Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) is a science fiction movie directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by Paul Dehn. Set in a future where a space-borne disease has wiped out all dogs and cats, the government has established police states modeled after the Schutzstaffel. These states have taken in chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans as pets and have built a culture around using them for slave labor. This was predicted in 1973 by two chimpanzee scientists known as Cornelius and Zira, who were unfortunately killed for their testimony. Although believed to be deceased, their baby was secretly raised by a circus owner named Armando, who taught the ape how to ride horses. Now grown and going by the name Caesar, this ape is brought to one of the cities in 1991 to help promote Armando’s circus through distributing flyers.

During their trip, Armando advises Caesar not to speak in public for fear of his life. However, after witnessing a gorilla being mistreated and drugged, Caesar cannot contain his anger and yells ‘Lousy human bastards!’ In order to prevent any further commotion, Armando takes responsibility for the outburst and plans to turn himself in to the authorities. He instructs Caesar to hide among the apes for safety while he navigates his way out of trouble. Following Armando’s instructions, Caesar seeks refuge in a cage of orangutans where he is subjected to brutal conditioning as part of a cruel slave-training program. Eventually, he is sold at an auction to Governor Breck and put to work by his right-hand man MacDonald. Despite Breck’s disapproval, MacDonald’s African American background allows him to empathize with the mistreated apes.