The Evolution of Planet of the Apes: Science, Religion, and 1960s Cinema

Planet of the Apes confronts and exposes both anti-authoritarian and politically conservative attitudes to religion and its relationship to advances in science in the United States at the end of the 1960s. The film explicitly questions religion and its position within government, scientific advancement, and education while simultaneously existing as an artefact of the Judeo-Christian infused culture of post-war United States and post-censorship Hollywood. This article uses the lens of science and religion to analyze the under-researched Planet of the Apes and the transformation of its scientific narrative throughout the film’s production, dissemination, and reception history from novel, to script, to screen.