the jawbone of a man
and no trace of simian fossil
has been found in this deposit.
Your conclusion is premature.
Have you forgotten your scripture?
The 13th scroll?
"And Proteus brought the upright beast
into the garden and chained him to a tree,
- and the children did make sport of him."
- No, sir, I have not forgotten.
Well, for a time the ancients
kept humans as household pets
until our lawgiver proved
that man could not be tamed.
Keep digging, Cornelius. You'll find evidence
of the master of this house...
An ape.
What are you doing?
Reconstructing a past life.
You say these things were found
at the same level as that doll?
Whoever owned them
must have been in pretty bad shape.
He wore false teeth.
And eyeglasses.
He had a failing heart.
Towards the end, he... had
this prefabricated valve put in it.
I don't say he was a man
like I knew at home,
but he must have been a close relative.
He had all the same weaknesses.
He was a weak,
fragile animal.
But he was here before you
and he was better than you are.
That's lunacy! I can offer alternate
descriptions of every one of those articles
which is just as ingenious as yours.
But it'd be conjecture, not proof.
Mamma!
Mamma!
Dr. Zaius, would an ape make a human doll
that talks?
Lucius!
You dirty...
Nova!
Nova!
Cornelius!
Zira!
Help me!
Mamma!
I oughta kill you right now.
Come on!
Tell 'em to pull back. Now!
Cease fire! Withdraw!
Up there!
Withdraw!
Get down!
Lucius, are you all right?
They took me by surprise.
Sneaked up on me
while I was feeding the horses.
What's happened to honor?
I got off two rounds to warn you.
- They've taken everything.
- Not quite everything!
They left a hostage behind.
- How are you feeling?
- Disillusioned.
You can't trust the older generation.
I know what you mean.
I want you to go round the rocks and tell
those gorillas I've got Dr. Zaius prisoner.
Yes, I can do that.
I want a horse, food, and water.
Enough for a week for me and this female.
- And 50 rounds of ammunition.
- What if they won't agree to your terms?
Tell them I'll shoot him.
Taylor, you can't!
Oh, yes, he can.
He's a born killer.
Deliver the message.
Over here.
Sit down.
Taylor, please! Don't treat him like that!
- Why not?
- It's humiliating.
The way I was humiliated... by all of you?
You led me around on a leash!
That was different.
We thought you were inferior.
Now you know better.
Cornelius was right, doctor. He proved it.
Man was here first. You owe him
your science, your culture,
- whatever civilization you've got.
- Then answer me this.
If man was superior, why didn't he survive?
Wiped out by a plague, some natural
catastrophe, a storm of meteors.
From the looks of some parts of this planet,
I'd say that was a fair bet.
But we can't be sure.
He is.
He knew all the time.
Long before you found your cave, he knew.
Defender of the faith?
Guardian of the terrible secret.
- That's it, isn't it, doctor?
- What I know of man was written long ago.
Set down by the greatest ape of all,
our lawgiver.
Cornelius,
come here.
Reach into my pocket. Read to him
the 29th scroll.
"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."
"Drive him back into his jungle lair."
"For he is the harbinger of death."
I found nothing in the cave
to alter that conception of man
and I still live by its injunction.
That's far enough!
They think you're behaving foolishly.
I must say, I agree!
Where will you go?
To start with, I'll follow
the shoreline and my nose.
But suppose you find nothing
but... but wasteland?
How will you survive?
He won't survive.
Nova.
How about coming along?
- We can't.
- It's better than going to jail for heresy.
Oh, they can't convict us of heresy.
You've helped prove our innocence.
Besides... his culture
is our culture.
Well, good luck, then.
Lucius.
I still say you're making a mistake.
That's the spirit. Keep 'em flying.
- What?
- The flags of discontent.
Remember, never trust anybody over 30.
Doctor, I'd like to kiss you goodbye.
All right, but
you're so damned ugly.
Don't try to follow us.
I'm pretty handy with this.
Of that I'm sure.
All my life I've awaited your coming
and dreaded it, like death itself.
Why?
I've terrified you from the first, doctor.
I still do.
You're afraid of me and you hate me. Why?
Because you're a man.
And you're right.
I have always known about man.
From the evidence, I believe his wisdom
must walk hand in hand with his idiocy.
His emotions must rule his brain.
He must be a warlike creature
who gives battle
to everything around him, even himself.
What evidence?
There were no weapons in that cave.
The forbidden zone was once a paradise.
Your breed made a desert of it... ages ago.
It still doesn't give me the why.
A planet where apes evolved from men.
There's gotta be an answer.
Don't look for it, Taylor.
You may not like what you find.
Untie me!
No, no, no! Wait!
Wait!
Let him go!
Lieutenant, fetch your explosives.
We're going to seal up the cave.
Yes, sir!
- Seal the cave?
- That is correct.
And you will both stand trial for heresy.
- But the proof! The doll!
- In a few minutes there will be no doll.
There can't be. I'm sorry.
Dr. Zaius!
Dr. Zaius, you mustn't! You promised!
What I do, I do with no pleasure.
- Silence him!
