Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a film of considerable merits, as well as a particularly rich text in terms of political and cultural references. It is a prequel, but its storyline is original and only loosely connected to the classic 1968 film. Its foundational myth is the relationship between the scientist Will Rodman (James Franco), and the chimpanzee Ceasar (Andy Serkis). The film initially focuses on Rodman, who attempts to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease by testing a genetically engineered virus on apes, in effect increasing their intelligence. The narrative gradually shifts to Ceasar as he grows up in Rodman's house and develops his unique identity, and focuses on him as he eventually finds himself in detention together with other apes. It is Ceasar who will lead their rebellion; director Rupert Wyatt characteristically addressed the film in a BBC report as “a Spartacus story.”
The Planet of the Apes series is an example of the link between popular culture and politics, and has attracted academic attention as such; see for example Richard von Busack, Signifying monkeys: politics and story-telling in the Planet of the Apes series, in Gregg Rickman, ed., The science fiction film reader (Limelight, 2004), and Eric Greene, Planet of the Apes as American myth: race, politics, and popular culture (Wesleyan University Press, 1998). Rise of the Planet of the Apes is similarly important, but at the same time it is considerably more complex; it combines science fiction, political fantasy, and family drama, while drawing upon elements from the prison film genre and narratives of escape.
The film is quite rare in terms of its representation of rebellion from the point of view of the insurgents. It starts and ends with scenes of apes in their natural environment. In the opening sequence in a far away jungle, apes become victims of violent attacks by humans; they are hunted down, captured, detained, and abducted. In the last sequence the insurgent apes are free, having reached a forest outside of San Francisco, and thus having symbolically returned to the beginning; as Ceasar puts it to Rodman, this is “home.” In between these two sequences, the narrative depicts the suffering of many apes, as well as their subsequent struggle against oppression and exploitation. In this respect, it may be read as a political allegory potentially concerning all kinds of oppressed peoples. However, the film also includes literal references to animal rights, particularly with regard to the so-called ‘use’ of apes in laboratories, that is to say their incarceration, ill-treatment, torture, and extermination. To its credit, the narrative does not sentimentalise their suffering; it puts their case forward in political terms.
Thus, this is a story of the oppressed liberating themselves, and, significantly, liberation is depicted as a goal achieved collectively. Ceasar’s aforementioned reference is pivotal in this respect, because he was born in a laboratory, and grew up in a human house; “home” in fact is the ape collective in the forest, rather than the forest itself. Earlier on in the film, Ceasar finds himself in a position which allows him to escape; but unlike individualistic narratives of freedom, the point here is not the escape of one, but the liberation of all. Moreover, Ceasar does not use his intelligence for his own benefit, nor ‘leads’ the other apes to freedom from a position of power; in contrast, he is a leading figure precisely because he chooses to share his gift with the collective. Similarly, the aim of the apes is not to rule the world but to free themselves, and they effectively avoid using unnecessary violence in their effort to do so.
Unfortunately, Rise of the Planet of the Apes has significant weaknesses when it comes to the representation of gender. There are only two female characters in the film, the human vet Caroline Aranha (Freida Pinto), who has an almost entirely decorative role, and the chimpanzee Bright Eyes (Terry Notary), who is Ceasar’s mother and gets killed early on in the film. In sharp contrast, all the key characters, both human and ape, are male, and so seem to be the rest of the insurgent apes, as well as the law enforcement agents they are up against. Is it that difficult to imagine an intelligent woman making scientific discoveries, or a strong female character leading the revolution? Apparently it is. And sadly, knowledge and consciousness, as well as the revolution itself, are in effect portrayed as issues only for men to be concerned with.
2 comments:
I've been browsing the web for some hours, searching for discussion about women, culture, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. This articles is the first I've found.
I was struck, while watching the movie, at the similarities between the ways the apes were treated and the ways women are treated in US society. I've read for decades about the connections between the Apes movies and race, but this is the first time I've seen this other connection.
I am glad you found the post interesting and many thanks for your comment.
The very fact that Rise of the Planet of the Apes may be read as an emancipation metaphor is exactly why the extremely limited presence of female characters in the film is so striking - and even more so their practically inexistent role in the portrayal of emancipation.
And apparently the sequel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_of_the_Planet_of_the_Apes) will not be any different - the addition of a 'love interest' for Caesar is far from an improvement of the franchise's flawed gender politics.
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