In conjunction with yesterday’s release of Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, Nur Aqidah Azizi looks at some of the best ape movies
1. Bedtime For Bonzo (1951)
Directed by Frederick de Cordova, this comedy starred future United States president at that time, Ronald Reagan, and Diana Lynn. It is about attempts of psychology professor Peter Boyd to teach human morals to a chimpanzee. This movie is one of the most remembered of Reagan’s acting career and revived his popularity as a movie star. However, word had it that Reagan did not watch the film until 1984.
2. Ape (1976)
This American-South Korean co-production by Kukje Movies and the Lee Ming Film Co. (South Korea) and Worldwide Entertainment (USA) was directed by Paul Leder and starred Rod Arrants, Joanna Kerns and Alex Nicol. With 3D effects, this production was meant to capitalise on the release of King Kong later the same year.
3. Gorillas In The Mist (1988)
Directed by Michael Apted and starring Sigourney Weaver as naturalist Dian Fossey, this movie is based on the true story of Fossey’s work in Rwanda with mountain gorillas. It was nominated for five Academy Awards and critics praised both Weaver’s performance and the technical accomplishments of the movie.
4. Chimps: So Like Us (1990)
This half-hour documentary was directed by Kirk Simon and Karen Goodman. Filmed on location in New York, Arizona and Tanzania, it was broadcast on HBO. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
5. Congo (1995)
Loosely based on Michael Crichton’s novel of the same name, this action adventure was directed by Frank Marshall. The film became a box office hit but critics gave it a thumbs-down.
6. Dunston Checks In (1996)
Featuring Sam the orangutan as Dunston, this American comedy was written by John Hopkins and Bruce Graham, and was directed by Ken Kwapis. It received mixed reviews, although most reviewers agreed that the cast had done a fantastic job.
7. Buddy (1997)
Featuring Rene Russo and Robbie Coltrane, the film is based on the life of a gorilla called Massa, with elements of another gorilla Gargantua (which was called Buddy at the time). To prepare for her role, Russo began rehearsals with the chimpanzees a month before principal photography even started. Massa became the oldest gorilla on record until 2008.
8. Mighty Joe Young (1998)
This Disney family film stars Bill Paxton and Charlize Theron. Directed by Ron Underwood, it was based on the 1949 film of the same name. In this film version, the ape is much larger than in the original. The movie only grossed US$50.6 million (RM161 million) despite a production budget of US$90 million, which turned it into a box office bomb.
9. Instinct (1999)
The film featured Anthony Hopkins, Cuba Gooding Jr., George Dzundza, Donald Sutherland and Maura Tierney. Instinct examines the mind of anthropologist Ethan Powell, who left society for a few years to live in the jungle with gorillas. The film performed poorly at the box office and received negative reviews but won a Genesis Award for its message on animal rights.
10. Chimpanzee (2012)
This nature documentary film is about a young male chimpanzee, Oscar, which finds himself alone in the African forests until he is adopted by another chimpanzee. The film was released by Disneynature and directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield. It took over four years to make, due to the difficulties of filming in Tai National Park in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa, during the wet season and capturing usable footage of common chimpanzees.