- Doctor.
Dr. Zaius, this is inexcusable!
Why must knowledge stand still?
What about the future?
I may just have saved it for you.
What will he find out there, doctor?
His destiny.
Oh, my God!
I'm back!
I'm home.
All the time, it was...
We finally really did it.
You maniacs!
You blew it up!
God damn you!
God damn you all to hell!
until we reach touchdown.
We're now on full automatic,
in the hands of the computers.
I've tucked my crew in for the long sleep
and I'll be joining them
soon.
In less than an hour we'll finish
our sixth month out of Cape Kennedy.
Six months in deep space.
By our time, that is.
According to Dr. Hasslein's theory of time in a
vehicle traveling nearly the speed of light,
the Earth has aged
nearly 700 years since we left it,
while we've aged hardly at all.
It may be so.
This much is probably true.
The men who sent us on this journey
are long since dead and gone.
You who are reading me now
are a different breed.
I hope a better one.
I leave the 20th century with no regrets, but...
one more thing.
If anybody's listening, that is.
Nothing scientific. It's... purely personal.
Seen from out here,
everything seems different.
Time bends.
Space is... boundless.
It squashes a man's ego.
I feel lonely.
That's about it.
Tell me, though...
Does man, that marvel of the universe,
that glorious paradox
who has sent me to the stars,
still make war against his brother,
keep his neighbor's children starving?
Are you all right?
Stewart?
Stewart?
We're in the soup!
She's sinking! Dodge, read the atmosphere!
Landon, get out a last signal!
What signal?
To Earth! That we've landed!
The air's OK!
Blow the hatch before we lose all our power!
It's no use! The power's gone!
Forget it! Abandon ship!
She's sinking.
Going...
Going...
Gone.
OK. We're here to stay.
Well, where are we?
Do you have any notion, skipper?
We're some 320 light years from Earth
on an unnamed planet in orbit
around a star in the constellation of Orion.
Is that close enough for you?
That could be Bellatrix.
It's too white for Bellatrix.
You didn't have time to read the tapes.
So you really don't know, do you?
What went wrong?
We weren't programmed to land in the water.
The question is not so much
where we are as when we are.
We've had enough sleep
to hold us for a while.
Let's start earning all that back pay.
Dodge, run your soil test.
- Got your sensors?
- Right.
- Geiger counter?
- Got it.
Let's see. One pistol,
We've got food and water
enough for three days.
How long is a day?
That's a good question.
Landon!
Hey, Landon!
Join the expedition.
Sorry. I was thinking about Stewart.
What do you suppose happened?
Air leak. She died in her sleep.
You don't seem very cut up about it.
It's a little late for a wake.
She's been dead nearly a year.
That means we've been away
from Earth for 18 months.
Our time.
You've gone gray.
Apart from that you look pretty chipper
for a man who's 2,031 years old.
I read the clocks.
They bear out Hasslein's hypothesis.
We have been away from Earth
for 2,000 years,
give or take a decade.
Still can't accept it?
Time's wiped out everything you ever knew.
It's all dust.
Prove it.
If we can't get back, it's still just a theory.
It's a fact, Landon. Buy it. You'll sleep better.
Nothing will grow here.
There's just a trace of carbohydrates.
All the nitrogen is locked into the nitrates.
No dangerous ionization?
No.
Well...
If there's no life here,
we've got just 72 hours to find it.
That's when the groceries run out. Let's go.
Which direction?
That way.
Any particular reason?
None at all.
Come on...
Everybody all right?
Water check.
Eight ounces.
It doesn't add up.
Thunder and lightning, and no rain.
Cloud cover at night.
That strange luminosity...
yet there's no moon.
If we could just get a fix.
What would that tell you?
I've told you where you are and when you are.
All right, all right.
You're 300 light years
from your precious planet.
Your loved ones are dead
and forgotten for 20 centuries.
you were something that fell out of a tree.
Taylor, quit riding him.
There is just one reality.
We are here and it is now.
You get hold of that,
or you might as well be dead.
I'm prepared to die.
He's prepared to die.
Doesn't that make you misty?
Chalk up another victory for the human spirit.
Clue me in on something, will you?
Why did you sign on for this trip?
You volunteered. Why?
Never mind. I'll clue you in.
You were the golden boy of the class of '72.
When they nominated you for the big one,
you couldn't turn it down.
Not without losing your all-American image.
Climb off, will you?
Oh, and the glory. Don't forget that.
There's a life-size bronze statue of you
standing out there somewhere.
It's probably turned green by now
and nobody can read the nameplate.
But never let it be said
that we forget our heroes.
- Taylor, I'm telling you to climb off my back.
- And there's one last item.
Immortality.
You wanted to live for ever, didn't you?
Well, you damn near made it.
Except for me and Dodge,
you've lived longer than anyone ever born.
And with our lovely Lieutenant Stewart dead,
it looks like you're the last of the line.
You got what you wanted, tiger.
How does it taste?
OK. You read me well enough.
But why can't I read you?
Don't bother.
Dodge, there. He's not like me at all.
But he makes sense.
