Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) or, The Ape Uprising

♥♥

Exciting poster for J. Lee Thompson's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

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The Apes-saga continues here in its fourth film in the original five-film course as a somber tale of dystopia, - although the portrayed future today lies in the past, as the action takes place in 1991, - but this time the painted picture is simply too stupid:
A pest exterminates all dogs and cats the world over, and the apes become the new house pets/slaves, until the son of our Simian 'friends' Cornelius and Zira, Caesar, starts a violent uprising.
Maybe time has been rough on Conquest, or maybe the film was never very good. It is directed by J. Lee Thompson (Cape Fear (1962)), who has several other, finer films to his name.
One might ponder, whether the Cold War might have contributed to the quite exceptionally dark 'them-and-us'-future, which is inflicted upon the audience here. The film isn't based on Pierre Boulle's original story, (it was subsequently novelized, however), so it is very possible that screenwriter Paul Dehn took inspiration from the times. Also interesting to note is that the film originally was even darker and more violent and bloody, but had a torture-indicating pre-title scene and several things throughout the movie cut out, as well as a new, softer ending designed for ratings-purposes. Perhaps the harsher vision had been a better film, perhaps not.
In any case, marketing for Conquest shows interesting, opportunistic, regional discrepancy in the way the movie was sold:

Red Apes (Communists) looking with hunger to take over the world with arms in an American poster for J. Lee Thompson's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

Apes in chains, heroically daring revolt against fascist-like humans in a Spanish poster (probably for South America as well) for J. Lee Thompson's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

Related review:

J. Lee Thompson: Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) or, The Final Ape!

 Watch the original trailer her

Budget: 1.7 mil. $
Box office. 9.7 mil. $
= Big hit

What do you think of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes?
And the other Apes movies?
Will you be going to a cinema soon to see the new Dawn of the Planet of the Apes?