He'd walk naked into a live volcano
if he thought he could learn something
that no other man knew.
But you... You're no seeker.
You're negative.
- And I'm not prepared to die.
- I'd like to know why not.
You thought life on Earth was meaningless.
You despised people.
So what did you do? You ran out.
No, no. It's not like that, Landon.
I'm a seeker too.
But my dreams aren't like yours. I can't help
thinking somewhere in the universe
there has to be something
better than man. Has to be.
Taylor, over here!
Life.
Where there's one, there's another.
And another and another.
Let's find 'em.
Skipper!
Look!
Scarecrows?
Let's see.
To hell with the scarecrows!
Taylor!
Look at this.
Taylor, look!
They didn't leave much, did they?
Well, at least they haven't tried to bite us.
Blessed are the vegetarians.
They look more or less human,
but I think they're mute.
We got off at the wrong stop.
You're supposed to be the optimist, Landon.
Look on the bright side.
If this is the best they've got around here,
in six months we'll be running this planet.
Smile.
Which one was wearing
the strange clothes?
This one.
Will he live?
I don't know.
This beast has lost a lot of blood.
There's no probe here. Find one!
Yes, sir.
This place is dirty, doctor.
Doctor, these animals are dirty. They stink
and they carry communicable diseases.
Why aren't they cleaned up
before they're brought here?
- You don't sound happy in your work.
- I'm little more than a vet in this laboratory.
You promised to speak to Dr. Zaius about me.
I did. You know how
he looks down his nose at chimpanzees.
But the quota system's been abolished.
- You made it. Why can't I?
- What do you mean - made it?
I'm an animal psychologist, that's all.
We have no authority.
You do all right when it comes to
getting space and equipment.
That's because Dr. Zaius
realizes our work has value.
The foundations of scientific brain surgery
are being laid right here
in studies of cerebral functions
of these animals.
They're still dirty, doctor.
And their bite is septic. There. Look at that.
Hold his jaw.
- Good morning, Dr. Zira.
- Good morning, Julius.
- How's our patient today?
- No change.
The minute you open the door,
he goes into his act.
Well!
And what do we want this morning?
Do we want something? Come on. Speak.
Come on.
Speak.
Do we want some sugar, old-timer?
You could get hurt doing that, doctor.
Oh, don't be silly. He's perfectly tame.
They're all tame
until they take a chunk out of you.
Well, Bright Eyes. Is our throat feeling better?
Still hurts, doesn't it?
See? He keeps pretending he can talk.
That Bright Eyes is remarkable.
He keeps trying to form words.
You know what they say.
Human see, human do.
Now what?
He seems to want something.
I'd be careful, doctor.
What did I tell you?
Try that again and I'll break your arm!
Good morning, Your Excellency.
Dr. Zaius.
Good morning, sir.
Open up, please.
I'm so glad you could come.
Sir, he's over here.
Bright Eyes...
Show him. Go ahead.
Do your trick.
Speak.
Go on. Speak again.
There! Can you believe it?
Yes, amusing.
A man acting like an ape.
Dr. Zaius, I could swear he's answering you.
He has a definite gift for mimicry.
Most unusual.
He's using that old blanket as clothing.
I wonder how he'd score
on a Hopkins manual dexterity test.
An animal?
Look!
He's moving his fingers.
Only because he saw you moving yours.
But perhaps he understood.
Man has no understanding.
He can be taught a few simple tricks.
Nothing more.
I'm afraid I must disagree.
- According to my experiments...
- Dr. Zira, I must caution you.
Experimental brain surgery
on these creatures is one thing,
and I'm all in favor of it.
But your behavioral studies
are something else again.
To suggest that we can learn anything
about the simian nature
from the study of man is sheer nonsense.
Besides, man is a nuisance.
He eats up his food supplies in the forest,
then migrates to our green belts
and ravages our crops.
The sooner he is exterminated the better.
It's a question of simian survival.
Is this the one you wanted, doctor?
Oh, yes. Thank you.
Bright Eyes, I've got a present for you.
Put her in with him.
Cornelius! Up here.
Do you have to work tonight?
No.
Neither do I.
Oh, Cornelius.
There's Bright Eyes.
The one I was telling you about.
What's so special about him?
Watch.
Hello, Bright Eyes.
How's our throat today?
- Look! She remembers!
- Remembers what?
The blood transfusion.
Zira, really!
You know, they can't... Watch out.
Here comes number one.
Something's bothering him. He's been
prying around the lab for the last two days.
Good morning, Dr. Zaius.
- You know my... Dr. Cornelius, my fianc?
- Of course.
The young ape with a shovel. I hear you're
planning another archaeological expedition.
- With the Academy's approval, sir.
- The project will require my support.
I hope I may count on it, sir.
Cornelius, a friendly warning.
As you dig for artifacts,
be sure you don't bury your reputation.
Guard!
Guard!
Stop!
You'll hurt him!
Take him inside.
Cornelius! Cornelius,
if you have a moment today,
I'd like to discuss
this expedition of yours in more detail.
Certainly, sir. I'll pick up my notes
and I'll come right over.
I don't understand
these animal psychologists.
What's Dr. Zira trying to prove?
That man can be domesticated.
- What happened?
- Oh, those fools and their torches.
- Do you have any ointment?
- I'll see.
I'm sorry, Bright Eyes.
Julius!
I told you what you'd get!
Julius, don't, don't, don't!
It doesn't matter!
Julius, don't hurt him!
Julius!
Natural-born thieves, aren't they?
Get me a collar and leash.
- I'm taking him out of here.
- He's vicious, doctor.
- Besides, it's against the rules.
- Do as I say!
You... you wouldn't hurt me, would you,
Taylor?
It's a stunt.
Humans can't write.
Dear, you're a scientist.
Don't you believe your own eyes?
Where did you learn to do this?
"Jefferson
Public School."
"Fort Wayne,
Indiana."
Back on that planet you say you came from?
Maybe he is intelligent.
But he is also... crazy.
Cornelius.
Cornelius, please.
"Dodge was killed in the hunt."
"What happened to... Landon?"
I don't know.
They fell out of the sky with you?
"Not fell. Flew."
Flight is a scientific impossibility.
And even if it weren't, why fly?
Where would it get you?
"Do you have maps?"
We're here. You were captured here.
You fell into the water here?
You came ashore...
Marched across the desert?
Mountains?
Many days and nights.
And reached the jungle.
Out of the question.
Cornelius, why do you insist
on provoking him?
No creature can survive in the forbidden
zone. I know. I've been there. I've seen it.
"Then how do you account for me?"
I don't.
And I'm not going to try.
But what about your theory?
The existence of someone
like Taylor might prove it.
Do you want to get my head chopped off?
Don't be foolish.
If it's true, they'll have to accept it.
No, they won't.
Cornelius has developed
the most brilliant hypothesis.
But I'm probably wrong.
That the ape evolved from
a lower order of primate,
possibly man.
In his trip to the forbidden zone,
he discovered traces
of a culture older than recorded time.
- The evidence was very meager.
- You didn't think so then.
That was before Dr. Zaius and half
of the Academy said my idea was heresy.
How can scientific truth be heresy?
What if Taylor is exactly
the proof you needed?
A mutation.
A missing link between
the unevolved primate
and the ape.
Touchy, isn't he?
"I am not a missing link."
Well, if he were a missing link, the sacred
scrolls wouldn't be worth their parchment.
Well, maybe they're not.
Oh, no, thank you.
I'm not going to get into that battle.
- Cornelius, show some strength!
- Zira, listen to me!
Now, we both have fine futures.
Marriage, stimulating careers.
I'm up for a raise.
Dr. Zaius.
Did you forget our appointment, Cornelius?
No, sir. I was just collecting my notes.
You know Dr. Maximus, of course.
Our commissioner for animal affairs.
Yes, sir. It's a pleasure to see you again.
What is that?
A man, Dr. Maximus.
I know it's a man. And you know the rules.
No animals allowed outside the compound,
and most especially not without a leash.
Yes, sir, but... but this
creature is a special case.
Why special?
We're conducting a new experiment.
Wouldn't that more properly be done
in your office?
Yes, sir.
Guards, return this beast to the compound.
What is this?
A toy.
It floats on the air.
Zira...
Try it.
Nonsense.
- What's up, lieutenant?
- We're taking number four to surgery.
- Have him ready.
- How come?
- The beast's throat's nearly healed.
- The vet's going to geld him.
Dr. Zira won't like it.
She wants that pair to mate.
These orders come from Dr. Zaius himself.
There's nothing she can do about it.
If only you knew what they're going to do.
Stay still now. Don't give me any trouble.
Weep if you must,
but make an end of sorrow.
He lives again.
Yes, he has found peace in heaven.
He was a model for us all,
a gorilla to remember...
Hunter, warrior,
defender of the faith.
Cherished husband,
beloved father,
generous master, yes.
He was
The dear departed once said to me
"I never met an ape I didn't like."
Look! It's a man!
In heaven's name! Get rid of that creature!
Catch him!
Catch him! Catch him!
Come on, Quintus.
- Go get him!
- Taylor!
- Why did you run away?
- Security police.
I'm in charge of this man.
He is in the custody
of the ministry of science.
Take your stinking paws off me,
you damn dirty ape!
No one'll listen to me.
Only you.
You.
Nova.
You... Nova.
No...
Yeah. Me Tarzan, you Jane.
What are you doing?
Leave her alone,
damn you!
Where are you taking her?
Where are you taking her?
Damn you! You hairy scum!
Shut up, you freak!
Julius, you...
I said shut up!
It's a madhouse!
A madhouse!
Now I don't even have you.
Imagine me needing someone.
Back on Earth I never did.
Oh, there were women. Lots of women.
Lots of... lovemaking, but no love.
That was the kind of world we'd made.
So I left
because there was no one to hold me there.
Did I tell you about Stewart?
Now there was a lovely girl.
The most precious cargo we'd brought along.
She was... to be the new Eve.
With our hot and eager help, of course.
Probably just as well
she didn't make it this far.
Do you love me, I wonder?
Can you love, I wonder?
Well...
You're not as smart as Stewart, but
you're the only girl in town.
Look at that. I...
I taught you to smile.
It's been weeks.
What happened? Where have you been?
Why didn't you come to see me?
- What is this?
- A hearing.
- Be clever. Be quiet.
- All rise!
Be seated!
This ad hoc tribunal of
the National Academy is now in session.
The president of the Academy presiding.
On my right, Dr. Maximus, commissioner
for animal affairs. And on my left,
Dr. Zaius, minister of science
and chief defender of the faith.
And appearing for the state,
Dr. Honorious, deputy minister of justice.
Bailiff! Your instructions:
To clean up the beast.
These rags he's wearing give off a stench
that's offensive to the dignity
of this tribunal.
You may proceed,
- Dr. Honorious.
- By your leave, Mr. President,
this tribunal has not yet defined
the purpose for this inquiry.
You asked for the opportunity
to present your case.
Surely you must know why you're here.
At the very least, this man has the right to
know whether there's a charge against him.
Objection!
This exhibit is indeed a man.
Therefore he has no rights under ape law.
Dr. Zira, this is a man,
- is it not?
- He is unlike any man you have ever seen.
As we hope to prove.
Answer the question, Dr. Zira. Is it a man?
Sir, perhaps the... question
is the point at issue.
Is he a man, is he a deviant,
or... a freak of nature?
- Objection!
- Sustained.
Now, Dr. Zira, in all fairness,
you must admit that
the accused is a non-ape
and therefore has no rights under ape law.
Then why is he called the accused?
Your Honors must think him
guilty of something.
The creature's not being tried.
He's being disposed of.
It is scientific heresy that is being tried here.
Well put, Dr. Zaius.
Let us warn our friends
that they endanger their own careers
by defending this animal.
Then I'll... defend myself.
Dr. Zira, would you tell
Bright Eyes to be quiet?
- My name is Taylor!
- Bailiff! Silence the animal!
Wait! Let me...
You may proceed, Mr. Prosecutor.
Learned judges, my case is simple.
It is based on our first article of faith.
That the almighty created the ape
in his own image.
That he gave him a soul and a mind.
That he set him apart from the beasts of the
jungle and made him the lord of the planet.
These sacred truths are self-evident.
The proper study of apes is apes.
But certain young cynics
have chosen to study man.
Yes! Perverted scientists who advance
an insidious theory called evolution.
Come to the point, Dr. Honorious.
The state charges that Dr. Zira
and a corrupt surgeon named Galen
experimented on this wounded animal,
tampering with his brain and throat tissues,
to produce a speaking monster.
That's a lie!
Mind your tongue, madam.
Did we create his mind as well?
Not only can this man speak,
he can think! He can reason.
That can reason?
With the tribunal's permission, allow me
to expose this hoax by direct examination.
Proceed, doctor. But do not
turn this hearing into a farce.
Tell the court, Bright Eyes,
what is the second article of faith?
I know nothing of your culture. I admit that.
Of course he doesn't know our culture,
because he cannot think!
Tell us... Why are all apes created equal?
Some apes, it seems,
are more equal than others.
Ridiculous!
Tell us, Bright Eyes.
Why do men have no souls?
What is the proof that a divine spark
exists in the simian brain?
Read this for me.
Since the defendant has been forbidden
to speak in his own defense,
he requests that the following statement
be read into the record.
You read it, Dr. Cornelius. Read it.
"I have, uh, come to you from a planet
in a different solar system."
"I am an explorer in space..."
Stop right there. Let me see that paper.
It's a joke.
In very poor taste.
Is it a joke to seek the truth about this man?
Dr. Zira,
you state here that a ship from outer space
sank in an inland sea of our eastern desert.
You state that Bright Eyes had
two intelligent companions with him
at the time of his capture.
That is his assertion.
Mr. President,
in addition to Bright Eyes,
I believe the prosecutor has reassembled
all the surviving humans
that were captured in the hunt.
That's true, Dr. Zaius.
Very well.
Then I suggest that we...
go take a look at 'em.
That's him! That's Landon!
- Which one?
- The tall one in the back.
Do you acknowledge kinship
with any of these creatures?
- With one of them, yes.
- Identify him, then. Speak to him.
Landon?
Landon.
Oh! They cut him!
Did you know about this?
No. I... I swear. I never saw this man before.
But they...
You did it.
You cut up his brain, you bloody baboon!
Stop him!
Take him inside!
Mr. President, a word of explanation.
The human specimen you saw outside
suffered a skull fracture
in the course of the hunt.
Two fine veterinary surgeons under
my direction were able to save his life.
But the beast could not speak, of course.
Nor will he ever speak.
You did that to him, damn you!
Cut out his memory, took his identity,
and that's what you wanna do to me!
Bailiff! Gag the animal!
Damn you!
May it please the tribunal,
I grant you that this creature
cannot have come from another planet.
But this much is certain. He does come
from somewhere in the forbidden zone.
He's described the region to us and described
it accurately for... I have been there.
You visited the forbidden zone?
Yes, sir.
A year ago.
With the permission of the Academy.
He exceeded his orders.
His travel permit was canceled immediately.
Yes, sir. That is true, thanks to you.
But not before I discovered evidence
of a simian culture that existed
long before the sacred scrolls were written.
Objection! These remarks
are profane and irrelevant!
Sustained. Your archaeological theories have
no bearing on the disposition of this creature.
Let them talk, Mr. President. Let them talk.
Sirs, our theories
have a bearing on his identity.
How so?
Let us assume, as common sense dictates,
that the prisoner's story is false.
But if he did not come from another planet,
then surely he sprang from our own.
Yes! Sprang! As an animal psychologist,
I have found no physiological defect
to explain why humans are mute.
- Objection!
- Sustained!
Their speech organs are adequate.
The flaw lies not in anatomy, but in the brain.
- Objection!
- Sustained!
Sustain all objections, but face the truth!
Yes! Behold this marvel!
This living paradox!
This missing link in an evolutionary chain!
Silence there!
You go too far.
I think an indictment is in order.
Yes, sir. The state charges Drs Zira and
Cornelius with contempt of this tribunal,
malicious mischief, and scientific heresy.
It is so ordered.
This tribunal will examine the evidence
and in due course render its verdict.
As to the proposed indictment
and as to the disposition
of the deviate in question,
this hearing is adjourned.
Wait outside.
Well, the verdict is in.
At the moment, your two simian friends
and sponsors are free on bail.
But they'll soon be brought to trial for heresy.
What about me?
Your case was preordained.
In a way, you did the state a service
because you made it possible for us
to expose Zira and Cornelius.
Now the tribunal
has placed you in my custody
for final disposition.
Do you realize what that means?
No.
Emasculation to begin with.
Then experimental surgery
on the speech centers - on the brain.
Eventually a kind of living death.
However,
I have it in my power to grant a reprieve.
That is why I summoned you here tonight.
Tell me who and what you really are
and where you came from,
and no veterinary shall touch you.
I told you that at that hearing of yours.
You lied!
Where is your tribe?
My tribe!
They live on another planet
in another solar system.
Even in your lies, some truth slips through.
That mythical community
you're supposed to come from - Fort Wayne.
- What about it?
- A fort!
Unconsciously you chose a name
that was belligerent.
Where were you nurtured?
Then... you don't believe that prosecutor's
charge that I'm a monster created by Dr. Zira?
Certainly not.
You're a mutant.
That's what Zira and Cornelius claim.
You're talking heresy, doctor.
Of course!
Suppose I am a mutant.
How can the appearance of one mutant
- send you into a panic?
- Because you're not unique.
- There's the one you call Landon.
- Oh. Then you admit that...
I admit that where there's one mutant,
there's probably another and another.
A whole nest of them.
Where is your nest, Taylor?
Where are your women?
Thank you.
Thank you for calling me Taylor.
Dr. Zaius,
I know who I am.
But who are you?
How in hell did this upside-down
civilization get started?
You may well call it upside down,
since you occupy its lowest level.
And deservedly so.
Our eastern desert has never been explored
because we've always assumed
that life cannot exist there.
Taylor, save yourself!
Tell me, is there another jungle
beyond the forbidden zone?
I don't know.
If you're trying to protect others of your kind,
it'll cost you your identity.
I'm not protecting anyone.
This whole thing is insane!
What have I done?
You are a menace.
A walking pestilence!
I do know who you are, Taylor.
I'll give you just six hours
to make a full confession.
After that I shall use surgery to obtain one.
Guards!
All right. You can cut pieces out of me.
You've got the power.
Return this creature to his cage.
But you do it out of fear!
Remember that! Because you're afraid of me!
What are you afraid of, doctor?
Are you Julius?
- Who are you?
- I'm from the office of animal affairs.
That male is to be transferred to the zoo.
At this hour?
Who says so?
Don't they tell you anything?
The antivivisectionist society is up in arms.
They're gonna save this beast
from those butchers in the lab.
If he can speak, he belongs in a public zoo,
but what'll probably happen
is some money-mad grown-up'll put him
in a circus, and we'll have to pay...
Stop making speeches
and show me the order!
This order's no good.
It must be countersigned by Dr. Zaius.
Grab him!
Who are you?
So you can talk!
I'm Dr. Zira's nephew.
This abduction was her idea.
You're not really going to the zoo.
That's our story if somebody stops us.
Get me out of this.
We've gotta move fast!
She comes along too.
- Zira doesn't want your female.
- I want her.
If you insist, but I'm not taking any orders.
All right. Come on! Let's go!
- I told you not to bring the other one!
- He wouldn't leave her.
Oh, all right. Come on!
- Here. Put this on.
- Don't you have any clothes for me?
What do you expect? An ape's new suit?
- This stuff stinks!
- Well, so do you. Like all men.
Taylor, remember,
all men look alike to most apes.
So put it on and keep quiet,
and we may just get away with this. Hurry!
Cornelius!
How'd it go?
Come on!
Let me out of this!
Well, Taylor, we're all fugitives now.
Do you have any weapons? Any guns?
The best. But we won't need them.
I'm glad to hear it. I want one anyway.
Taylor, I'm in charge of this expedition!
Good for you.
But you're not in charge of me. Not any more.
I don't plan to be caught again.
- As you wish.
- Dr. Zaius seemed to think there was
another jungle beyond the forbidden zone.
I'll try for that. What about you?
Cornelius and I have been
indicted for heresy.
Unless we can prove our theories,
we don't stand a chance of acquittal.
You're going back to the forbidden zone?
We're going back to the diggings
I worked at over a year ago.
It's a three-day ride across the desert.
Near where you claim you landed
from that planet of yours.
- You still don't believe me, do you?
- It's a long detour to Dead Lake.
- What would we find?
- Nothing much.
An empty rubber life raft. Maybe a...
little flag, the emblem of my countrymen.
The terrain around that lake
is poisonous. There's no fresh water,
no vegetation - nothing.
Anyway, I... ought to thank you
for saving me. You'll be in trouble for that.
We've been in trouble
since the moment we met you.
What's she pointing at?
This must be close to home for her.
She knows it.
Nova, no. Nova!
Nova, you can't go there! It's not safe! Nova!
We'd better get started. If the mounted police
pick up our trail, they'll come this far.
Right. Let's get the water
and provisions into the wagon.
Cornelius!
Where does this river lead to?
It flows into a sea some miles from here.
That's where we'll find the diggings.
And beyond that?
I don't know. You can't ride
along the shore at high tide
and we had no boats on our last expedition.
You never told me -
why do you call this the forbidden zone?
No one knows. It's an ancient taboo,
set forth in the sacred scrolls.
The lawgiver pronounced
this whole area deadly.
Shouldn't we be moving on?
I'm for that.
Well? Do you like it?
Why did you do that? Scrape off your hair?
In my world, when I left it,
only kids your age wore beards.
Beards?
I don't go in for fads.
Somehow
it makes you look less intelligent.
When will you show me what's in that cave?
Right now, if you like.
Cornelius!
- Lucius, don't fire at them!
- You're all under arrest!
If there's any more shooting, Dr. Zaius,
you'll be the first to go. You can count on it.
You are not in command. Put down that gun.
Shut up!
Very well.
Lower your weapons.
Tell them to pull back around the rocks,
out of range.
Withdraw!
How did you know we'd come here?
It wasn't difficult. Only an apostate
would flee to the forbidden zone.
And only a fool
would give a gun to an animal.
I see you've brought
the female of your species.
I didn't realize
that man could be monogamous.
On this planet it's easy.
I'll ask you to reconsider
the rash course you've undertaken.
If you're convicted of heresy,
the most you'll get is two years, but
if you persist in pointing guns in
my direction, you'll hang for high treason.
We never meant to be treasonous, sir.
But up there, in the face of that cliff,
there is a vast cave,
and in that cave a fabulous treasure
of fossils and artifacts.
I've seen some of your fossils and artifacts.
They're worthless.
There's your minister of science.
Honor-bound to expand
the frontiers of knowledge.
- Taylor, please!
- Except he's also chief defender of the faith.
There is no contradiction
between faith and science - true science.
- Are you willing to put it to the test?
- Taylor, I would rather...
Take it easy. You saved me from this fanatic.
Maybe I can return the favor.
What is your proposal?
When were those sacred scrolls
of yours written?
All right. If they can prove those scrolls
don't tell the whole truth of your history,
if they can find some real evidence
of another culture from some remote past,
will you let them off?
- Of course.
- Let's go up to the cave.
Sorry, Lucius. You've got to stay here
and guard the camp.
Always giving orders.
Just like every other adult.
Relax. You'll get to see it all later on.
Present your evidence, Cornelius.
It was at this level that I discovered
traces of an early ape creature.
A stage of primitive barbarism really,
dating back some 1,300 years roughly.
It was at this level... I discovered
cutting tools and arrowheads of quartz
and the fossilized bones
of carnivorous gorillas.
But the artifacts
Lying here
were found at this level,
and date back... 700 years earlier.
That's the paradox.
For the more ancient culture
is the more advanced.
Now, admittedly,
many of these objects are unidentified.
But clearly they were fashioned
by beings with a knowledge of metallurgy.
Indeed, the fact that many of these tools
are unknown to us
suggests a culture which
in certain ways equals our own.
Some of the evidence is uncontestable.
Don't speak to me in absolutes.
The evidence is contestable!
I apologize, sir.
To begin with, your methods of dating
the past are crude to say the least.
There are geologists on my staff
who'd laugh at your speculations.
But there's the doll, sir.
What?
Oh, lying right there. The human doll.
What does this prove?
My granddaughter plays with human dolls.
The doll was found
beside the jawbone of a man
and no trace of simian fossil
has been found in this deposit.
Your conclusion is premature.
Have you forgotten your scripture?
The 13th scroll?
"And Proteus brought the upright beast
into the garden and chained him to a tree,
- and the children did make sport of him."
- No, sir, I have not forgotten.
Well, for a time the ancients
kept humans as household pets
until our lawgiver proved
that man could not be tamed.
Keep digging, Cornelius. You'll find evidence
of the master of this house...
An ape.
What are you doing?
Reconstructing a past life.
You say these things were found
at the same level as that doll?
Whoever owned them
must have been in pretty bad shape.
He wore false teeth.
And eyeglasses.
He had a failing heart.
Towards the end, he... had
this prefabricated valve put in it.
I don't say he was a man
like I knew at home,
but he must have been a close relative.
He had all the same weaknesses.
He was a weak,
fragile animal.
But he was here before you
and he was better than you are.
That's lunacy! I can offer alternate
descriptions of every one of those articles
which is just as ingenious as yours.
But it'd be conjecture, not proof.
Mamma!
Mamma!
Dr. Zaius, would an ape make a human doll
that talks?
Lucius!
You dirty...
Nova!
Nova!
Cornelius!
Zira!
Help me!
Mamma!
I oughta kill you right now.
Come on!
Tell 'em to pull back. Now!
Cease fire! Withdraw!
Up there!
Withdraw!
Get down!
Lucius, are you all right?
They took me by surprise.
Sneaked up on me
while I was feeding the horses.
What's happened to honor?
I got off two rounds to warn you.
- They've taken everything.
- Not quite everything!
They left a hostage behind.
- How are you feeling?
- Disillusioned.
You can't trust the older generation.
I know what you mean.
I want you to go round the rocks and tell
those gorillas I've got Dr. Zaius prisoner.
Yes, I can do that.
I want a horse, food, and water.
Enough for a week for me and this female.
- And 50 rounds of ammunition.
- What if they won't agree to your terms?
Tell them I'll shoot him.
Taylor, you can't!
Oh, yes, he can.
He's a born killer.
Deliver the message.
Over here.
Sit down.
Taylor, please! Don't treat him like that!
- Why not?
- It's humiliating.
The way I was humiliated... by all of you?
You led me around on a leash!
That was different.
We thought you were inferior.
Now you know better.
Cornelius was right, doctor. He proved it.
Man was here first. You owe him
your science, your culture,
- whatever civilization you've got.
- Then answer me this.
If man was superior, why didn't he survive?
Wiped out by a plague, some natural
catastrophe, a storm of meteors.
From the looks of some parts of this planet,
I'd say that was a fair bet.
But we can't be sure.
He is.
He knew all the time.
Long before you found your cave, he knew.
Defender of the faith?
Guardian of the terrible secret.
- That's it, isn't it, doctor?
- What I know of man was written long ago.
Set down by the greatest ape of all,
our lawgiver.
Cornelius,
come here.
Reach into my pocket. Read to him
the 29th scroll.
"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."
"Drive him back into his jungle lair."
"For he is the harbinger of death."
I found nothing in the cave
to alter that conception of man
and I still live by its injunction.
That's far enough!
They think you're behaving foolishly.
I must say, I agree!
Where will you go?
To start with, I'll follow
the shoreline and my nose.
But suppose you find nothing
but... but wasteland?
How will you survive?
He won't survive.
Nova.
How about coming along?
- We can't.
- It's better than going to jail for heresy.
Oh, they can't convict us of heresy.
You've helped prove our innocence.
Besides... his culture
is our culture.
Well, good luck, then.
Lucius.
I still say you're making a mistake.
That's the spirit. Keep 'em flying.
- What?
- The flags of discontent.
Remember, never trust anybody over 30.
Doctor, I'd like to kiss you goodbye.
All right, but
you're so damned ugly.
Don't try to follow us.
I'm pretty handy with this.
Of that I'm sure.
All my life I've awaited your coming
and dreaded it, like death itself.
Why?
I've terrified you from the first, doctor.
I still do.
You're afraid of me and you hate me. Why?
Because you're a man.
And you're right.
I have always known about man.
From the evidence, I believe his wisdom
must walk hand in hand with his idiocy.
His emotions must rule his brain.
He must be a warlike creature
who gives battle
to everything around him, even himself.
What evidence?
There were no weapons in that cave.
The forbidden zone was once a paradise.
Your breed made a desert of it... ages ago.
It still doesn't give me the why.
A planet where apes evolved from men.
There's gotta be an answer.
Don't look for it, Taylor.
You may not like what you find.
Untie me!
No, no, no! Wait!
Wait!
Let him go!
Lieutenant, fetch your explosives.
We're going to seal up the cave.
Yes, sir!
- Seal the cave?
- That is correct.
And you will both stand trial for heresy.
- But the proof! The doll!
- In a few minutes there will be no doll.
There can't be. I'm sorry.
Dr. Zaius!
Dr. Zaius, you mustn't! You promised!
What I do, I do with no pleasure.
- Silence him!
- Doctor.
Dr. Zaius, this is inexcusable!
Why must knowledge stand still?
What about the future?
I may just have saved it for you.
What will he find out there, doctor?
His destiny.
Oh, my God!
I'm back!
I'm home.
All the time, it was...
We finally really did it.
You maniacs!
You blew it up!
God damn you!
God damn you all to hell!